Think Locally, Act Globally

A parlimentary hearing is occurring on palm oil labelling. There are many people speaking for it including zoo's, supermarkets and orangutan activists. If this passes through government, it means we are a big step closer to clear labeling of palm oil in our products. It will not only bring light to palm oil and therefore raise awareness of deforestation in Asia, but also make it easier for consumers to boycott palm oil supporting companies. 


Now there is power in YOUR hands. Speak up about deforestation and palm oil while our politicians are listening. You can email your local MP and express your feelings on the issue.

Palm oil plantations are the number one cause of loss of habitat for orangutans.

Below is a pre-form letter that you can send to your local MP about palm oil. Copy and paste this into an email and find his/her contact form in the link below. The more support we show for this cause, the more loudly our voices will be heard.

"I am writing as I am very concerned about the use of palm oil because of the serious environmental consequences associated with new palm oil plantations in Indonesia and Malaysia where primary rainforest is being cleared destroying the habitat of highly endangered species, especially orangutans. Not only this, the peat swaps on which the forest grows is usually drained, thereby releasing methane into the atmosphere, and then burnt, releasing carbon. Indonesia is the world’s third largest carbon emitter because of these fires. Papua New Guinea ecosystems and communities are also threatened by oil palm plantation development.

I would also draw your attention to the Heart Foundaton’s concerns about the health consequences of palm oil which is high in saturated fat.

My biggest concern, however, is that often I do not know if I am consuming palm oil because it may be labelled only as vegetable oil. Regulatory Objectives of the Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) state that regulations must provide for

(a) the protection of public health and safety; and

(b) the provision of adequate information relating to food to enable consumers to make informed choices;

and that, in developing food regulatory measures and variations of food regulatory measures, FSANZ must also have regard to the following:

• The promotion of fair trading in food.

Currently, with regard to palm oil, I feel these objectives are not being met. I believe palm oil should be labelled as such because, in direct relation to the above points:

• It is high in saturated fat, therefore I want to know if I am consuming it, thereby protecting my own health and safety.
• I am not able to make an informed choice about consuming a product containing palm oil if it is only labelled as vegetable oil - therefore the information on the label is inadequate
• Social advocacy groups in Indonesia report that human rights abuses are being perpetrated by oil palm plantation developers, and palm oil processing mills are highly polluting, damaging ecosystems and the wellbeing of people who live in the area. The fair trading of this commodity starts with landowners; therefore, by not requiring palm oil labelling FSANZ robs consumers of the choice to avoid a substance which is not ‘fair trade’, and fails to meet its own objectives.

Please urgently address the issue of palm oil labelling. I would appreciate an explanation as to why FSANZ is not meeting its own objectives in the above cases."

Contact List for MPs in Australia:

http://aph.gov.au/house/members/mi-alpha.asp