In April last year, Iceland supermarkets announced they would be removing palm oil from all their own-brand products citing the devastating effects this oil has on the environment.
Palm oil is a vegetable oil derived from the fruit of oil palm trees which grow in tropical areas. It is found in a number of popular products like lipstick, peanut butter and chocolate.
Yet palm oil has been linked to the deforestation of Borneo’s forests and loss of habitat for many orangutans that call these forests home – which, according to saynotopalmoil.com, has resulted in the loss of over 50,000 orangutans.
Humans are consuming a whopping 50 million tonnes of palm oil each year and as long as there continues to be demand for the product, forests and habitats will continue to be destroyed. So lessen your impact on the environment a little and swap out some of your favourite products for the alternatives below.
If you like hazelnut spread try …
Venchi’s Suprema XV cocoa spread with extra virgin olive oil. One of these tubs may be a tad more expensive than other popular hazelnut spreads but it has less of an impact on the environment and tastes just as – if not more – delicious.
Venchi’s Suprema XV cocoa spread with extra virgin olive oil, £7.50. venchi.com/uk/
If you like peanut butter try …
Whole Earth Organic Smooth Palm Oil Free Peanut Butter. Like the name says, this peanut butter is palm oil free but without losing the peanut butter creaminess we all love.
Whole Earth Organic Smooth Palm Oil Free Peanut Butter, £2.50. sainsburys.co.uk/
If you like chocolate try …
Ombar raw chocolate bar. Before you let the word ‘raw’ put you off – as a certified chocoholic, I have tried these bars and prefer them to regular chocolate. They're that good.
Try the Ombar 72 per cent cacao bar, £3.29. ombar.co.uk/
If you use bar soap try …
Movis soap from Lush. Movis is Lush’s first 100 per cent palm oil free soap and is made from extra virgin coconut and sunflower oil. The soap has its own delightfully intense smell – signature to all Lush products – and gently buffs and polishes skin.
Movis by Lush, £4.95 per 100g. uk.lush.com/
If you use laundry detergent try …
Ecoleaf Concentrated Non-Bio Washing Powder. This detergent is made from plant-derived ingredients which is gentle on your skin and kind to the earth and removes dirt without using harsh chemicals like parabens.
Ecoleaf Concentrated Non-Bio Washing Powder, £3.79. naturalcollection.com/
If you eat bread try …
Waitrose Love Life Farmhouse Batch Multiseed. Using rapeseed oil instead of palm oil, you won’t notice the difference yet you will make less of an environmental impact.
Waitrose Love Life Farmhouse Batch Multiseed, £1.45. ocado.com/
If you wear lipstick try …
Neek Lipsticks. Australian brand Neek has brought out a vegan sustainable range of lipsticks in eight different shades. The tubes are made from bamboo so they can also be composted once done.
Neek lipsticks, £15.99 each. neekskinorganics.com/uk/
If you like fruit mince pies try …
With Iceland supermarkets launching their palm oil ban, head chef Neil Nugent is working on redeveloping the entire range by the end of 2018. As part of this he has created a palm oil free fruit mince pie, you can watch the process in the video above.
