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. Meanwhile, clearance of Orangutan habitat continues at the rate of six football pitches per minute.

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.

Products with the following labels may contain palm oil:

Groceries

• Vegetable oil
• Sodium laureth sulfate (can be coconut)
• Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS, can be ricinus)
• Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS or NaDS)
• Palm kernel oil
• Palm fruit oil

Cosmetics

• Elaeis guineensis
• Glyceryl stearate
• Stearic acid

Chemicals containing palm oil

• Steareth -2, Steareth -20
• Sodium lauryl lactylate
• Sodium lauryl sulfoacetate (can be coconut)
• Hydrated palm glycerides
• Sodium isostearoyl lactylaye (from vegetable stearic acid)
• Sodium palm kernelte
• Cetyle palmitate
• Octyle palmitate (anything with palmitate at end)
• Palmalein, Palm olein