Eliminating palm oil from baked goods results in increased sales. This is demonstrated by the rapid conversion of almost the entire Italian food industry, which has changed its recipes over the course of a couple of years, starting with the first petition launched in December 2014 by GIFT – Great Italian Food Trade and Il Fatto alimentare to call for a ban on the cheap tropical fat.
The economic benefits of “palm oil free” production are one of the focuses of the conference “Palm Oil: Critical Issues and Alternatives – How to Get Out of the Dirty Supply Chain,” organized by M5S in the Chamber of Deputies. The meeting is moderated by Dario Dongo, food regulation expert and founder of Great Italian Food Trade and Food Agriculture Requirements.
Prominent among the speakers were representatives of “Di Leo” and “Alce Nero” – well-known Italian companies that have never used palm oil – and Coop, Italy’s leading large-scale retail store brand, which eliminated tropical fat from its branded products in the aftermath of the health scare that emerged with the May 3, 2016 Efsa opinion.
The event is also an opportunity to take stock of the damage caused by intensive palm oil cultivation: the exploitation of workers, the theft of land (land grabbing), the massive use of pesticides, and the climate impact of deforestation. And about the health risks of overuse of this ingredient, particularly in the foods most commonly consumed by children and young people.
After an introduction by M5S parliamentarians Mirko Busto, Carlo Martelli and Paolo Bernini, speakers includeAlberto Mantovani, research manager at the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, an expert at Efsa, the European Food Safety Authority; Laura Renzi, Amnesty International Campaigns coordinator, Italy section; Fabio Ciconte, director of ‘Terra! Onlus’and spokesperson for the ‘Dirty Chain’ campaign; Flaviano Bianchini, human rights activist, founder and director of Source International; Dario Novellino, anthropologist, researcher at the University of Kent, and executive director of CALG, a coalition against land theft.
The appointment is for Tuesday, Feb. 14, at 2 p.m., in the House of Representatives Groups Room (entrance: Via Campo Marzio, 78). To attend the event, you must register by writing to eventi@mirkobusto.net. Please note that ID is required at the entrance and men are required to wear jackets.