France’s ecology minister, Ségolène Royal, has blamed mouthwatering chocolate and hazelnut spread Nutella, saying that the popular dessert food damages the environment.
In an interview with French television channel Canal+ on Monday, Royal pointed a menacing finger towards Nutella because it is made from palm oil, which is blamed for causing extensive damage to the environment.
IS IT TRUE THAT NUTELLA DAMAGES THE ENVIRONMENT?
Royal argued that Nutella damages the environment because oil palm plantations are ousting forests, leading to deforestation and climate change.
Nutella, the minister said, should be made from “other ingredients”.
Nutella is an extremely popular product, eaten in spoonfuls by innumerable children and depressed girlfriends. The statement drew fire from Italy, where Ferrero, the company that produces Nutella, is based. Many argued that the claim that Nutella damages the environment is ridiculous and that a battle against the product would do nothing against environmental degradation.
FRANCE VERSUS ITALY
“Segolene Royal should leave Italian products alone. The menu tonight: bread and Nutella,” Italy’s environment minister, Gian Luca Galletti, said in a tweet.
Without referring to Royal directly, Ferrero responded with a press statement released on Tuesday. According to the press release, the company’s impact on the palm oil supply chain represents less than 0.3 percent. Ferrero launched a Palm Oil Charter in 2013 in order to strengthen their commitment to responsibly sourcing palm oil and create the optimal balance between the conservation of the environment, community needs, and economic benefit and viability. Ferrero has already reached its goal of 100 percent segregated sustainable palm oil, which was originally set for the end of 2015.
The French minister eventually apologized on Twitter for telling people that Nutella damages the environment. Yet a question remains unanswered: why are oil palms bad for planet Earth?
OIL PALM AND ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION
Studies show that in order to grow the number of trees needed to mass-produce oil palm, rainforests are getting clear-cut. Almost all oil palms are grown as an industrial plantation crop in both Malaysia and Indonesia. The oil is considered a basic source of income for many farmers in South East Asia, Central and West Africa, and Central America, but is increasingly under scrutiny for its negative repercussions on the environment including loss of carbon-sequestering forest land. There is also growing concern over displacement and disruption of human and animal populations due to palm oil cultivation.
Ferrero gets nearly 80 percent of its palm oil from Malaysia. The rest of its supply comes from Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and Brazil.
