Palm oil risotto is neither imagined nor suspected. Yet it is the rule in the Knorr household, and no wonder, knowing the owner. Unilever, a century-long tradition of exploiting slaves to produce tropical fat on lands robbed from them by Leopold II, dictator of the Belgian Congo. Buycott!
Knorr palm oil risotto
Palm oil is a ubiquitous ingredient in the Knorr risotto line prepared in pouches. It is found in ‘Risotteria alla milanese’ (!) and ‘parmigiana’, in ‘vegetarian’ risotto as in pumpkin, mushroom, asparagus, tomato and spinach risottos. Even in seafood risottos, shrimp and fish risotto.
An obbrobrio that has nothing to do with the tradition of risotto, a typical Italian dish that has always been made with butter and/or olive oil, preferably extra virgin (EVOO). But ‘the No. 1 in risottos’ – so reads Unilever, based on ‘Nielsen volume sales data to total Italy excluding Discounts (AT 11/2015)’ – evidently relies on consumer inattention.
Knorr palm nut
The Knorr palm nut tops them all. Take the ‘Classic’ for example. 2.8 grams of salt per serving, – equivalent to 56 percent of the daily threshold that WHO recommends not to exceed (5 g/day, for adults) – and 60 percent saturated fat of total fat. But marketing goes further in the direction of total deception.
‘Knorr has always produced its stock cubes with care, using only quality ingredients, carefully chosen to produce a stock with an unmistakable taste!’
Topping the list of ingredients are ‘salt, vegetable fats (palm, shea butter, sal butter), flavor enhancers: monosodium glutamate.’ Is where would the ‘quality’ be, in the choice of salt, bad fats, glutamate?
The choice of the multinational company-which formally boasts commitments to sustainability-to continue using a fat foreign to European food traditions is now an exception. Olive and sunflower oil alternatives abound, even among ready-made risottos.
Buycott!
Palm oil, GMO soybeans and U.S. meats are the leading causes of landgrabbing and deforestation on a planetary level. Tropical fat is also notable for the exploitation of children and workers subjected to conditions approaching slavery. Disrupting the demand for these raw materials is essential and requires everyone’s attention.
We renew our call to our readers to read food labels carefully and discard products that contain palm oil. And it is always appreciated to support Égalité’s initiative against these unsustainable ingredients, supported by our GIFT site as well as Legambiente, Unione Comuni Virtuosi, European Consumers, CALG (Coalition Against Land Grabbing), Humus network, at https://www.egalite.org/buycott-petizione/
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.
Professional journalist since January 1995, he has worked for newspapers (Il Messaggero, Paese Sera, La Stampa) and periodicals (NumeroUno, Il Salvagente). She is the author of journalistic surveys on food, she has published the book "Reading labels to know what we eat".
