coolmelbourne.org

Australians have collectively flexed their people power muscle to demand clear labelling of palm oil in all food products on our supermarket shelves.

More than 80 per cent of the world’s palm oil comes from South East Asia, much of which is produced at the cost of the last remaining habitat of the Orang-utan and Sumatran Tiger.

“It’s not mandatory to label palm oil. More often than not it is simply hidden under the label of vegetable oil,” says Zoos Victoria’s General Manager of Community Conservation, Rachel Lowry, “so most of us have no idea if our food is fuelling the extinction of incredible creatures like the Orang-utan.”

To draw attention to the issue, Zoos Victoria launched Don’t Palm Us Off late last year – a campaign calling for mandatory labeling of palm oil in all food products. Since then Melbourne Zoo has been collecting signatures to build a case for the Federal food labeling laws to be changed.

“Across Australia more than 80,000 people have told us they want the right to know if palm oil is in their food, and their voices are being heard in Canberra,” Ms Lowry said.



The campaign has inspired Independent Senator Nick Xenophon to introduce a Bill to the Australian Senate calling for mandatory palm oil labeling. The proposed Bill is currently open for public comment and will be considered by a Senate Committee at the end of April.

“There are only a few months left for Australians to add their names to the list of people who want a choice on this issue. Without labelling we have no opportunity to exercise our rights as consumers and help protect the Orang-utan.” Ms Lowry said.

By doing so, we could help stop species like the Orang-utan and Sumatran Tiger from becoming extinct in our lifetimes.”

Ms Lowry said the Private Members Bill was due to be considered by a Senate Committee around May.

“This is land-mark legislation in the proposed Bill. If passed, it will put Australia ahead of the world in addressing this environmental catastrophe,” Ms Lowry said.

“If we achieve mandatory labelling of palm oil, we will be one of the first nations in the world to make a concerted effort to address the environmental damage caused by unsustainable palm oil production,” Ms Lowry said. “It could also save the lives of some of the world’s most endangered animals and help drive a market for sustainable palm oil that benefits both people and wildlife.”

The Truth in Labelling (Palm Oil) Bill is open for public comment until 24 April 2010. Submissions can be made http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/committee/inquiries/index.htm
Visit www.zoo.org.au/palmoil for more information and to sign the petition.

For interviews, additional footage and more information contact Jacquie O’Brien 0409 115 003.



Notes:

Australians unknowingly consumes an average of 10 kilograms of palm oil each per year.

Palm oil is in about 40% of manufactured food products in our supermarkets.

The equivalent of 300 soccer fields of rainforest is destroyed every hour in South East Asia to make way for palm oil.

By 2020 Indonesia’s oil palm plantations are projected to triple in size to 16.5 million hectares – the size of England and Wales combined.

90% of the palm oil produced in SE Asia ends up in food.

Orang-utans could be extinct within 10 years.

Once palm oil is labelled, consumers can exert pressure for a sustainable palm oil industry.

Without labelling, consumer influence is difficult and our right to make informed decisions is taken away.

There are less than 250 Sumatran Tigers left in the wild.

More than 50 Orang-utans die each week because of loss of habitat to oil palm plantations.