Is Palm Oil Vegan? A Complete Guide

The use of palm oil has always been controversial on whether it can be regarded as a vegan food supplement or not. The following article will bring you insight into the myths, facts, and reasons behind the controversies, with a hopeful understanding of the bigger picture.

What does veganism stand for?

Before starting the debate, it is crucial to understand what being vegan truly means. While most of you must be familiar with veganism’s typical definition, which is to avoid foods containing the slightest traces of animal products from meat to dairy and honey. Being a vegan in a broader sense is more than just about food.

Aside from people concerned with veganism in just their diets, there is also an ethical stance and a standard lifestyle that comes with it. The core values of veganism set it apart from other diet forms, which is not to promote cruelty towards animals in any form.

The exploitation of animals, whether it is direct like in the food, clothing, and cosmetic industry, or indirect in the forms of zoos, animal abuse, etc., is all morally against the core sense of veganism. Moreover, many vegans also take a stand against actions harming the environment considering it active veganism, not just a part of vegan trends.

Therefore, to tell if or not palm oil is vegan, bearing in mind all these principles is essential.

What is Palm Oil?

Since it is extracted from the orange-red pulp of the fruits of the oil palms(mostly grown in the tropical regions), palm oil is labeled under vegetable oil. It is also the second most heavily consumed oil worldwide after soybean oil.

Properties, like a neutral taste, semi-solid state at room temperature, and long shelf life, can be reasoned for its popularity. The oil is an extensively consumed ingredient in about 50% of packaged goods available at the supermarket while also being used in industries like cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and biofuels.

Palm Oil and health

Although fresh palm oil does have a few health benefits like improved blood circulation, anti-oxidant properties, etc., it is certainly not the best choice. The oil is high in saturated fat content, which is harmful to health, especially cardiovascular, due to the high cholesterol levels.

Furthermore, most palm oils used in the food industry are either refined or processed, such that they facilitate the agents causing different kinds of cancers.

Why is Palm Oil extensively used?

Aside from palm oil’s fitting properties, the cost-effectiveness and productive crops of oil palms add value to their produce. Moreover, the oil palm trees are harvested with tonnes of fruits per hectare all year round, which is way more than crops like sunflower, soybean, etc.

The extraction of additional oils like palm kernel make the process even more commercially profitable.

The detrimental front of Palm oil

Palm oil is vegetable oil, ticking the mark of being a vegan food item in technical terms. Then, where does the problem lie? Most vegans do not consume palm oil in any form, considering it equally against the vegan ideologies as meat. Let us look at the factors supporting the argument –

Deforestation and the Animal Exploitation

The oil palm plantations are located deep in the dense and extensive forests, in the middle of an integrated ecosystem. Due to food accessibility and reduced risk from potential threats like poachers, these dense forests are ideal habitat for various animals, especially orangutans.

The oil comes mainly from southeast Asian countries like Indonesia and Malaysia, which are home to several endangered species and critical ecosystems.

But, the need to harvest palm oil threatens this rich biodiversity marking it an exploitation hub for many.

The dense forests are cleared up or burned down to make land to produce palms. This not only results in deforestation but also poses harm to orangutans as the chances of them getting mistreated or exploited by poachers and workers increases.

The orangutans and Sumatran tigers have entered the list of endangered species with the increasing loss of habitat and mistreatment. Similarly, extensive deforestation has dramatically reduced the green lands, piling problems like soil erosion and global warming.

The injustice to orangutans and the harmful impacts of palm plantations on the environment are among the main reasons for excluding palm oil from the vegan charts. The vegans consider the practice unethical and restrain from including the oil in their diets.

The human rights violations

If you think that was all, you are in for a surprise. The additional impact of harvesting palm oil on the field workers pushes the whole process under a gray area for vegans.

The workers in the plantations usually face several human rights violations. After being tricked into working at the palm oil plantation, often in a debt-bondage situation, they are forced to stay at the farm all day and work under harsh conditions.

The labor abuse gets worse with the exploitation of children on the farms. Palm oil enlists in the top four industries that use forced child labor. These kids are not directly employed at the plantation but are forced to accompany their parents at work.

Vegans regard equal rights for everyone, whether human or an animal, therefore refuses to indulge in such practices.

A supporting argument

The points mentioned above directly exclude the possibility of considering palm oil as a vegan product for many vegans. But that is not all. There is an argument that works in favor, claiming palm oil more efficient than the alternatives –

It claims that the amount of land required to grow alternatives to palm oil, like coconut, corn, etc., is much more considerable. The land will be cleared to harvest them, resulting in more or less similar problems, if not more.

To avoid palm oil and use alternatives is not a rational pick as vegans, as the harm now shifts from orangutans to other animals.

Furthermore, the locals of these Southeast Asian countries will still be forced to exploit the forests for some other crop, just not palm. Therefore, many vegans do include palm oil in their vegan meal ideas and do not actively support this concept of one over the other.

Sustainable palm oil?

Several organizations like the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), Palm Oil Action, WWF, and Palm Oil Innovation Group have begun promoting sustainable palm oil. The organizations claim to be slowly shifting how palms are grown, taking measures to reduce exploitation of any sort in the industry.

Though these certified palm oils must come with ethical practices, seemingly better than the alternatives, the situation’s ground reality seems different. There have been allegations conflicting how efficient and genuine these certificates are, arguing it a whitewash over the violations.

Although, there are certifications better than others one can look for while considering palm oils.

The Bottom Line (Vegan or Not)

Veganism is not just about the food; the purpose is to eliminate any practices against the moral values of the animals in general. Treating these sentient beings as resources, exploiting them for commercial gain or otherwise, and denying them fundamental rights are some core exercises against the idea of veganism.

While harm to neither animals nor the environment or humans can be overlooked, supporting the arguments to disregard palm oil as vegan food. It’s important to note here that no alternatives are better or free of these evils; they lack notice.

Therefore, the question is not about the vegan aspect of palm oil, instead of whether the practices support the cause or not. Palm oil can easily be categorized vegan for many if done sustainably.

Choosing to consume palm oil, hence becomes more of a personal choice. And, claiming a person as non-vegan solely based on this is not a reasonable argument. However, it is always better to fight for a cause and put in whatever little effort one can make.