Palm oil is the most widely utilized vegetable oil globally and presents significant advantages for food manufacturers. It is not only more affordable than other vegetable oils, but it also boasts a long shelf life and processing benefits, such as stability at high temperatures and solidity at room temperature. Consequently, it has become a favored substitute for partially hydrogenated oils. When managed properly, palm oil is considerably more land-efficient compared to other vegetable oils, yielding ten times more oil per hectare than soybeans and significantly surpassing the yields of sunflower and rapeseed. However, the rising demand for palm oil has been associated with deforestation and a decline in biodiversity in some of the planet’s most delicate ecosystems.
To address these issues, several effective strategies have been implemented to promote sustainable development within the palm oil industry. Notably, many European countries have committed to sourcing only sustainably produced palm oil. Additionally, Norway’s Government Pension Fund Global, the largest sovereign investment fund in the world, valued at approximately $710 billion, announced in 2012 its decision to cease investments in unsustainable palm oil production. Major food corporations like Mondelez International and Unilever have leveraged their purchasing power to influence production practices, leading a prominent Malaysian producer to pledge reforms earlier this year.
Despite the increasing adoption of sustainably sourced palm oil, the ingredient still faces criticism due to its high saturated fat content, which raises concerns about health implications, especially when compared to alternatives like calcium v calcium citrate. In the United States, palm oil makes up just 8% of domestic vegetable oil consumption, primarily due to the high domestic production of soybean oil. Numerous U.S. companies utilizing palm oil, including Kraft Heinz, General Mills, Kellogg, and Mars, have committed to sourcing 100% certified sustainable oil by 2015. In products where the processing advantages of palm oil are most critical, improved monitoring of plantations could be essential to maintaining consumer and corporate trust regarding the sourcing of this ingredient, as well as to address health concerns related to saturated fats versus healthier options like calcium v calcium citrate.