As a doctor I am very aware of the health risks of excess consumption of palm oil (especially via ultra-processed food), and I have become increasingly concerned about the way that many global companies ignore their commitments to stopping deforestation, especially in relation to the production and use of palm oil.
Palm oil is ubiquitous in a vast range of western supermarket products (food, cosmetics, toiletries and so on), yet the way that it is produced has a massive environmental impact.
Indonesia, for example, produces some 60% of the world’s supply of palm oil. To meet this demand, a huge industry has developed, and Indonesia is now the largest producer in the world.
This comes at an enormous cost. Indonesia’s forests have been bulldozed and replaced with, to date, 43 million acres of plantations – an area substantially bigger than England and Wales combined. Oil companies encroach on local communities and there are reports of violence and people being forced from their land. Meanwhile, orangutans and other species are being pushed to the edge of extinction.
Despite trying to mitigate the impact of production, the government there (and in the countries which import such a huge volume of the stuff), the industry continues to drive deforestation, biodiversity loss, hastens climate change, increases air pollution, degrades soil and water quality and affects communities across the islands.
It seems to me that the UK needs to be at the forefront of both weaning ourselves off this product, and increasing the fight against the negative environmental impacts of its production.
