Palm Oil Everywhere

Indonesia is now the third largest of emitter of carbon in the world. Why? Because of deforestation. Why? To feed the West’s demand for cheap bio-fuel made from palm oil. Palm oil plantations are now big businesses, and are taking over Sumatra and Kalimantan. Yet there is huge price to pay for this booming business – global warming, since it is largely peat rainforests which are burnt to make room for the plantations. Willie Smits who has now begun a reforestation programme in Indonesia explains further;

“And those are the peat swamp forests on 20 meters of peat, the largest accumulation of organic material in the world. When you open this for growing oil palms you're creating CO2 volcanoes that are emitting so much CO2 that my country is now the third largest emitter of greenhouse gasses in the world after China and the United States, and we don't have any industry at all. Only because of this deforestation.”

To view his whole speech, please visit:

http://www.ted.com/talks/willie_smits_restores_a_rainforest.html

So according to the economic model of supply and demand, we can all help a little bit to curb this destructive cycle of deforestation – by decreasing the demand for palm oil products every time we visit the supermarket. Palm oil is a cheap product which is now being used in everyday items such as potato chips, soap, chocolate and cooking oil. The problem is being able to detect it since palm oil companies are getting clever and the oil is rarely printed as simply palm oil, but can be called various names such as “vegetable oil”. In fact nearly all products made in Asia which use the term “vegetable oil” contain palm oil. A comprehensive list of alternative names for palm oil as well as products which contain palm oil can be found here:

http://www.saynotopalmoil.com/palm-oil.php

So what can you eat in Indonesia?

Most cooking oils that I have come across are made from palm oil. So I’ve swapped for a tastier and healthier option – olive oil, although sunflower oil is another commonly found alternative option.

Bertoli Olive Oil bought in Jogjakarta, Java.

Olive oil is mainly grown in the Mediterranean although Australia now produces a large quantity which is now being imported to Indonesia. Produce imported from Australia would have a smaller carbon footprint too since it requires to less air miles to transport the product to Indonesia. I bought this bottle of Bertoli in Jogjakarta in a shop called Waroeng Steak and Shake. Olive oil can also be found in health food stores, large supermarkets as well as international shops. In Malang, East Java the market Lai Lai stocks olive oil and Australian olive oil. In Surabaya, East Java, I have seen various supermarkets containing olive oil.

This golden oil is also good for your health since it contains antioxidants which are not found in other oils. It is also high in monounsaturated fats; diets high in levels of monounsaturated fats have been linked with reduced risks of coronary heart disease.

So what are you waiting for...why not try a light olive oil to fry your bread in the morning? It might taste strange the first few times, but after that you’ll be hooked like me and there’s no going back...