The Danish part of Greenpeace International criticise Nestle, the world’s largest producer of food, for using palm oil in their products, as for example the popular Kit Kat chocolate, reports Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet.
These days Ekstra Bladet is running a campaign on how chocolate is produced in bad manners all over the world, for example by child labour in Africa.
A Southeast Asian example is Nestle buying palm oil for their products from PT Smart, a part of the largest Indonesian palm oil producer Sian Mars, which according to Greenpeace is using illegal methods.
The palm oil is according to Greenpeace produced in Indonesian territories, which have been cleared for rainforest. And the rainforest is where the rare orang-utans live. “The destruction that is happening is overwhelming and Nestle should be more responsible than being part of it,” says Henrik Pedersen, campaign manager at Greenpeace Denmark to ekstrabladet.dk.
Nestle continue while other stops
Other companies using palm oil in their products, as Magnum, Cornetto og Ben & Jerry’s, has already chosen to stop working with Sinar Mars. According to Ekstra Bladet Nestle still buy their palm oil from for example Cargill which buys the oil from Sinar Mars.
“Other large companies are making an effort to avoid palm oil from rainforest devastating suppliers, but Nestle just closes their eyes. We demand that the world’s largest food producer takes responsibility for the destruction that it is a part of. Break the contract with Sinar Mas now,” requires Maija Suomela to Ekstra Baldet, who is palm oil expert at Greenpeace Nordic.
Nestle replies Greenpeace in the British newspaper the Sun:
“It is true that we buy oil from Cargill. But we have asked for reassurance that their suppliers are in order.”
Read more at Greenpeace International’s campaign website
