The Oil Palm

Today, representatives from the Malaysian palm oil industry appeared before a public hearing of the Australian House Standing Committee on Economics to provide testimony and answer questions regarding the Food Standards Amendment (Truth in Labelling – Palm Oil) Bill 2011. The delegation, appearing before the Committee to outline concerns and the implications of the legislation to the Malaysian palm oil industry, included: His Excellency Dato Salman Ahmad, High Commissioner of … Read More

As Malaysia announces plans to develop a national palm oil certification scheme to ensure continued opportunity for growers, the Malaysia Star published an editorial questioning the ability of the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) to deliver these services. This weekend the Star posed the question: Do we need the RSPO? The representation of Malaysian industry and especially growers compared to NGOs and to large Western consumer goods manufacturers is … Read More

The Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities, Y.B. Tan Sri Bernard Dompok expressed Malaysia’s deep disappointment by the actions of Senator Nick Xenophon, the Australian Greens Party and the Liberal/National Coalition. Their action in supporting legislation requiring the labelling of palm oil in food products deliberately threatens the palm oil industry in Malaysia, an important pillar in the country.

2. Minster Dompok stated that support for the “Truth in Labelling … Read More

Mr Kurt G. Berger is a food technology expert based in the United Kingdom. Mr Berger first studied palm oil and its use in food applications in the 1950s, while working in the London research laboratory of a large food manufacturer. Mr Berger has spent 50 years researching the quality, function and practical application of the best food ingredients with the aim of continuously improving food products, positioning himself as … Read More

PETALING JAYA, July 8 The Belgian volunteer advertising arbiter, the Juridique Ethique Publicitaire (JEP), joined in the global campaign against palm oil with their decision against online advertisements by the Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC). This decision is yet another unprecedented effort by Europe to ensure Malaysia cannot promote palm oil and stifle speech and debate about the palm oil industry. Siding with Western environmental organizations against smallholders in Malaysia … Read More

People in France, a country known for its iconic fields of rapeseed, sunflowers and vineyards, heard a lot about palm oil last week. Following an advertising campaign by Systeme U, a French retailer, that misrepresents the sustainability and health benefits of palm oil, palm oil producers from the Cote dIvoire descended on the country’s capital to advance a complaint before a business tribunal for false advertising. At the same time, … Read More

Malaysian Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister, Tan Sri Bernard Dompok, announced a Government-endorsed initiative to brand responsibly produced Malaysian palm oil.

Malaysian palm oil producers are already required under Malaysian law to produce sustainable, environmentally-friendly, and high quality palm oil.

Branding of this by the government will guarantee these attributes to consumers and global manufacturers, differentiating Malaysian palm oil from other palm oil sources.

Palm oil that is branded as … Read More

Research published in the journal Nature, is being misrepresented by activists to attack Malaysia’s management of peatlands, with the goal of reducing the attractiveness of palm oil in overseas markets. Activists allege that palm oil plantations in Malaysia are responsible for degrading peat swamps and causing CO2 emissions which contribute to climate change.   This is yet another effort by Western governments – the US and Europe – and the NGOs … Read More

Malaysian investment in African palm oil has been widely welcomed by African governments who regulate and enforce national environmental standards; and the rural communities that embrace development opportunities associated with local palm oil industries. But despite the clear benefits from this investment for sustainably reducing poverty, NGOs have mounted aggressive campaigns to cease this development and mire communities throughout Africa in poverty.

NGOs such as WWF, Greenpeace and the Rainforest … Read More