Why use Palm Oil?

That’s why Prep urges the food industry to buy only sustainable palm oil - certified to have been produced without harm to people, animals or the environment.

But why has palm become the world’s most popular vegetable oil?

• Palm oil is a highly versatile ingredient with a neutral smell and taste, long shelf life and excellent cooking properties.
• Palm oil is stable at high temperatures, making it perfect for frying.
• Palm oil is the world’s highest yielding oil crop. It needs less than half the land required by other crops to produce the same amount of oil. This makes it profitable to produce and cost-effective to use.
• With both fried food and baked goods, palm oil is the most effective alternative to animal fat and became popular as food companies catered better to vegetarian customers.

Some campaigners have suggested that the food industry should stop using palm oil in order to distance itself from the environmental damage caused by unsustainable production.

However, this would require a vast increase in land use to grow an alternative oil.

It would also leave the palm oil industry to continue unchanged, supplying markets that are less concerned with sustainability.

Using sustainable palm oil shows that buyers demand a better way to produce this versatile oil. It also shows support for the producers who are using sustainable methods.

Using Prep is the simplest way to do this - it’s certified sustainable, and lets you tell your customers and other businesses that you’re supporting responsible production.

Want to know more? Download our insight paper or contact us.