CSM Ingredients wants to uncover ‘sustainable frontiers’ in fats and oils – including plant-based oil replacements made from microorganisms – with the inauguration of a new Innovation Center in Delmenhorst, Germany.
Government and industry representatives from the palm oil and rubber sectors in Malaysia have urged the European Union (EU) to withdraw ‘highly demeaning’ clauses within its controversial deforestation regulation, punctuating this with a 500-strong protest...
Golden Agri-Resources (GAR) has been slammed by environmental campaigners for renouncing its HCSA membership. According to the palm oil major, the move represents a commitment to ‘doubling down on what’s working’.
ASEAN consumer confidence in regional trade relations with the European Union have plummeted on the back of the latter’s recently-passed deforestation law and its impacts on various food commodities, as major palm oil producing countries in the region...
Estonian start-up ÄIO joins the ranks of those brewing solutions to replace palm oil, coconut oil and animal fats with sustainable and healthier alternatives.
A political agreement has been reached on the European Union’s due diligence legislation, and sustainable palm oil organisation Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is supportive. Yet challenges and risks exist, explains Ruben Brunsveld, deputy director...
Major South East Asian palm oil producer countries are gearing up to retaliate against the European Union’s controversial deforestation regulation, with the situation rapidly devolving to the point that a trade war could be on the horizon.
FMCG food and beverage brands making popular consumer products need to step up and publicly support sustainable palm oil in order to make a real impact in the sector, according to leaders of the RSPO.
Utilized in everything from lipsticks and moisturizers to baked goods and confectionery, palm oil comes with environmental and societal costs – displacing tropical forests across Asia, Latin America and West Africa, and destroying the habitats of endangered...
Ahead of this week’s trilogue negotiations on the EU’s Deforestation Regulation, the Indonesian Palm Oil Association (IPOA/GAPKI) has complained the legislation “will increase poverty, decrease sustainable development, and undermine decades of progress...
EU-proposed due-diligence legislation has been criticised for triggering unintended consequences across the supply chain, which begs the question: will such a law actually promote climate smart food?
Dutch start-up Northern Wonder is combatting coffee-related deforestation with an alternative developed from non-tropical ingredients, including barley, rye, chickpea, and chicory.
Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) voted today on the EU draft law on deforestation, including due diligence obligations for EU financiers investing in forest-risk sectors.
NoPalm Ingredients envisages a palm and coconut oil-free future. Instead, the Dutch start-up is fermenting yeast with side stream inputs to produce microbial-based alternatives for the food industry.
Sweden’s Green-On is developing a unique technology to produce food ingredients, especially fat for the food and feed industry, in a truly sustainable way.
To combat deforestation, interventions must support both development and inclusion. Smallholders need to be brought on the journey towards zero deforestation. A new research collaboration aims to assess what programmes see most success on these dual deliverables.
Indonesia’s palm oil export ban announced earlier this month has left the door open for Malaysia to swoop in and expand its market share – but this will very much depend on contract timings and labour viability, say industry experts.
The palm oil industry is urging governments, food firms and consumers that have boycotted to reconsider their approach, claiming that sustainable palm oil is a credible alternative to oils such as sunflower oil, which is in short supply due to the Ukraine...
Unilever is piloting new blockchain technology, GreenToken by SAP, in a bid to increase traceability and transparency in the consumer good giant’s palm oil supply chain.
While consuming saturated fats increases blood cholesterol, meta-analyses suggest this does not translate into increased risk of cardiovascular disease, say researchers.
A team of scientists have developed a method to effectively produce and extract plant-based oil from a common microalgae that, they claim, could be a ‘healthier and greener’ alternative to palm oil.
Sustainable palm oil production could be one of the biggest beneficiaries of commitments made at the COP26 summit – but experts who have been assessing the fine print say that the devil lies in the detail of implementation.
The palm oil industry in Malaysia is ramping up its efforts to improve labour standards after taking several hits to its reputation and business prospects over the poor handling of human rights issues.
Palm oil industry experts have warned that the European Union’s (EU) latest proposed regulations on deforestation carry major risk of upsetting Indonesia amidst ongoing free-trade negotiations.
Food ingredients giant Cargill has stressed the rising importance of sustainability claims, especially around palm oil, as it detailed how its latest investment in Malaysia can help manufacturers meet the latest consumer demands.
The Indonesian palm oil sector has urged the European Union to ensure that its final regulatory approach to imported commodities does not discriminate against palm oil, warning that efforts to replace it as an ingredient could lead to even ‘bigger problems’...
Indonesia’s representative palm oil body GAPKI is concerned that it may not be able to produce enough of the commodity this year, given that added demand is expected as economies recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Palm oil producer Musim Mas, oil supplier AAK and branded manufacturer Nestlé are collaborating to tackle deforestation outside concession areas in Aceh, Indonesia.
There is little chance of food manufacturers covering the costs of palm oil sustainability efforts, despite new research saying it would require just a 2% increase in prices, according to an industry expert.
Ferrero has updated its Palm Oil Charter to ‘go beyond’ what it says is a ‘baseline’ for sustainable palm oil sourcing. This means new commitments on human rights, environmental protection and supplier transparency.
Consumers in the EU are ‘demanding sustainability’ when it comes to palm oil and related food products, according to an EU ambassador, fanning the flames of ongoing strife with palm oil producing countries in the ASEAN region.
Swiss margarine and bakery fats producer Grüninger AG has developed a new technology to produce palm-free, vegan and vegetarian margarines in which any off-note flavours are effectively taste masked.
Consumers are opting to buy ‘No Palm Oil’ labelled products in places where these are available due to the sense of ‘emotional protection’ this confers versus any real scientific knowledge, an expert panel has claimed whilst recommending better social...
One of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil’s (RSPO) objectives is to help tackle poverty in palm producing communities. But does certification help alleviate farmer poverty?
As the first ingredient supplier to join the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) back in 2004, DuPont Nutrition and Biosciences has long worked to help transform the palm oil industry. As scrutiny of palm oil sourcing grows, FoodNavigator speaks...
Mars, Inc. has announced its Palm Positive Plan has delivered a deforestation-free palm oil supply chain. Yet environmental NGO Greenpeace takes issue with the confectionery giant's strategy.
Indonesia has called on the United Kingdom to implement equivalent regulations for rapeseed oil as stipulated in the the Due Diligence policy it is looking to apply to palm oil, in order to achieve proper ‘mutual recognition’ of each other’s regulatory...
The European Union’s (EU) new Farm-to-Fork (F2F) Strategy may have been coined in the name of sustainability for its local food chain, but if implemented could have massive cost implications for palm oil exports and major export countries such as Malaysia.
General Mills is collaborating with Musim Mas Group to launch a programme designed to integrate independent smallholders from villages neighbouring the Leuser Ecosystem in Aceh Singkil into the sustainable palm oil supply chain to reduce deforestation...
The Federal Association of the German Confectionery Industry (BDSI) said it has welcomed its government's increased political commitment to more sustainability in the palm oil sector.
The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), which promotes the use of sustainable palm oil products and which counts the likes of Nestle, Unilever, Danone and Kellogg among its members, has called for assistance from European governments in its effort...
Olam International has opposed the World Rainforest Movement’s claims the agri-food giant is taking advantage of ‘loopholes’ in its zero deforestation commitments in Gabon.
Efforts to create synthetic replacements for palm oil are likely to require ‘several years’ of development before they are commercially viable, meaning emphasis should be placed in the ‘immediate’ drive to make existing production more sustainable.
Big food companies are lagging on their commitments to eliminate the environmental damage being caused by the palm oil supply chain, according to the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF).
Bunge Loders Croklaan is expanding into the vegetarian burger category with a range of plant-based offerings – made from shea and palm fat – to help bring texture, bite, appearance, and flavour closer to the ‘real thing’.
