Eating for the Orangutans - and me!

Thanks Kellyjellybelly - certainly something to bear in mind and take more care with. I do use scales, but most of the time I think approximate portions, fistfuls, thumb-sized etc. Also, ahem, too much cider. 1lb lost this week, but still can't get into my jeans. A little discipline needed.

I just had a fail in that I bought my team some rice bars from the M&S van to cheer us up because of work and personal stuff that had made the morning horrible... and I checked the label and couldn't see palm oil. Of course, I'd missed it! So annoyed! Mainly with myself.

What did I say...? No. More. Junk. Missus. CMriverside - you're so right!

Also, I now need to burn an extra 200 calories today.

You will be pleased to know my homeamde Irish soda bread is awesome, and a lot nicer even than my 'favourite' seeded loaf was the other day. It's in the dunking you really see the difference. Real bread maintains its integrity, but the quick-proved, flash-baked loaves are just air and fluff up in the soup like soggy clouds.

kshama2001, I've always been a little sceptical about the frog symbol because manufacturers can use the logo with as little as 30% sustainably sourced ingredients. It's kind of a sticking plaster greenwash thing, and there's nothing on that website you linked to that states how much that manufacturer is committed towards sustainable sourcing apart from sourcing some certified ingredients. I think they need a lot of consumer pressure to be honest!

Amy19355 my worries about Malaysia and Indonesia is the pure ignorance I've uncovered in just a couple of days' research. Some farmers have been led to believe they are not harming orangutans because they don't grow things Orangutans want to eat. It's those other farms that are the problem, and orangutans will try to eat the produce and get shot. Sadly, not much hope for education when the prices are driven down and they have to get the kids out of school to help with harvest to make ends meet. The EU is backing away from palm as a biofuel because of satellite images showing deforestation in 'protected' areas, plus higher emissions, and then the price of palm reached a six-year low after Trump raised import tariffs in the US, so Malaysia have struck a deal with China to import 500,000 tonnes more next year, even though there was a glut this year. We're being led to believe it's pointless because India and China want the cheap oil if we don't. But Chinese consumers don't want it in their food either, because of the sat fat. I think as the standard of living and technology rises, there will be a global revolution for this, but will it be too late?

Good move by Norway though: https://www.greenmatters.com/news/2018/09/26/Z1LxlIt/norway-is-the-first-country-in-the-world-to-ban-deforestation

Why can't I woo and hug you, cmriverside not fair!

I've found that sometimes it is used as the fat in bread, but also in the esters like e472e which strengthens the gluten - for that flash baking. Got to check those e#s.

My friend's daughter is over there now working in a sanctuary taking care of orangutans. I was supposed to be meeting him tonight and would have loved to have heard how she is getting on, but sadly he has cried off ill. She hasn't been there long. I was wondering if we might see her on another series of Jungle School one day!

I also have a friend in the UK originally from San Francisco and she says she cried all her tears 30 years ago, no one would listen to her about the environment. And that was hanging round with all the hippy artists too!

Oh no! I thought that was like a "Go CMRiverside!". I have removed the woo! Go CMRiverside!

If you watch The Good Place, Chidi has a crisis about almond milk when he learns it's not as environmentally friendly as he thought. I think I'm like that. I was ovo-lacto veggie. Now I'm... well going through a crisis, daily.

Okay, discovered another fail from a few days ago, when I had this challenge half in mind. I bought a pizza I'd checked for palm oil. I checked very thoroughly and there was nothing on the label.

A friend asks for recommendations, I was about to recommend the same pizza and send him the link - only I find it in the online ingredients list. It must have been disguised as vegetable on the label.

Be careful guys!

Blobby10 - so far I've not found anything really comprehensive. But if you have an ingredients list in front of you and any of these are in it, it will contain palm oil (some SLS is coconut derived but not much): This is from WWF. not the wrestlers.

INGREDIENTS: Vegetable Oil, Vegetable Fat, Palm Kernel, Palm Kernel Oil, Palm Fruit Oil, Palmate, Palmitate, Palmolein, Glyceryl, Stearate, Stearic Acid, Elaeis Guineensis, Palmitic Acid, Palm Stearine, Palmitoyl Oxostearamide, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-3, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Kernelate, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Sodium Lauryl Lactylate/Sulphate, Hyrated Palm Glycerides, Etyl Palmitate, Octyl Palmitate, Palmityl Alcohol

Yes Cadburys in Oz is palm free because consumers campaigned for it. In the UK we've been very noisy about factory closures for moves to cheaper EU countries, the resizing of the bars, the sweetening of the bars, the weird oily taste of the bars, but they have gone la la la not listening. Maybe because we moan about everything!

Despite what WWF and Greenpeace say, very few manufacturers go to the trouble of announcing the sustainability of their palm oil on labels, so you often have to check the website. Cadbury uk have nothing at all about palm on their website (I know from Greenpeace that their owners Mondelez are considered to buy 'dirty' palm oil) so I'm avoiding them full stop.

I was discussing Greenpeace's official stance with hubby this weekend, because he wants to avoid palm oil as much as possible too, and he is anoyed that Greenpeace have said don't boycott it. But I think I know why this is the advice. In the EU 50% of the stuff in our supermarkets has palm oil in it, but some companies have joined ROSPO because there is a government-level concern about deforestation as well as a consumer one, and there's an expectation such demand will help clean up the industry. In order for governments to talk effectively to producer countries, we still need a stake in the market. If producer territories limit land use, stop deforestation (and try to reverse), and improve working practices then palm oil is a very efficient crop. The hope is, a demand for sustainable palm oil in the West will drive better practice, but it's a bit too long-term for my liking, especially as India and China are big consumers of no qualm palm. What's more, a glut of palm oil doesn't stop the deals as we've seen (deal Malaysia - China in October, an extra 500,000 tonnes to be purchased in 2019), it just drives the price down, and in previous years that has just increased volume and bad practices such as slavery and child labour, as well as deforestation.

My position is, I want to live a long, healthy life in a world that's fit to leave to the next generation, and so I want to do my bit the best I can. I know it's much better for me not to eat the stuff. However, the ubiquitousness of palm oil means even if I decide to totally boycott palm, in practice I probably can't. Hence I've found this site really useful: https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/

For example, I have sensitive teeth and usually use an advanced or Pro-enamel toothpaste, so Lush toothy tabs were not an option for me. I don't subscribe, but used the guide to switch up from nasty Colgate to Arm & Hammer who score a bit better.

Bad news!

My cat has put his paw down. I used my consumer guide to pick a more ethical cat food brand. He used to eat Butchers, so I tried him again, easing him in by mixing it with KiteKat. Nope. Have to cover the stuff in cat yoghurt to get him to eat it and he looks at it mournfully.

What can I expect? He's a cold-hearted killer. An ageing and fussy one.

Made a loaf last night. It is great, but because I went to the gym first, and the buses were late, I ended up making the bread at 9pm and then it was gone midnight by the time it was cool enough for sandwiches.

They will be delicious sandwiches.

Quite impactful on the old food log. I guess you tend to cut delicious homemade bread slices quite thick! I'm on 65% carbs before dinner tonight.