Comments on: Spud Snacks and Tescos http://www.ommnomnom.com/2008/spud-snacks-and-tescos/ Fri, 18 Jun 2010 11:34:34 +0100 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Seb http://www.ommnomnom.com/2008/spud-snacks-and-tescos/comment-page-1/#comment-169 Seb Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:35:43 +0000 http://www.ommnomnom.com/2008/spud-snacks-and-tescos/#comment-169 Pure is very nice, but like all vegan margarines I've found so far it's made with palm oil (blamed for much deforestation threatening the extinction of species such as the Orang-Utans) and when asked about the source of the palm oil, they responded that they can't really be sure it comes from sustainable plantations, although they are working on it. One good point to them for being honest (especially as some of their competitors just say "vegetable oil" rather than spell out palm oil), but still... Below is the answer they emailed: Thank you for your recent enquiry regarding the source of palm oil used in Pure Spreads. Our palm oil currently comes from a variety of sources including Malaysia, Indonesia and the South Sea Islands. As a company, we are very aware of environmental concerns such as those you highlighted. Palm oil is an important food ingredient, however, there is much concern that not all palm oil is being produced in a sustainable way. We are keen to understand and to keep abreast of the situation and are affiliate members of the 'Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil' (RSPO) through the Margarines and Spreads Association (MSA). In 2004, the RSPO was established to address these issues and promote sustainable production and the use of palm oil. Members of the RSPO, who are involved in all aspects of palm oil production and usage, are actively promoting the use of sustainable palm oil and endorsing the principles and criteria of the RSPO. Our oil suppliers estimate that we should be able to buy palm oil that is traceable to a sustainable source to RPSO criteria within two years. So at this stage we are unable to make any guarantees about the source of our palm oil. We do not have an alternative to palm oil currently. When making a spread, a hard oil must be combined with a soft oil to produce a solid product. The hard oil can either be a soft oil which is then hydrogenated to make it hard (also known as a hydrogenated oil) or a naturally hard oil. The only hard oils available are palm and coconut. We choose not to use hydrogenated oils in any of the Pure range, as these are undesirable in the diet. Instead, we use palm oil in the smallest possible quantities in order to produce a solid spread. Most, if not all, other spreads contain palm oil and this is labelled as 'vegetable oils'. Pure is very nice, but like all vegan margarines I’ve found so far it’s made with palm oil (blamed for much deforestation threatening the extinction of species such as the Orang-Utans) and when asked about the source of the palm oil, they responded that they can’t really be sure it comes from sustainable plantations, although they are working on it. One good point to them for being honest (especially as some of their competitors just say “vegetable oil” rather than spell out palm oil), but still…

Below is the answer they emailed:

Thank you for your recent enquiry regarding the source of palm oil used in Pure Spreads. Our palm oil currently comes from a variety of sources including Malaysia, Indonesia and the South Sea Islands.

As a company, we are very aware of environmental concerns such as those you highlighted. Palm oil is an important food ingredient, however, there is much concern that not all palm oil is being produced in a sustainable way. We are keen to understand and to keep abreast of the situation and are affiliate members of the ‘Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil’ (RSPO) through the Margarines and Spreads Association (MSA). In 2004, the RSPO was established to address these issues and promote sustainable production and the use of palm oil. Members of the RSPO, who are involved in all aspects of palm oil production and usage, are actively promoting the use of sustainable palm oil and endorsing the principles and criteria of the RSPO.

Our oil suppliers estimate that we should be able to buy palm oil that is traceable to a sustainable source to RPSO criteria within two years. So at this stage we are unable to make any guarantees about the source of our palm oil.

We do not have an alternative to palm oil currently. When making a spread, a hard oil must be combined with a soft oil to produce a solid product. The hard oil can either be a soft oil which is then hydrogenated to make it hard (also known as a hydrogenated oil) or a naturally hard oil. The only hard oils available are palm and coconut. We choose not to use hydrogenated oils in any of the Pure range, as these are undesirable in the diet. Instead, we use palm oil in the smallest possible quantities in order to produce a solid spread. Most, if not all, other spreads contain palm oil and this is labelled as ‘vegetable oils’.

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