Palm oil and palm kernel oil permeate over 50% consumer products in the grocery store— how did we get here, and what is the impact of this industry?
Plant is semi-spontaneous in regeneration
Part 1 will look at origins of industry, spanning back two centuries, from POV of “colonizer”
Part 2 will look at it from the other side
Part 1
Development of palm oil trade tied tightly to “scramble for Africa,” slave trade, etc.
Commodified in soap starting with Lever (→ Unilever), margarine
One scientist defected to P&G and helped them make Crisco!
Again, closely intertwined with atrocities in the Congo, etc.
Also spread the oil palm to Southeast Asia, exploitation happened there as well
Unilever’s plantation people imported thousands of weevils from Africa to Malaysia once they found out the insect was the palm’s main pollinator → increase in yield
Palm oil began replacing many other animal-based oils (butter, lard) in both industrial and home cooking
Used widely in oleo-chemicals (in place of petro-chemicals)
Part 2
Land-grabs in Indonesia = state-sponsored; plantation owners profited and benefited from anti-Communist massacres in the 60s-70s?
Deforestation/land-clearing to plant oil palms → so many endangered species, poaching in what little rainforest remains
Currently: labor conditions are horrendous
Extremely low (if any) wages, exposure to toxic pesticides (organophosphates) and other dangerous conditions (electrocution, etc.) with little healthcare
Child labor, sexual assault, etc.
Palm oil produced under such conditions makes its way into consumer goods in many companies we interact with— Hershey’s, P&G, Pepsico, etc.
Murder and intimidation of union workers and strikers
India = one of the largest importers of palm oil; contributes to obesity and diabetes epidemics
Both palm oil and palm kernel oil have ideal properties for frying and things like chocolate, respectively (in terms of taste, saturation, etc.)
Emphasis and use of palm oil takes place of healthier options— both in agricultural space and actual food people are eating
Cheaper than other plant/vegetable oils (sunflower, rapeseed, etc.)
Used in place of dairy products like ghee, etc., as dairy prices rise (often not advertised clearly)
Prevalent in food that’s locally produced and from international brands— which use palm oil in countries like India but not in the US
Similar trends in Mexico (obesity, cardiovascular disease)
Use of palm oil as biofuel lead to surge in production in Indonesia → more clear-cutting
Everywhere became fair game for palm plantations
Not necessarily carbon-neutral if clearing rainforest, or esp peat land, to grow the oil palms for biofuels
Part 3
Efforts in place to try to have food labels be more transparent when “tropical” vegetable oils are in use, more info on health and environmental implications
Resistance from food companies, plantation companies
Many certification schemes are not credible (rely on or influenced heavily by the companies they are supposed to regulate