Don't Palm Us Off

18 August 2009
This week Zoos Victoria launched a community advocacy campaign
called "Don't Palm Us Off".
In short, the Zoos Victoria campaign involves obtaining signatures to
take to FSANZ (Food Standards) to ask that legislation be changed to
require that where palm oil exists in our food products, it is labelled as
an ingredient. Currently, palm oil is hidden in the ingredients list as
"vegetable oil" so we don't know that we are consuming it, and we are
also unwittingly contributing to the extinction of orang-utans.
For more information about the campaign, go to Zoos Victoria's website
at www.zoo.org.au/palmoil or visit the facebook page at
http://apps.facebook.com/causes/335785/46296736?m=1a240be5. The
website has an excellent short YouTube video to watch, and directions
for completing the advocacy card/petition (your name, postcode and
email address) are on the right of the page under "Tell FSANZ YOU want
the choice".
With Cadbury this week bowing to pressure and removing palm oil from
its milk chocolate in Australia and NZ, we know that consumers can
bring about change. Let's keep the momentum going.
If you would like more information about what products do not contain
palm oil, based on work done by volunteers with BOS (Borneo
Orangutan Survival) please check out the list on our homepage under
"Helping you buy responsibly - Palm oil free alternatives".
Thanks for your contribution to this important campaign.