Wellington Zoo Speaks Up In Palm Oil Debate
Wellington Zoo is
lending its support to an Australasian consumer rights campaign that is
actively seeking legislative change regarding the labeling of palm oil.
The zoo has recently
signed on as a partner of Unmask Palm Oil, a campaign that wishes to see
transparency around the use of the ingredient and sustainability in how it is
produced.
After playing host
to one of Unmask Palm Oil’s public information workshops last year, Wellington
Zoo has committed to working closer with the campaign. Zoo staff support Unmask
Palm Oil’s cause as they are particularly concerned at the impact that current
palm oil production practices have on wildlife.
‘We are thrilled to
partner with Unmask Palm Oil,’ says the Zoo’s general manager for community
engagement Amy Hughes. ‘We think it is crucial for consumers to know what they
are buying and how their purchasing choices affect the precious forest habitats
of the endangered animals we care for at Wellington Zoo.'
Unmask Palm Oil’s
campaign director Ben Dowdle is pleased to continue working closely with the
Zoo. ‘They have been strong supporters of our campaign since we ran a workshop
there last year,’ says Dowdle. ‘The unsustainable production of palm oil is an
issue of global significance. The conventional palm oil industry is pushing
species like the orangutan, Sumatran Tiger and the Asian elephant to the edge
of extinction so its great to have Wellington Zoo voicing their concern.’
Production of the
oil is chiefly based in Indonesia and Malaysia where the rampant growth of the
unsustainable parts of the industry is causing lasting social and environmental
harm. Unmask Palm Oil takes a line of difference and is calling for legislation
that makes it mandatory to clearly label the ingredient as customers are
currently in the dark as to what food and cosmetic items contain it.
Unmask Palm Oil also
advocates for Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO) which is a certification
scheme that assures consumers the palm oil is from a source that hasn’t come at
the cost of indigenous land rights or primary rainforest.
The campaign is hard
at work raising awareness ahead of a 2015 meeting of the Legislative and
Governance Forum on Food Regulation, which consists of nine ministers from
Australia and Nikki Kaye, New Zealand’s Minister for Food Safety.
‘These ministers
will decide in May next year whether mandatory labeling of palm oil goes out
for public consultation,’ says Dowdle. ‘We have big plans for making sure this
happens and we look forward to working with Wellington Zoo in achieving this.’
About Unmask Palm
Oil
Unmask Palm Oil is
the Australasian campaign for mandatory labeling of palm oil. Unmask Palm Oil
aims to see mandatory labelling of palm oil introduced through the introduction
of Recommendation 12 of the ‘Labelling Logic’ report. This recommendation will
be decided upon by the ‘Legislative and Governance Forum on Food Regulation’.
This forum is made up of a nine ministers from Australia (federal, state,
territorial) and one from New Zealand.
Palm Oil is an
ingredient used in processed foods, soaps, shampoos and cosmetics that when
produced unsustainably, causes environmental and social damage primarily in
Indonesia and Malaysia. The deforestation for new plantations means species
like the orangutan, tigers and elephants are being pushed to the edge of
extinction, indigenous communities living in the rainforest are forced off
their land and billions of tonnes of carbon emissions are produced every year.
A consumer wanting
to buy Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO) or a suitable alternative will
discover that Australasian labelling laws makes it impossible to make this
simple ethical choice. Under Australasian labeling laws palm oil can be
labelled generically as ‘vegetable oil’.
