Monday, October 22, 2012

The Bad Bad Palm Oil...

This lowdown on palm oil is featured in an article listing the 6 worst natural ingredients.
Well, either it is part of a smear campaign against palm oil and Malaysia (as a producer of palm oil) or simply a poorly-researched piece.

Here's what is said: (I will "bold" the contentious bits)

Behind the label: Palm oil became the go-to replacement for partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) instituted trans-fat-labeling rules on processed foods, but that replacement didn't do much for public health.

A number of studies suggest that palm oil is as bad for your heart as the trans fats hidden in by partially hydrogenated oils.

The most recent, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, found that it raised bad LDL cholesterol levels as much as partially hydrogenated soybean oil.

In addition to its heart-damaging health problems, enormous tracts of rainforests and peat bogs have been razed or filled in to make room for palm oil plantations.

Peat bogs are ecologically valuable, because they sequester globe-warming carbon dioxide, and rainforest destruction has led to the endangerment of 140 animal species in Indonesia and another 50 in Malaysia, the world's two largest producers of palm oil.
 
Your move: Palm oil is mostly used in crackers, cookies, and other baked goods, so scrutinize labels. Safflower or sunflower oil are healthier and don't carry the problems associated with other genetically modified vegetable oils made from corn, canola and soy.

If your favorite product does contain palm oil, call the manufacturer and ask how it was sourced. Some companies use palm oil produced under an industry group called the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, which is trying to develop standards that would protect vital species habitats.

16 comments:

  1. vinnan10:26 PM

    And UMNO is still beating the non-Mlaays to accept the 'Ketuanan' Melayu rubbish. The threat to Malatysia comes from the economic war which Malaysia must fight against ALL countries. Unite your people in one purpose and lead them to prosperity.

    'Mari kita rakyat ________
    Sama sama menuju bahagia.
    Cita-cita kita yang mulia
    Berjaya _____________

    Now you know why we have to beg them to invest in Malaysia.

    ReplyDelete
  2. IT.Sheiss11:01 PM

    Remember the 1980s when the American Soybean Association started a campaign against palm oil.

    Well it was purely to serve their industry's interest, which was facing competition from palm oil.

    Looks like someone is cranking up the campaign again.

    Next they may renta-NGO to do the propaganda.

    ReplyDelete
  3. bruno1:32 AM

    Nuraina,the soybeans farmers association have already spent tons of money fighting to keep palm oil out of American kitchens.

    Over planting of oil palm trees will eventually hurt the prices of CPO.Just like the Africans have to cut down cocoa trees when the prices collasped,soon planters in Indonesia and Malaysia in the next decade or so will have to cut down oil palm trees,as eventually there will be a glut.Refineries already have their storage tanks full.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous11:53 PM

    venemous vinnan full of hate. one day his hate will catch up on him.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Stop Oil Palm Subsidy!!2:14 AM

    Dear Nuraina your patriotism to Palm Oil is touching but I am afraid you are only fighting for the Chinese billionaires plantation owners IOI or IJM etc.

    For that we must thank the US for reminding us, the deforestation of in tropical Borneo is for the benefit of a few tokeys. I dont believe that you get any cut from these plantation at all.

    In fact oil palm plantation should be discouraged because it is the largest employer of slave labours from poor country like India or Bangladesh or asean neighbours. These foreign men working in malaysia without their women need to fulfil their sexual and other needs.

    Now are you surprised if local women are raped? How about robberys with parang? How about snatch theft? How about house break in?

    All these are the indirect product of cheap foreign labour conveniently ignored by PORIM or yusuf Basi run.

    These are price you and I have to pay to make these plantation owners billionairs.

    The low wage is necessary so as to increase their profits at the same time it means they dont have to employ smart malaysians who refuse to work at kulis salary.

    Yusuf Basirun use to point the fact that the European started plantations but he didnt know that slavery was required to run plantations in British /euro plantations!

    Africans were brought in chains to work in the plantations. That is why UMNO must stop Chinese plantations unless salaries are attractive enough for locals.

    Only small Felda plots like Mawi and his family to earn a decent living should be allowed.

    Remember in the budget Najib allocated billions for oil palm? Where does this subsidy goes? Not to the farmers but direct to the tokeys of the Chinese seedlings and Chinese fertilisers owners!

    And they influence the governemt to plant more until oil palm price collapsed so that they can get the subsidy!

    So yes, in this case we must thank the Americans though it is for their own soyabeans interest.

    Malaysia should learn from soyabeans. Limit the output, increase the price of oil palm so that Malay small holders can make a decent living.

    ReplyDelete
  6. datuk,

    check out my blog Eyes Om NST - www.eyezonst.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  7. vinnan10:50 PM

    hei Stop Oil Palm Subsidy!!,

    The two largest plantations in Malaysia are Sime Darby and FELDA. Sime Darby is MAJORITY Malay controlled while FELDA is 100% controlled by the Malays. These two Malay companies also rank among the top 5 largest oil palm plantation companies in the world. They also hog the lion's share of AP to export duty free palm oil which amount to 5 million tons this year.
    Next time before you come out with your 'Ketuanan' racist shit gather some knowledge on the Malaysian palm oil industry first.

    ReplyDelete
  8. vinnan11:09 PM

    As for you Anon 11:53 PM,

    Well even your seakar and serumpun Indon brothers and sisters are undercutting MALAYSIA'S palm oil export with a much lower export duty of 13% compared to our 23% export duty while OUR refineries and CPO mills are overflowing with palm oil. As a result the smallholders in the country (who are two-thirds Malays) are the ones hardest hit with low oil palm fruit prices.

    Believe me when I tell you your 'Ketuanan' racist idiocy will kill you faster than anything else on the face of the earth. Today, a country which cannot unite its people to fight the new 'cold' economic war is doomed and you "ketuanan' heroes led by your Mamakthir are the ones who are going to doom Malaysia. Unfortunately, you people are just too venomously 'Ketuanan' stupid to see the light.

    ReplyDelete

  9. vinnan - i have to say that you'ev made sweeping statements, in fact some of your remarks are baseless.

    sure, we are free to say what we like. but be sure to accept what others may say about your remarks.

    ReplyDelete
  10. vinnan9:56 AM

    Then refute my points. No facts to do so right?

    ReplyDelete
  11. vinnan,

    no need lah.
    you know i don't go down that road.

    ReplyDelete
  12. vinnan10:06 PM

    That's the problem with you 'ketuanan' types. When confronted with facts you people either hide behind your 'hak istimewa shield or pretend the facts are not relevant like in the Anwar Ibrahim sodomy trial. Pathetic.

    ReplyDelete
  13. oi vinnan,

    stop calling people names.

    you want a debate..be intelligent.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Supply&Demand7:54 PM

    "As a result the smallholders in the country (who are two-thirds Malays) are the ones hardest hit with low oil palm fruit prices. "

    Just the right point exactly! The Malays suffer. Why is it so difficult for Yusuf Basirun to understand the basic economic rule of Supply and Demand.

    IF you increase the acreage of oil palm there will come a time when the market cannot take it and price will collapse as what is happening now.

    What I suspect is that the increase of acreage is pushed by vested interests by the fertilisers and seedling manufacturers who have to continue production to earn money.

    Thus killing the oil palm golden goose.

    UMNO abetted this by giving them billions in subsidies. Purportedly to help planters but in fact enriching the seedling suppliers.

    Sime Darby is a remnant of British colonialism. It is owned by PNB. Low palm oil price due to over production means lower earning for the Malays again!

    Felda is a land distribution act for malays to be landowners and occupier and farmer.

    Why allow Lee Sheng Cheng to bring in 40 000 low pay workers to work for him when Malays are required to use their own parang to clear their Felda land?

    Why UMNO? Why, for heaven sake!

    The main point here is, enough clearing of virgin tropical forests for oil palm billionaires!

    Why does Felda want to increase competition to Malaysia by planting in other countries? Why? Why?

    ReplyDelete
  15. Supply&Demand7:54 PM

    "As a result the smallholders in the country (who are two-thirds Malays) are the ones hardest hit with low oil palm fruit prices. "

    Just the right point exactly! The Malays suffer. Why is it so difficult for Yusuf Basirun to understand the basic economic rule of Supply and Demand.

    IF you increase the acreage of oil palm there will come a time when the market cannot take it and price will collapse as what is happening now.

    What I suspect is that the increase of acreage is pushed by vested interests by the fertilisers and seedling manufacturers who have to continue production to earn money.

    Thus killing the oil palm golden goose.

    UMNO abetted this by giving them billions in subsidies. Purportedly to help planters but in fact enriching the seedling suppliers.

    Sime Darby is a remnant of British colonialism. It is owned by PNB. Low palm oil price due to over production means lower earning for the Malays again!

    Felda is a land distribution act for malays to be landowners and occupier and farmer.

    Why allow Lee Sheng Cheng to bring in 40 000 low pay workers to work for him when Malays are required to use their own parang to clear their Felda land?

    Why UMNO? Why, for heaven sake!

    The main point here is, enough clearing of virgin tropical forests for oil palm billionaires!

    Why does Felda want to increase competition to Malaysia by planting in other countries? Why? Why?

    ReplyDelete