The sustainability of palm oil is just an empty, baseless statement. An investigation conducted by Amnesty International in the Indonesian palm plantations reveals that the productions certified as "sustainable" by the RSPO are the scene of serious violations of human rights. The organization, in the report "The great scandal of palm oil", testifies to the use of minors in dangerous conditions, the exploitation of workers, the use of prohibited pesticides that leave evident wounds on the bodies of the people involved in the collection of fruits used to produce palm oil. All this in exchange for miserable rewards.
Amnesty International followed the path palm oil from horror plantations to store shelves, even exposing the big food brands that falsely declare to consumers that they use sustainable palm oil.
The names are those of the exclusive club of the world's leading manufacturers of food and personal and home care products: AFAMSA, ADM, Colgate-Palmolive, Elevance, Kellogg's, Nestlé, Procter & Gamble, Reckitt Benckiser and Unilever. Nine giants that in 2015 had a total turnover of $ 325 billion in profits. All customers of the world's largest oil palm farmer, Singapore-based agribusiness giant Wilmar.
“Big brands like Colgate, Nestlé and Unilever they assure their consumers that they are using sustainable palm oil but our research suggests otherwise. There is nothing sustainable about palm oil that is produced with child and forced labor. The violations found on Wilmar's plantations are not isolated cases but the predictable and systematic result of the way this producer operates, ”said Meghna Abraham of Amnesty International, who led the investigation.
The international organization is questioning the companies involved in the scandal to find out if they buy from Wilmar the palm oil used in well-known products, such as Magnum ice cream, Colgate toothpaste, Dove cosmetics, Knorr soup, KitKat chocolate bar, Pantene shampoo, Ariel detergent and the Spaghetti Pot Noodle.
A professional journalist since January 1995, she has worked for newspapers (Il Messaggero, Paese Sera, La Stampa) and periodicals (NumeroUno, Il Salvagente). She is the author of journalistic studies on food and has published the book "Reading labels to know what we eat".
