We’re not into food-shaming. But we do think the informed consumer is an empowered consumer, and that you should know that some of the food you buy is full of forest-destroying palm oil. For a list of palm oil-containing foods, read on.
Licorice
The black vs. red dichotomy in the world of licorice is over. It now comes in a wide range of flavors, including strawberry, watermelon and blueberry pomegranate. It is also frequently made from palm oil.
Pizza Dough
According to an article by the World Wildlife Foundation, food manufacturers use palm oil in frozen pizza dough to prevent it from sticking together and to ‘enhance texture.’ Whatever that means.
Cookies
Have you ever bitten into a store-bought cookie and wondered why it had the texture of Play-Do? Blame that on the palm oil.
Ice Cream
Palm oil is used to give ice cream a smooth texture.
Instant Noodles
The World Wildlife Foundation states that palm oil is “20% of the weight of a pack of instant noodles. It's used to pre-cook the noodles so that all you have to do is add hot water.” There goes our lunch plans.
Nutella
That’s right. Nutella, the chocolate-hazelnut spread that goes so well on pancakes, toast and Rice Krispie bars gets its sheen from the addition of palm oil.
(Side note: food-shamers love to point to Europeans as beacons of healthy eating. Anyone who thinks Europeans are automatically smarter about what they eat has obviously never been to an Italian youth hostel, where the continental breakfast is a chunk of white bread and a little packet of Nutella. Just sayin’.)
And it doesn't stop here. Palm oil is the most commonly used edible oil in the world and can be found in upwards of HALF of the packaged goods in the supermarket. It’s affordable and shelf stable, but the problem is that most palm oil is produced on plantations in an unsustainable and destructive manner, inflicting serious damage to our climate, the local ecosystem, and indigenous communities. Read more about the palm problem—and what we're doing about it.
Back to Peet Bros. Blog