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COMMENTI Italiano

Gli Stati Uniti mettono al bando i grassi trans: l’olio di palma è tra i prodotti sostitutivi

Una decisione presa a migliaia di chilometri dalla Malesia – negli uffici della US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) – potrebbe avere profonde ripercussioni sul futuro del settore dell’olio di palma.

La FDA ha infatti deciso di vietare gli oli vegetali parzialmente idrogenati a causa dei preoccupanti livelli di grassi trans che contengono. Questo tipo di grassi viene diffusamente considerato dagli scienziati come un fattore fortemente negativo per la salute e il benessere.

L’olio di palma è un sostituto naturale e sano dei grassi trans – perché la sua composizione semi-solida ne consente l’uso per lo stesso scopo nell’alimentazione, ma senza i principali aspetti negativi per la salute.

L’olio di palma non contiene grassi trans – la sua composizione non richiede l’idrogenazione parziale (a differenza degli oli liquidi, come quello di colza). Questa opportunità per l’industria dell’olio di palma potrebbe estendersi, dato che le autorità europee stanno valutando se introdurre o meno restrizioni ai grassi trans, sulla scia degli Stati Uniti.

Sia negli Stati Uniti che in Europa sono ancora molto diffuse le affermazioni denigratorie e superficiali contro l’olio di palma, ma forse questa nuova decisione di alto profilo che bandisce i grassi trans, è l’opportunità di cui l’olio di palma aveva bisogno per migliorare la propria immagine e, con essa, forse anche la quota di mercato. Sarà sicuramente necessario esercitare qualche pressione per convincere anche l’Europa ad adottare questa misura.

La comunità dell’olio di palma malese è sempre stata sinonimo di un prodotto di alta qualità, ottenuto in modo responsabile. In aggiunta a questo riconoscimento, ora abbiamo l’opportunità di dare un contributo positivo per la salute dei consumatori nei mercati di tutto il mondo, mettendo in evidenza i benefici dell’olio di palma come sostituto dei grassi trans.
Un cambiamento che può aiutare a proteggere la salute delle persone in tutto il mondo. La FDA ha indicato la strada, altri ora dovrebbero seguirla.

 

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The Oil Palm

U.S. Bans Trans Fats and Palm Oil Helps Replacements

A decision taken thousands of miles from Malaysia – in the offices of the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) – could have profound consequences for the future of the palm oil sector.

The FDA has decided to effectively ban partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, due to their worrying levels of trans fat content. Trans fats have been widely regarded by scientists as a major negative factor for health and wellbeing.

Palm oil is a natural and healthy replacement for trans fats – because the beneficial and adaptable composition of palm oil means that it can serve the same purpose in food, but without the major health negatives.

Palm oil does not contain trans fats – its composition means that it does not require partial hydrogenation (unlike liquid oils, such as rapeseed). This opportunity for the palm oil industry may be expanded, too, as European authorities consider whether or not to introduce their own restrictions on trans fats, following the USA.

Scandalous and frivolous allegations against palm oil abound, still, in both the USA and Europe: but perhaps this new high-profile decision, to ban trans fats, is the opportunity palm oil needs to improve image, and perhaps with it, market share. It will surely take pressure to convince Europeans to take this necessary step, too.

The Malaysian palm oil community has always been a byword for high-quality, responsibly-produced palm oil. In addition to that accolade, we now have the opportunity to make a positive contribution to consumer health in markets across the world by highlighting palm oil’s benefits as a replacement for trans fats.
This can help to protect the health of people around the world. The FDA has shown the way, and now others should follow.

(The Oil Palm)

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Non classifié(e)

Think Tank nigeriano: accolto con favore sostegno parlamentare italiano all’olio di palma

LAGOS (26 agosto 2015) – Il think-tank nigeriano Iniziativa per le Analisi delle Politiche Pubbliche (IPPA) ha rilasciato oggi una dichiarazione ringraziando i parlamentari italiani per la loro integrità nel sostenere la verità sull’olio di palma e difendere i piccoli agricoltori africani contro una campagna discriminatoria nei confronti dell’olio di palma in Italia.

La deputata Dorina Bianchi e i suoi colleghi Giovanni Monchiero, Pierpaolo Vargiu e Ilaria Capua hanno preso una posizione coraggiosa di fronte alla campagna coloniale di Beppe Grillo, Il Fatto Alimentare e Coldiretti, sottolineando fatti veritieri sull’olio di palma che sono noti e comprovati da esperti scientifici di tutto il mondo.

IPPA invita il governo italiano a sostenere questa posizione coraggiosa e denunciare le tante accuse infondate ed erronee mosse contro l’olio di palma.

Thompson Ayodele, Direttore di IPPA, ha detto:

“È molto incoraggiante che vi siano politici in Italia disposti a sostenere i milioni di piccoli agricoltori che si guadagnano da vivere con l’olio di palma in Africa. Sostenere l’olio di palma significa sostenere lo sviluppo e una maggiore prosperità”.

“La campagna contro l’olio di palma promossa da Il Fatto Alimentare, Coldiretti, Movimento 5 Stelle e alcuni parlamentari del Partito Democratico è immorale quanto grottesca. Le loro affermazioni sull’olio di palma non solo sono false e non scientifiche, ma si basano su scienza spazzatura e incidono negativamente su milioni di poveri agricoltori africani e asiatici. Questo si chiama colonialismo verde “.

Il primo ministro italiano Matteo Renzi è stato di recente in Africa per promuovere investimenti e partenariati economici. La campagna contro l’olio di palma sta danneggiando tali opportunità per le imprese italiane e sta limitando la crescita economica in Italia. Un’analisi economica ha dimostrato che ci sono 14.000 posti di lavoro oggigiorno correlati alle importazioni di olio di palma in Italia e che più di un miliardo di euro di PIL italiano è generato dall’olio di palma.

L’Iniziativa per le Analisi delle Politiche Pubbliche (IPPA), premiata organizzazione nel 2005, è un centro nigeriano di ricerca sulle politiche pubbliche. L’obiettivo principale dell’istituto è di analizzare i principi e le istituzioni che contribuiscono allo sviluppo economico e alla creazione di ricchezza, con particolare attenzione all’Africa e alla Nigeria.

Per la stampa, si prega di contattare Thompson Ayodele al +234.1.791.0959, +234.80.2302.5079 o thompson@ippanigeria.org.

 

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ATTUALITÀ Italiano

Italian politicians defend palm oil

Italian politicians have submitted two resolutions to parliament defending palm oil in the face of anti-palm oil campaigns, calling it a raw material of fundamental importance for Italian industry.

Palm oil has come under attack in Italy – as it has elsewhere – for its links with deforestation in Southeast Asia, loss of habitats and biodiversity, and high levels of saturated fat. Politicians and NGOs, such as Il Fatto Alimentare , have spearheaded anti-palm oil sentiment.

However, Nuovo Centrodestra MP Dorina Bianchi, who put forward one of the resolutions, claims that the oil has been the focus of a political and media-driven smear campaign which is pushing companies to substitute palm oil with less environmentally friendly, lower yielding vegetable oils.

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The Oil Palm Unclassified

Malaysian Palm Oil Council: ‘Beyond Certification’?

In July, a number of environmental commentators talked about the state of certification in the palm oil market. Scott Poynton of The Forest Trust said parts of the industry – including his own organisation – are moving ‘beyond certification’.

Specifically, Poynton said: “The [top reasons the commodity supply chains need to move beyond certification] is that [first] the standards are too weak and have fallen behind the pace of innovation and best practice in the field. The second is that certification stifles innovation and introspection.”

But Poynton – and many other green-oriented organisations – fail to appreciate what palm oil certification in its genuine form is actually about. The benchmark that he and groups like Greenpeace use is certification by the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). The model for this was Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification for sustainable wood products.

But the model that these systems attempt to imitate – and the word is used deliberately – involves technical standards, particularly in relation to quality management systems. These standards are supposed to set norms with regard to processes; and they are supposed to provide a basis against which performance can be measured.

Read full story here

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ATTUALITÀ Italiano

Economia: Malesia accoglie con favore risoluzioni su olio palma

Il Consiglio Malese per l’Olio di Palma (Mpoc) accoglie con favore le due risoluzioni sull’olio di palma presentate al Parlamento italiano dalla Deputata Dorina Banchi, appartenente al gruppo Nuovo Centrodestra-Alleanza Popolare, e dai Deputati Giovanni Monchiero, Pierpaolo Vargiu e Ilaria Capua del gruppo di Scelta Civica.

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Authors Pierre Bois D’Enghien

Shifting to Oil Palm

What leads a farmer to become small oil palm planter?

In improving the living conditions of farmers, perennial cash crops occupy a prominent place.
The plantations of cocoa, rubber, coffee and palm oil are well suited to agricultural development, and when they are owned and managed by small independent farmers, their impact on the economy of a country can be fundamental. We also attributed to them the development of countries like Côte d’Ivoire, Malaysia and Indonesia for this private sector development programs.

However, small farmers have a preference for oil palm. Unlike cocoa or coffee, oil palm produces the entire year, with very little variation over time, and thus ensures a virtually stable monthly income to the farmer.

In Malaysia, an hectare of oil palm makes between 1,000 and 3,000 USD / year to its owner (depending on market prices). As the recommended minimum surface area is 4 hectares, a small farmer can earn income from 4000 to 12,000 $ / year, while the minimum wage in Malaysia is a little over 200 $ / month or 2,400 $ / year.

Touching most times, at least twice the statutory minimum wage, he can reasonably expect to get out of poverty and join the rural middle class.

The cultivation of oil palm requires very little technical skills and, unlike rubber, is available to all the villagers even without training. Harvesting and maintenance do not require expensive equipment, investments to start are low and accessible to the greatest number.

Almost all palm diseases can be defeated with integrated and mechanical tools; the low use of plant protection products does not make the small farmer dependent on external suppliers.

Besides the harvest that has to be delivered within 24 hours and a rare insect attack that must be treated immediately, all agricultural operations can be performed in a spread time that do not require immediate responsiveness; the worker has great flexibility in its work, unlike annual crops.

Oil growing is a real trigger for development and growth in the most remote and disadvantaged areas in tropical countries.

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Pierre Bois D’Enghien The Oil Palm

Passer au palmier à huile

Qu’est-ce qui amène un paysan à devenir petit planteur de palmier à huile ?

Dans l’amélioration des conditions de vie des paysans, les cultures de rente pérennes occupent une place de choix.

Les plantations de cacaoyers, de caoutchouc, de café ou de palmiers à huile se prêtent bien à ce développement agricole et, quand elles détenues et gérées par de petits agriculteurs indépendants, leur impact sur l’économie d’un pays peut être fondamental. On attribue d’ailleurs le développement de pays comme la Côte d’Ivoire, la Malaisie ou l’Indonésie aux programmes de développement de ce secteur privé.

Les petits planteurs ont toutefois une préférence pour le palmier à huile ; en effet, contrairement au cacao ou au café, le palmier à huile produit toute l’année, avec très peu de variations au cours du temps, et assure ainsi un revenu mensuel quasiment stable à l’agriculteur.

En Malaisie, un hectare de palmier rapporte entre 1.000 et 3.000 USD/an (selon les cours) à son propriétaire. Comme la superficie minimale recommandée est de 4ha, le petit planteur peut obtenir un revenu de 4.000 à 12.000 USD/an alors que le salaire minimal en Malaisie est d’un peu plus de 200 USD/mois ou 2.400 USD/an.

En touchant la plupart du temps, au moins deux fois le salaire minimal légal, il peut raisonnablement espérer sortir de la pauvreté et intégrer la classe moyenne rurale.

La culture du palmier à huile demande très peu de technicité et, contrairement au caoutchouc, est accessible pour tous les villageois même sans formation. La récolte et les entretiens ne demandent pas d’outillage onéreux, les investissements pour débuter sont faibles et accessibles au plus grand nombre.

Quasiment toutes les maladies du palmier peuvent être combattues avec des moyens intégrés et mécaniques ; la faible utilisation de produits phytosanitaires ne rend pas le petit planteur dépendant de fournisseurs extérieurs.

A part la récolte qui doit être livrée dans les 24 heures et une rare attaque d’insecte qui doit être traitée sans délai, toutes les opérations agricoles peuvent être réalisées dans un temps étalé et ne demandent pas une réactivité immédiate ; le travailleur a une grande flexibilité dans ses travaux, contrairement aux cultures annuelles.

L’élaéiculture est donc un vrai déclencheur de développement et de croissance dans les zones les plus reculées et défavorisées des pays tropicaux.

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Authors Dr Guy-André Pelouze

Misconceptions about Cholesterol and Palm Oil

A classic misconception found with patients with cardiovascular disease, is to eat little cholesterol and little fat. While it has been taboo for many years, this is increasingly discussed, even to the point of being questioned.

Until now, there has been enough interest in cholesterol foods to let the unverified hypothesis grow that “by eating less food with cholesterol, we will end up with less cholesterol in atheroma plaque.”

In fact, this simply isn’t true. We realize now that the cholesterol we eat has little impact. Our body is not a reservoir. It is a metabolic machine. When cholesterol plaques will form in the liver, they will be recombined.

Cholesterol intake and presence of cholesterol in the body are not necessarily related, it may well be produced by the liver. The best example being a vegetarian can have cholesterol in their blood but have not eaten foods actually that contain any.

For a long time it was considered that the body as a silo; if cholesterol we ingest goes in the liver, it makes a recombination of the lipid particles.

Among the primary risk factors, we find LDL particles. However, these may be present in the body, whether we ingested foods with cholesterol or not. However, they are more atherogenic when we eat sugars.

Therefore, it is inappropriate to be mostly concerned about the cholesterol content in foods, for two reasons:

  • We will deprive ourselves of natural foods (eg whole eggs contain cholesterol but do not bear a risk)
  • When trying to avoid it, we will systematically replace them with white bread, jam … in short, the risk is an increased consumption of foods containing sugars and thus the increased risk of CVD.

Patients spontaneously look for foods that will indicate the presence of a low cholesterol. In doing so, they will rush on “food with labels”, that are generally processed foods. But most of the time in these food products, carbohydrates replaced cholesterols.

Therefore it is essential to dispose of the idea that absolutely need to consume less than 300 grams of cholesterol per day. This “obsession” turns out, as we have shown, to be misleading. Further, it may induce inappropriate behaviours which consequences could be downright opposed to the expected positive effect.

Palm oil, which has a good balance between saturated and unsaturated fats, is also a victim of these prejudices. The misconception on cholesterol and saturated fatty acids could get manufacturers in that biased thinking we have just denounced: the eviction of foods containing cholesterol led to replace them. Yet, manufacturers have replaced fats with sugar, which has led to opposite consequences.

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Dr Guy-André Pelouze The Oil Palm

A priori au sujet du cholesterol et de l’huile de palme

Un a priori très classique trouvé chez les patients atteints de maladies cardiovasculaires, est qu’il faut manger peu de cholestérol et peu de gras. Alors qu’il a été tabou pendant de nombreuses années, ce point est de plus en plus débattu, au point même d’être remis en question.

Jusqu’à présent, on s’est intéressé au cholestérol des aliments en laissant courir une hypothèse qui s’avère être de moins en moins vérifiée : « en mangeant moins d’aliments avec du cholestérol, on se retrouvera avec moins de cholestérol dans la plaque de l’athérome.

En fait, il n’en n’est rien. On s’aperçoit que le cholestérol que nous ingérons n’a pas beaucoup d’impact. Notre corps n’est pas un réservoir. C’est une machine métabolique. Quand les plaques de cholestérol vont arriver dans le foie, elles vont être recombinées.

L’ingestion de cholestérol et la présence de cholestérol dans l’organisme ne sont pas nécessairement liés et ce dernier peut tout à fait être produit par le foie. Le meilleur exemple étant qu’un végétarien peut avoir du cholestérol dans son sang sans avoir pour autant ingéré des aliments qui en contiennent.

Pendant longtemps, on a considéré l’organisme comme un silo ; si le cholestérol que nous ingérons se rend bien dans le foie, ce dernier opère une recombinaison des particules lipidiques.

 

Parmi les principaux facteurs de risque, on trouve les particules LDL. Or ces dernières peuvent être présentes dans l’organisme que l’on ingère des aliments à base de cholestérol ou pas. Par contre, elles sont plus athérogènes quand on mange des sucres rapides.

En conséquence, il est inopportun de se préoccuper en priorité du contenu en cholestérol des aliments et ce, pour trois raisons :

  • On va se priver d’éléments naturels (par exemple : les œufs entiers contiennent du cholestérol mais ne représentent pas de risque)
  • Lorsqu’on cherche à les éviter, on va systématiquement les remplacer par du pain blanc, de la confiture … bref, le risque étant l’accroissement de consommation d’aliments contenant des sucres et donc l’augmentation de risque de MCV.

Le patient, spontanément va rechercher des aliments qui indiquent une faible présence de cholestérol. Se faisant, il va se précipiter sur des « aliments à étiquettes » qui sont la plupart du temps des aliments transformés. Or la plupart du temps, ces aliments ont remplacé les cholestérols par des glucides.

On voit qu’il est essentiel de se départir de l’idée selon laquelle il faut absolument consommer moins de 300 grammes de cholestérol par jour. Cette « obsession » s’avère comme nous l’avons montrée trompeuse, mais également, il se pourrait qu’elle induise des comportements inopportuns dont les conséquences pourraient être carrément opposés à l’effet bénéfique recherché.

L’huile de palme qui a un bon équilibre entre gras saturés et insaturés est aussi victime de ces préjugés. La perception erronée sur le cholestérol et les gras pourrait induire les industriels dans le raisonnement biaisé que nous avons dénoncé : l’éviction des aliments contenant du cholestérol conduit à les remplacer. Or ce faisant les industriels ont remplacé le gras, par le sucre, ce qui entraîne des conséquences opposées à l’effet recherché.