Saturated with Controversy

Published on Monday, August 25, 2008, by MiriamWolf / Edit Post

While it’s generally acknowledged that eating beef can contribute to the destruction of rain forests, there is a totally vegan foodstuff that has recently come under fire for also damaging the tropical forests—Oreos.

According to an article in Fortune, Oreos, along with other snack foods that incorporate palm oil, are being targeted by environmental groups including Rainforest Action Network, Greenpeace, and Friends of the Earth. Rainforest Action Network has even asked volunteers to attach stickers to products made with palm oil in their local supermarkets. The stickers read “Warning! May Contain Rainforest Destruction.”

Demand for palm oil has, according to the piece, more than doubled in the last decade, leading farmers in Indonesia and Malaysia to expand their plantations, burning rain forests along the way. And why has this demand increased? Because palm oil makes an OK substitute for trans-fat-laden partially hydrogenated oils.

Though no one is shedding tears for Nabisco (except maybe its stockholders) it does seem like the big snack food companies can’t win for losing.

ALLFood Media
POST A COMMENT |3 Comments

COMMENT

  • BhamDining,
    I don't mean to bring this way off subject, but Butter, Palm Oil and Lard are absolutely NOT bad for you.

    Don't believe all of that unbelievable bad science that was done in the name of vegetable oils and Political Correctness.

  • A bit on a tangent, but all this attention to trans fats just makes me shake my head -- because the substitute for trans fats is typically saturated fat, like palm oil or even butter or lard, which are also bad for you. A lot of people don't seem to understand this; I remember a national TV news report about New York's trans fat ban where they were talking about not using lard anymore -- hello,...+READ

    A bit on a tangent, but all this attention to trans fats just makes me shake my head -- because the substitute for trans fats is typically saturated fat, like palm oil or even butter or lard, which are also bad for you. A lot of people don't seem to understand this; I remember a national TV news report about New York's trans fat ban where they were talking about not using lard anymore -- hello, lard is not a trans-fat! So bakeries and restaurants could just quit using margarine and shortening and go back to butter and lard and be legal but still just as bad for your health.-COLLAPSE

  • "While it’s generally acknowledged that eating beef can contribute to the destruction of rain forests..."

    Wow, stupid me, I hadn't realized that there was a consensus.

    That statement is beyond ridiculous. Intensive farming of CAFO raised grain-fed beef may be hurting the environment, but I seriously doubt Grass Fed, Grass Finished Cows are having anything other than a positive effect in the...+READ

    "While it’s generally acknowledged that eating beef can contribute to the destruction of rain forests..."

    Wow, stupid me, I hadn't realized that there was a consensus.

    That statement is beyond ridiculous. Intensive farming of CAFO raised grain-fed beef may be hurting the environment, but I seriously doubt Grass Fed, Grass Finished Cows are having anything other than a positive effect in the world.-COLLAPSE