Go Palm Oil Free

Zoos SA has been working with both shops and all catering facilities to ensure that Adelaide and Monarto Zoos are palm oil-free. Why?

A supply of palm oil from sustainable sources continues to be in doubt. The Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil demands members operate within a set of guidelines, but no compulsory audits are carried out and there is a concern that many do not comply.

Moreover, the first shipment of sustainable palm oil was only produced at the end of 2008. Meanwhile, clearance of pristine rainforest, the habitat of Orang-utans and other endangered species, continues at the rate of six football pitches per minute.

Orang-utans could be extinct in the wild in Sumatra within 10 years as the production of palm oil increases to meet consumer demand.

In order to help reduce the demand for palm oil and to raise awareness of the plight of Orangutans in the wild, Zoos SA has made the decision not to sell or use palm oil at either Zoo.

Palm oil is present in seven of every 10 supermarket products including foods, particularly snack foods, soaps, detergents, shampoos and cosmetics. Many consumers would choose to avoid products containing palm oil when possible but current labelling standards only require palm oil to be listed as vegetable oil, thus preventing the shopper from making an informed choice.

Zoos SA are working on a “shopping list” of palm oil-free products and are also able to supply (free at the shops and cafes) a walletsized card that will help visitors determine if palm oil is included in products that they buy.