Unsustainable palm oil practices pose a serious threat to rainforests, but a new guide aims to help consumers make more informed chocolate choices this Easter
A new campaign is urging chocolate lovers to become checkout-campaigners by choosing rainforest-friendly eggs this Easter.
The call comes from a partnership between the Rainforest Foundation UK (RFUK) and Ethical Consumer, which have surveyed over 70 of the UK’s top chocolate brands on their use of palm oil and its derivatives. The organisations have created an online guide charting which brands, according to their data, are most ethical in their sourcing and use of palm oil.
Vast areas of forest in countries such as Indonesia have been destroyed in order to cultivate palm oil plantations, and companies are now planning to expand in the rainforests of the Congo Basin in Africa. The campaign aims to address the unsustainable palm oil practices that are putting these areas, and their indigenous people and wildlife, under threat.
Simon Counsell, executive director of The Rainforest Foundation UK said: “We’ve launched a guide to foods containing palm oil with Ethical Consumer to raise awareness of the impacts associated with the production of this common ingredient. Consumers should be empowered to make informed purchasing decisions, understanding the impact of the production of the products they pick.”
There is good news for those with a sweet tooth, though. Two chocolate brands have been given top marks for their palm oil use, with a further five given the all-clear, so you can still indulge your chocolate cravings this Easter.
