Over time, palm oil production has caused that
destruction of rainforests
in which
South East Asia
,
especially in Indonesia and Malaysia, which are also threatening the habitat of an endangered species like that
Orangutans
.
After years of searching for alternatives, producers had decided to focus on sunflower oil. Now, however, all their efforts collide with the fact that the
war in Ukraine
it cut off more than half of the world supplies of sunflower oil. A product found in potato chips, crackers, and vegetable butter.
English company Iceland Foods, for example, pledged to eliminate palm oil from all its food in 2018, while it is now forced to use certified sustainable palm oil in at least 25 products. An unexpected consequence of the conflict in Ukraine.
In total, Russia and Ukraine supply approx
65%
Sunflower oil from all over the world, 25% wheat, 20% barley and 18% corn. The war led to harvest delays, transportation problems, and rising food prices.
Palm oil producing countries are taking the opportunity to do so
regain market share
. And if Indonesia, the world’s leading investor, has implemented export restrictions to protect domestic consumption, it will
Malaysia
confirmed its willingness to meet the increased demand.
In this scenario, some food companies will buy palm oil again, as long as producers do not destroy forests and provide good working conditions. Currently only
one fifth of the palm oil produced worldwide is sustainability certified.