19 S’pore F&B Companies Promise To Use Sustainable Palm Oil. Here’s Why It’s Such A Big Deal

Last Updated on 2018-03-02 , 6:17 pm

Okay, hold up. Since when is Goody Feed interested in things like sustainable oil?

What happened to Eden Ang, BTO and meaningful life lessons?

Now, despite what you might think, sustainable palm oil is a very big deal. And something we should totally care about.

 

What is sustainable palm oil?

So what is sustainable oil? Is it something like organic vegetables? Not quite.

Organic vegetables are more expensive because it’s supposed to be healthier. Sustainable palm oil, on the other hand, is simply palm oil.

Except. It’s cultivated in a sustainable (read: environmentally-friendly) manner.

And we should care because…?

 

Singapore has three different seasons throughout the year: Sunny, rainy, and of course…

…haze season.

Cultivating palm oil in countries like Indonesia is one of the main cause of air pollution in the region.

This is due to plantation companies using slash-and-burn tactics to prepare the land for crops, deforestation and draining of carbon-rich peatland.

Sustainable palm oil means the plantation must adhere to strict standards set by the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO).

Certified plantations are not allowed to burn to clear land and must respect the rights of local communities.

In other words, should more companies switch to sustainable palm oil, plantations will have incentives not to burn their fields.

So that means…lesser haze seasons!

So why is it a big deal that 19 local F&B companies switched to RSPO palm oil?

So what got people so excited about? And by people, I mean the environment people.

That’s because these 19 companies showed two important things.

One, companies who have made the switch reported that there isn’t a huge increase in operational cost, at less than 10%.

Each tin of sustainable palm oil cost about $3 more.

And two, the companies that joined the South-east Asia Alliance for Sustainable Palm Oil (Saspo) and pledged to use sustainable palm oil are pretty big names in the industry.

Among those are names like Crystal Jade, F&N, Tung Lok, Commonwealth Capital (Pasta Mania, Baker and Cook).

Together, the 19 brands have about 200 food outlets in Singapore.

These brands are highly likely to set an example and get other F&B brands to follow.

Old Chang Kee and Polar Puffs and Cakes committed themselves to sustainable palm oil last year after an online petition set up by two students, Gauri, now 15, and Regina Vanda, 20.

Conclusion: Say no to unsustainable palm oil and you’re effectively saying no to haze.

Not too bad, huh?

Always quarrel with your bae? Then you need to watch this video and learn this trick on how to resolve arguments without any compromise or apology (and also subscribe to Goody Feed YouTube channel):

This article was first published on goodyfeed.com

Read Also

• Distance-based ERP is Coming in 2020. RIP, Drivers.
• HDB & MSF Responds To Viral Changi Airport Family’s ‘False Allegations’ & ‘Misrepresentation of Situation’
• Toilet Paper Sold Out in Taiwan. Here’s Why.

Do you love writing? Do you want a platform to showcase your works? Goody Feed is looking for part-time writers to join the team! Click here to find out more

Featured Image: Crystal Jade website