Cover image via telegraph.co.uk
Nutella was at risk recently after French ecology minister advised the country to lay off it for the sake of mother nature
Michele Ferrero, creator of every chocolate lover's favourite spread will be rolling in his grave if he heard what French's ecology minister had to say today.
The minister, Ségolène Royal, has rankled the company that makes Nutella by adressing the public to cut out Nutella from their diet as part of measures to save the enviroment.
On 16 June, the day after the French ecology minister made the claim on the famous chocolate spread, makers of Nutella were quick to deny harm of any tropical forest
Image via TIME
Image via Nutella
Here's a cool fact: Ferrero actually gets 80% of its palm oil from Malaysia, making us the biggest contributor to Nutella production
Image via Ferrero
Malaysia currently stands as the second largest palm oil distributor in the world after being taken over by Indonesia in 2006
Image via Palm Oil World
With at least half a million people working for the palm oil industry in our country, it plays a huge role by contributing about 5-6% to Malaysia's GDP (Gross Domestic Product).
Image via Palm Oil Malaysia
What we didn't know was between 1990 and 2010 approximately 3.5 million hectares of rainforest in Sumatra have been cleared off to meet the increasing demand of palm oil
Deforestation for palm oil production contributes significantly to climate change. The removal of the forests often involves the burning of invaluable timber and forest undergrowth, emitting immense quantities of smoke into the atmosphere.
Image via Poyi
Image via Wri
To add, an estimated 2.5 million people have been displaced in Borneo since 1970 due to the expansion of palm oil plantations
In reality, the government's main interest in the country's economy leads them to allow corporations to take the land owned by indigenous peoples for their own financial benefit.
Image via First people
For many, Nutella plays a huge role in our daily lives. That explains the 250,000 tons (250 MILLION kilogrammes!) of Nutella sold in 75 countries each year
Image via Giphy
It is thought that 50% of the products found on our supermarket shelves contain palm oil. Since it's become such a staple, here's a list of some palm oil based products
Image via Palm Oil World
Alright, all these facts may seem overwhelming for your soft spot for a chocolate spread but it's always good to know the story behind the food you eat
Image via Pedestrian
So should you stop spreading Nutella altogether? According to Ferrero, the company has been actively involved in practicing sustainable palm oil since 2005
Being a member of **Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)** since 2005, it aims to transform markets to make sustainable palm oil the norm by developing and implementing global standards for sustainable palm oil.
In 2013, the chocolatier launched the **Ferrero Palm Oil Charter** which involved protecting orang-utans and other endangered species by maintaining High Conservation Value areas and avoiding using fire to clear land as reported by their official website.
You can play a role in helping the environment by checking labels of products to ensure the products certified safe
Image via WWF
