Right now in Australia, oils are not clearly labelled on products on supermarket shelves. Many products simply list 'vegetable oil.’ but vegetable oil could be anything from palm oil, cotton seed, coconut, peanut, sunflower, olive, canola, rapeseed or any other type of oil.
Having lax labelling laws puts the health and lives of Australians in jeopardy due to allergies and chronic health issues. Individual labelling is required by countries around the world due to these issues.
Furthermore, one of the unhealthiest vegetable oils - palm oil - is present in about 50% of products on Australian supermarket shelves, including everything from bread and biscuits to chips, chocolate and even personal care products such as shampoo.
Although palm oil is versatile and cheap and prolongs the shelf life of products, with a saturated fat content of 51%, the health implications are dire (compared with canola 7.6%, sunflower 11.2% and olive 16%). Moreover, with only 14% of the palm oil produced globally certified sustainable, environmental damage caused by deforestation is catastrophic.
Australians have the right to make informed choices for their health and for the planet. Please sign the petition and demand better food labelling so Australians can make healthier and more sustainable choices.
