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How The World Got Hooked On Palm Oil
Article

How The World Got Hooked On Palm Oil

The Guardian, 2019

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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Eye Opening
  • For Beginners
  • Hot Topic

Recommendation

How many of the products that you use everyday are produced locally? If you’re a typical consumer, the answer is few to none. The vast majority of production happens far from the prying eyes of nosy consumers, and as a result, few products are created ethically. If you saw the exploited workers, beleaguered animals, burned trees and pollutants released in the name of your favorite products, you’d likely demand change. But since the mayhem happens far from your neighborhood, consumption will continue. So it is with palm oil. Consumers of palm oil (read: everyone) should take note of Paul Tullis’s Guardian article.

Take-Aways

  • Palm oil is used as an ingredient in many products, including processed foods, skin care products, adhesives and biofuels. Production has quadrupled since 1995.
  • Three billion people in 150 countries use palm oil products; Asia is a major driver in palm oil’s growth because it’s replaced soya oil for cooking.
  •  Though palm oil is cheap for manufacturers and consumers, it comes with dire costs to the environment.

About the Author

Paul Tullis has written for The New York Times Magazine, Wired, Scientific American, The Atlantic, Slate and Time.


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