New European Union food labelling rules expected to force palm oil out into the open

Originally shared by Environmental Investigation Agency

New European Union food labelling rules expected to force palm oil out into the open

The widespread use of palm oil in our foodstuffs has become a major conservation issue in recent years.

Despite efforts in some quarters towards responsible sourcing, it remains a product tainted by a lack of transparency, corruption, criminality, deforestation and the destruction of the habitats of orangutans and other threatened species.

But attempts to do the right thing by leaving palm oil out of our shopping baskets are often thwarted by opaque and frankly misleading food labelling which conceals the presence of palm oil behind such bland terms as 'vegetable oil' or 'emulsifier'.

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* Look out for a major new EIA report on Tuesday (December 16) exposing crime and corruption in Indonesia's palm oil sector - http://eia-international.org/
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That should change when the new EU Food Information to Consumers Regulation comes into force from tomorrow (December 13).

The regulation contains a requirement that the specific types of vegetable oils contained in a food or drink product must now appear on the ingredients list.

For a quick guide to the new regulation, visit http://www.foodmanufacture.co.uk/Regulation/Food-manufacturers-get-top-five-guide-to-new-label-rules

#palmoil #EU #orangutans

Image: Orangutans (c) Roland Mayer, via Orangutan Foundation UK