Many manufacturers and retailers are not using sustainable palm oil as much as they should to stimulate supply and lead to long-term environmental benefits, says a damning report from the WWF.
Nestle and Marks & Spencer have this week made new pledges about their use of sustainable palm oil, with both ramping up to using only certified oil in products by 2015.
Quality and supply problems stand in the way of buying palm oil entirely from certified sustainable sources, according to Nutella manufacturer Ferrero.
Loders Croklaan is building a new refinery and storage capacity in Rotterdam that will enable it to expand its product range with lauric products and mixtures and use greener production processes.
Oilseed analysts are predicting a squeeze on supply of Malaysian palm oil for months to come, as prices are pushed up by farmers’ inability to invest in inputs and poor extraction rates – while demand for fried and oily food is not abating.
Danisco is now offering sustainable options on its palm-based emulsifiers, as palm oil produced at certified sustainable plantations enters the marketplace.
Unilever has completed the sale of its edible oil business in Cote D’Ivoire and acquired Cosmivoire’s soap business instead – a deal that allows it to focus on its core West African businesses.
The first shipment of sustainable palm oil is set to arrive in Europe next week; but even if manufacturers do not use the oil directly they can still buy into the movement with certificates that allow them to state their support, explained the RSPO president.
A new process for producing palm oil seeds which researchers claim has the potential to triple crop yield and address both sustainability and supply issues is expected to become commercially available within 10 years.
Malaysian multinational Sime Darby is to channel €34m into
expanding its value-added oils and fats presence in Europe,
including upgrading its existing Unimills facility and setting up
new palm oil facilities.
Major food companies are contributing to increased carbon emissions
through the destruction of Indonesia's peat swamp forests to
produce palm oil, claims a report released today.
Asian Palm Oil Company is planning a flotation on Aim this month,
according to reports, in a bid to cash in on the increasing
international demand for the edible oil.
Indonesia's leading cooking oil producer witnessed surging share
prices on its Singapore trading debut yesterday, as investors
sought to capitalize on growing interest in the country's palm oil
sector.
Research from scientists from Unilever R&D and Wageningen
University have reported a new way of structuring edible oils
without the need for saturated fatty acids.
Blending palm kernel oil, extracted by supercritical carbon
dioxide, and palm oil leads to new cocoa butter replacers (CBR),
offering cheaper alternatives with good physical and chemical
properties.
Leading US ingredient firm Cargill last week reported strong fiscal
year earnings, although the performance of the firm's food
ingredients business lagged the year-ago level.
The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) meets this month to
discuss the critical issue of moving from a definition of
'sustainable palm oil' to defining its uptake and use in the
market.
Malaysian palm oil prices are expected to edge up by 2-5 per cent
in the near future on the back of growing demand in Europe for
alternative fuels, suggests a report.
A full-page ad in the New York Times encourages consumers to steer
clear of palm oil, claiming increased demand for the ingredient is
driving the orangutan towards extinction.
A UK lobby group is targeting the Malaysian and Indonesian palm oil
industries, claiming that intense farming of plantations is
threatening the orang-utan with extinction.
Supplies to meet demand of raw materials for trans fat alternatives
multiply as the first crude palm oil tanker arrives at Loders
Croklaan new refinery in Rotterdam, billed as the largest in
Europe.
Supplies of vegetable oils to European food makers will increase as
US ingredients behemoth Cargill expands palm and coconut oil
operations in Europe, reports Lindsey Partos.
Costs will rise for food makers using spice and oil users as
officials in Brussels vote to extend test controls for the illegal
red dye sudan 1, writes Lindsey Partos.
Scientific experts at the European Commission will vote this
morning on emergency measures to ensure that tumeric and palm oil
are checked at European entry ports to verify they are clear of
sudan 1, the illegal carcinogenic dye,...
Global stocks of soybeans continue to rise after last year's price
spiking draw-down, with oilseed production for 2004-05 projected to
reach 390.2 million tonnes, providing a 'comfort-zone' for
inventory levels.
Edible oils market in the UK undergoes change as Anglo-Dutch
conglomerate Unilever announces plans to divest its seed oils and
cooking fats business to canned fish and meat firm Princes.
Food makers enjoying bearish prices for palm oil used extensively
in food applications could see a rise as Malaysia, the world's
number one producer, builds plans to reduce palm oil production,
writes Lindsey Partos.
Dutch producer of oils and fats Loders Croklaan has changed its
company logo in an effort to underline the connection with its
Malaysian parent company IOI Group and emphasize their joint palm
oil strategy.
Russian edible oils producer Solnechnie Produkti has reported sales
growth in excess of that for the market as a whole, the second
major producer to do so in as many weeks. As with market leader
NMZhK, Solnechnie Produkti's growth...
Polish food oils manufacturer Elstar Oils has confirmed that it is
starting a joint venture company with the Malaysian palm oil giant
Premium Nutrients Berhadze.
Premium Nutrients, a Malaysian producer of oils and fats, is
looking to step up its investment in the EU over the next three to
four years, with a resulting 10 per cent increase in turnover to
around RM56 million in 2005.
Faced with capacity problems due to growing business over recent
years Danish emulsifier supplier Palsgaard has poured €10 million
into expanding its emulsifier facilities in Denmark.
Dutch supplier of palm oil-sourced food products Loders Croklaan
has consolidated its position in the growing palm ingredients
market, agreeing this week to buy Malaysian palm oil specialities
company Soctek.
After years of Malaysian domination the international palm oil
industry is set to become far more competitive. It is common
knowledge that the Indonesian palm oil industry is gearing up for
increased production, but now Thailand is...
A common, but increasingly expensive and popular, food ingredient
is the focus of a new global initiative to protect production.
Ingredients firm Aarhus United has linked up with other
stakeholders in the food industry to push a plan...
Having announced strong half-yearly results, Malaysian Palm Oil
producer Golden Hope says that it will be looking to markets such
as China to exploit its growing oleochemicals division in an effort
to increase its presence in the...
Rich red palm oil could be an efficient and cost effective way of
increasing vitamin A levels in the regions south of the Sahara in
Africa, suggests new research.
Migros, Switzerland's largest supermarket chain, has become the
first European retailer to commit itself to buying palm oil
exclusively from ecologically sound sources.
