Ferrero has won a court case against Belgian retailer Delhaize for claiming its palm oil-free, Nutella-style spread is healthier and better for the environment than a product with palm oil.
A new variety of oil palm developed using traditional plant breeding techniques will increase crude palm oil yields by up to double current levels, says SMART Tbk, a subsidiary of Golden-Agri Resources (GAR).
The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) has issued its first RSPO Next certification, a stricter voluntary add-on, to Colombian-based agribusiness Daabon Group.
Orkla Confectionery & Snacks Sweden has removed palm oil from 98% of its products, meaning 1,500 fewer tons of saturated fat in consumers' food. But what were the technical challenges and how was it received by fellow members of the Roundtable...
Food manufacturers are struggling to tackle deforestation because of failures by governments both at home and overseas, according to candid interviews with a number of high-profile firms.
Today the European Parliament voted to implement tough new palm oil resolutions, which if enforced would see its elimination from use in biofuels and enforce stricter regulations on production and certification throughout the continent.
Nestlé says it is "very concerned" by allegations that its palm oil supplier Wilmar International has again been implicated in sourcing palm oil from the protected Leuser ecosystem in Indonesia, according to a report by the Rainforest Action...
The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) faced a number of well-publicised challenges last year. Consumers remain confident in the scheme, it appears, but can the same be said for the companies involved? Is this a make or break year?
FoodNavigator approached industry and campaigners for their reflections on the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)'s 2016 Impact Report. What are the challenges and opportunities in the next 12 months?
Environmental and scientific organisations, including Ceres and Oxfam, have published a best practice guidance on how to improve transparency in the palm oil supply chain.
Ferrero has launched a TV advertising campaign defending its use of palm oil in its flagship product Nutella, saying palm oil is currently suffering "an unfair smear campaign" in Italy.
Back in 2014 I interviewed Hans Jöhr, who at the time was corporate head of agriculture at Nestlé. We had a (refreshingly) open discussion about certification schemes. Some of them are “cheating consumers” and “cannot help farmers be better farmers per...
Agri-food giant Olam has defended its palm oil operations against accusations they are a 'black box' of secrecy that funnels palm oil linked to deforestation from rogue traders to global brands like Unilever and Nestlé.
Amnesty International’s report is another dent in the reputation of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) as three of the suppliers on Wilmar's operations were RSPO-certified.
Amnesty International has uncovered “systemic” cases of child labour and labour rights abuses in Indonesian palm oil plantations operated by Wilmar, tracing the palm oil back to firms including Nestlé, Unilever and Kellogg – companies that all claim to...
'Let me be frank: No other broad certification scheme for a sustainable agricultural crop goes as far as RSPO for palm oil.'
The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is battling a number of issues, from its own members adding 'palm oil-free labels' on product packaging to calls at an EU level to strengthen its certification criteria. But according to United Plantations...
New commitments to tackle deforestation in commodity supply chains have almost doubled in the past 12 months, but pledges remain “piecemeal” with very few companies looking beyond palm oil, according to a recent analysis.
RSPO co-chair and boss of Malaysia’s United Plantations Berhad, Dato’ Carl Bek-Nielsen gave a measured address at the opening of the organisation's RT14 conference in Bangkok.
At a time when the conversation around palm oil centres on deforestation, fires and habitat loss – and global demand shows no signs of abating – several companies have come together to create Palm Done Right, a new standard for ethical palm oil production....
Greenpeace's damning report on Malaysian palm oil supplier IOI, just one month after its membership of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) was renewed, could be damaging for the certifier, according to one sustainability consultant.
Greenpeace activists are blocking palm oil imports from Malaysian trader IOI at Rotterdam harbour in protest at the firm's involvement in forest destruction, peatland fires and use of child labour.
European food manufacturers have “upped their game” and made substantial progress in relation to the procurement of sustainable palm, according to WWF’s 2016 scorecard.
Voluntary market initiatives from the largest buyers and sellers of palm oil could help curb deforestation linked to the crop, researchers say, noting South America and Africa are most at risk of future damage.
Replacing tropical lowland forests with oil palm plantations can damage 11 out of 14 functions of a healthy ecosystem, some of which will be irreparable, researchers say.
Palm oil that is harvested at the right moment, pressed quickly and processed at appropriate temperatures contains insignificant levels of contaminants - if any, says the Italian Union for Sustainable Palm Oil. "This should be the standard for quality...
After less than two years in existence, the Indonesian Palm Oil Pledge has disbanded to the dismay of environmentalists who say its member companies were bullied by the Indonesian government into adopting weaker standards.
WWF's Soy Scorecard or Oxfam's Behind the Brands are high profile - but do such reports really trigger a race to the top or are they too simplistic to be of any use?
Rice, soy, corn, wheat and palm oil are the “new frontier” of climate action, said Oxfam this week, as it published new data detailing the “massive” environmental impact of the world’s major commodities.
French politicians have dropped the proposed palm oil tax, leading some politicians to say the country is being blackmailed by producer countries. "We are legislating with a knife at our throats," said one.
After finding that 12 kids' food products from Nestlé, Barilla, Ferrero and Danone contain high levels of carcinogen 3-MCPD, Italian consumer group Altroconsumo is calling on parents to stop giving products that contain palm oil to children.
Norway has become the latest country to sign the Amsterdam Declaration which aims to see 100% of palm oil used in Europe certified sustainable by 2020.
Confectionery products account for 1% of total packaged food that carries a sustainable palm oil label, according to new ethical labels data from Euromonitor.
Vegetable oil, processed food, infant formula and cancer: All the ingredients for a consumer food scare over the carcinogenic contaminant 3-MCPD are there - so why hasn't there been one yet?
Almost one fifth of young children exceed the tolerable daily intake for potential carcinogen 3-MCPD, says the Dutch food safety authority, as EFSA prepares to release an assessment on the compound next week.
Four of the world’s biggest food companies have moved swiftly to cease trading with Malaysian firm IOI after it fell foul of sustainable palm oil rules, but NGOs say it’s too little too late.
From non-GMO glycerine-based solvents to sustainably sourced hydrocolloids, more and more companies are seeking ethical certification for 'invisible' ingredients – but what’s fuelling this demand when consumers probably don’t even notice?
GreenPalm sustainable palm oil certificates will now offer buyers traceability back to the mill, meaning it is now the only fully inclusive supply chain open to all growers, says the trading platform. But campaigners are still calling it a "false...
Ferrero comes out top for its commitment to deforestation-free palm oil with Nestlé close behind - but other companies are simply failing, warns a Greenpeace report which ranks firms for their sustainable palm oil supply chains.
The Russian government is considering imposing a tax on palm oil and sugary drinks in a bid to fill state coffers and improve public health, according to reports.
The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil's RSPO Next allows manufacturers to demonstrate a tougher stance on deforestation, forest fires and peatland clearance – but it has been slammed by Greenpeace which says many progressive companies and governments...
![Carcinogens in refined vegetable oil: 'It is surprising that the findings reported in the [EFSA] opinion have evaded scrutiny by the popular press,' says food safety specialist, Stefan Fabiansson. © iStock](/var/wrbm_gb_food_pharma/storage/images/_aliases/news_teaser_medium/1/1/6/9/2829611-1-eng-GB/Why-are-carcinogens-in-the-food-chain-evading-scrutiny.jpg)
