Cibi e Bevande
Palm Oil-Free Labels: Misleading the EU Consumer
In his opening remarks, Tan Sri Datuk Dr. Yusof Basiron highlighted that
According to Professor Pietro Paganini (Competere.eu), moderator of the event,
The panellists Ms Imkje Tiesinga, Advisor on food legislation at the European Palm Oil Alliance (EPOA) and Mr Nico Roozen , Founder and Honorary President of Solidaridad Network, highlighted the importance of sustainable palm oil for smallholder farmers and the fulfilment of UN Sustainable Development Goals and the severe consequences that a palm oil ban could have on the economies of producing countries.
Ms Imkje Tiesinga made the following call for action:
Mr Roozen highlighted that " showing how replacing palm oil with other vegetable oils could require up to 4,5 times more land, putting more pressure on the environment on a global scale.
A lively Q&A at the end of the webinar gave the opportunity to panellists and the audience to further discuss and deepen their understanding of the EU approach towards palm oil, highlighting the urgent need for a change in the status quo of the EU labelling rules towards a fairer system for palm oil and EU consumers. A special statement from the audience was delivered by , Ambassador of Indonesia in Brussels , who pointed out the marked reduction of deforestation rates in Indonesia (70% reduction from 2019 to 2020) and the sustainability commitments implemented by Indonesia and Malaysia , explaining that " ".
In view of the awaited publication of the Commission's proposal to revise the EU rules on the information provided to consumers, CPOPC looks forward to fostering further debates and understanding around this important topic for producers and consumers alike. Planned for the end of 2022, the revision aims to ensure better labelling information to help consumers make healthier and more sustainable food choices: to this end, CPOPC's webinar provided inputs and food for thought to ensure that palm oil is given a fairer treatment in the foreseen EU initiative.
With an estimated more than 9,500 products labelled "palm oil free" in various EU countries' markets, consumers are constantly confronted to a negative perception of palm oil when buying food: this on-pack labelling has become even more visible than other real nutrition or health information, i.e. allergens, sugar content or carcinogenic, mutagenic, or toxic for reproduction (CMR) substances such as paraben.
Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1660346/Council_of_Palm_Oil_Producing_Countries.jpg