Iceland to be first UK supermarket to cut palm oil from own-brand products

Iceland is to become the first major UK supermarket to pledge to remove palm oil from all its own-brand foods, in a bid to halt the ongoing destruction of tropical rainforests in south-east Asia.

 Palm oil is found in more than half of all supermarket products.

The frozen food specialist will reveal on Tuesday that the controversial ingredient has already been taken out half of its own-label range, with the rest being reformulated by the end of 2018.

Palm oil – a cheap and mass-produced ingredient renowned for its versatility – is currently found in more than half of all supermarket products, from bread, pastry, biscuits, cereal and chocolate to soap and detergent.

But the complex supply chain means only a small percentage of the palm oil used to make these products comes from an officially approved sustainable source.

Read the story by Rebecca Smithers from The Guardian - “Iceland to be first UK supermarket to cut palm oil from own-brand products.”