“dairy farmers in other countries such as the united states, the united kingdom, new zealand and australia also use this supplement. they can help provide energy to cows and no undesirable effects have been identified arising from its use in cows’ feed rations.”
but more importantly then the fact that everyone else is doing it — is it good for us?
what is palm oil?
a type of edible vegetable oil, palm oil is made by squeezing the fruit of palm oil trees or by crushing the kernel at the centre of the fruit,
according to the wwf
. although the trees are native to africa, they were heavily exported to southeast asia 100 years ago to the point that malaysia and indonesia now provide over 85 per cent of the global supply. the versatile vegetable oil has made its way into almost half of all packaged products on supermarket shelves, including doughnuts, chocolate, shampoo, lipstick and even nutella.
why is it so widely used?
palm oil possesses several important qualities that have made it an essential ingredient in today’s fast-paced society. it is semi-solid at room temperature, making it (theoretically) ideal for spreadable products and it resists oxidization, meaning it can stay on store shelves longer. it is also odourless and colourless, so it doesn’t change the way food looks or smells, and it adds that familiar crispy texture to deep-fried foods.