I love animals and love nature. Indeed, I tend to believe that we are given this planet to look after for future generations - we may not live to see it but I want my children to enjoy all the things I did.
This message in some form has been heard by western society and many Governments are working towards this goal. In addition, people are starting to look at the providence of food and using seasonality to determine their menus. However, while we are prepared to do this at home, some of the actions which happen in our name in the third world upset me deeply.
Palm oil is a huge problem as it is a significant ingredient in many food processed foods and also some types of bio-fuel as well as cosmetics but it causes irreversible damage to the natural environment. In Borneo, Orangutans are butchered as they stand in the way of plantations being established and are seen as nasty pests. The Sumatran Tiger is also facing a grim future.
But do we actually need to use this? Well, most environmental groups agree that the cost of harvesting the bio-fuel out weights any benefits of using it and a recent report said it pollutes more than crude oil so essentially, we should probably just leave it alone. And what about in food? Well, many companies pop it under 'vegetable oil' so you may never know that your chocolate bar or margarine is helping to deforest the planet.
Some companies are doing something and it is worth looking at http://www.greenpalm.org/ to see who uses sustainable palm oil products. Indeed, Boots, Waitrose and Cadburys are stand out companies and only use sustainable products but some companies like Lidl and Aldi refuse to explain their palm oil stances.
So what can we do? Read the labels, read up on the issues and eat less processed food. Not so hard when you consider that by making these choices means that others will live.
L xx
follow me on twitter @alittleofwhatyou
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