Native Foods, Stop Using Palm Oil Which Decimates Orangutan Populations and Rainforests
- by: Sandra Zaninovich
- recipient: Native Foods Cafes CEO Daniel Dolan
You'd think that a restaurant such as Native Foods, which espouses a vegan and environmentally-friendly menu, would be averse to ingredients which lead to wholesale slaughter of orangutans and the decimation of rainforests. Well, you'd think wrongly, because by its wholesale use of palm oil, one of the most toxic ingredients on the planet due to its provenance, Native Foods is in fact supporting the above abominations.
Palm oil is derived from the rainforests in Sumatra, Borneo and South America. Because these palm trees are the food of the orangutans, they are ruthlessly slaughtered to ensure there is enough palm oil for the greedy human race, who uses this vastly unhealthy oil in millions of products, including many chocolates (even Nutella), foods, biofuels, soaps, lotions, etc., ad nauseum. It is often disguised as "vegetable oil" or "sodium palmate," or many other misleading names. In the case of the Amazon, although no orangutans are slaughtered there, the rainforest itself is ruthlessly decimated and the livelihoods of the villagers together with it.
Just 30 years ago, Sumatra and Borneo, the sixth and third largest islands in the world, were populated with tigers, elephants, rhinos and orangutans. Now every single one of these animals is endangered, as is the existence of numerous exotic animals and plants. Only 250-400 tigers still live in the forests, fewer than 100 rhinos and dwindling numbers of orangutans, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Villagers have also seen their livelihoods literally go up in flames as the rainforests are cleared to make way for palm oil plantations.
As for the myth of "sustainable palm oil," well, The Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is a global certification scheme formed in 2004 to set the standard for ‘sustainable palm oil.' But the sad truth is, many of the companies that use these labels are in fact still causing rainforest destruction and the clearance and draining of carbon-rich peatlands that release massive amounts of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere.
It is shocking that Native Foods, whose entire reason for existence is to provide a cruelty-free, vegan, environmentally-friendly dining experience, is an enthusiastic supporter of an ingredient which is sourced in a way equivalent to the massacres of elephants for their tusks. They need to eliminate this evil, pernicious ingredient from their menu immediately, and lobby for its elimination everywhere else, if they wish to not be viewed as the biggest hypocrites in the vegan community.
Palm oil is derived from the rainforests in Sumatra, Borneo and South America. Because these palm trees are the food of the orangutans, they are ruthlessly slaughtered to ensure there is enough palm oil for the greedy human race, who uses this vastly unhealthy oil in millions of products, including many chocolates (even Nutella), foods, biofuels, soaps, lotions, etc., ad nauseum. It is often disguised as "vegetable oil" or "sodium palmate," or many other misleading names. In the case of the Amazon, although no orangutans are slaughtered there, the rainforest itself is ruthlessly decimated and the livelihoods of the villagers together with it.
Just 30 years ago, Sumatra and Borneo, the sixth and third largest islands in the world, were populated with tigers, elephants, rhinos and orangutans. Now every single one of these animals is endangered, as is the existence of numerous exotic animals and plants. Only 250-400 tigers still live in the forests, fewer than 100 rhinos and dwindling numbers of orangutans, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Villagers have also seen their livelihoods literally go up in flames as the rainforests are cleared to make way for palm oil plantations.
As for the myth of "sustainable palm oil," well, The Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is a global certification scheme formed in 2004 to set the standard for ‘sustainable palm oil.' But the sad truth is, many of the companies that use these labels are in fact still causing rainforest destruction and the clearance and draining of carbon-rich peatlands that release massive amounts of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere.
It is shocking that Native Foods, whose entire reason for existence is to provide a cruelty-free, vegan, environmentally-friendly dining experience, is an enthusiastic supporter of an ingredient which is sourced in a way equivalent to the massacres of elephants for their tusks. They need to eliminate this evil, pernicious ingredient from their menu immediately, and lobby for its elimination everywhere else, if they wish to not be viewed as the biggest hypocrites in the vegan community.
Dear Mr. Dolan: I have been a longtime customer and fan of Native Foods, so no one could have been more shocked than I was to find out you use palm oil as your go-to oil. Please realize that this is the worst possible oil to use with the message you are sending in the very existence of your restaurants. Until you eliminate all palm oil, none of my large circle of friends and family, all formerly big fans, will ever eat at Native Foods again. I thank you in advance for your prompt attention to this critically important matter.
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