It's important now more than ever that we pay attention to our actions and how they affect the world around us. Simple things in our day to day activities could have an impact in a whole other country and we wouldn't know it.
By simple day to day activities, I am talking about buying candy... because at least for me that is a day to day activity.
But what I'm really talking about, is what's instead the candy.
AKA Palm Oil
Now this isn't found in all candy, but it is found in many fan favorite candies from companies like Hershey, Nestle, and Mars.
Ok, so what? ... Well I'll tell you what...
Palm oil is a vegetable oil found in the fruit from the African oil palm tree. This oil is a key ingredient in many aspects of our lives, such as cosmetics, cleaning supplies, food, etc.
So why is it bad? Because there is a high demand, which means clearing forest in order to create plantations for palm oil production. This forest is home to animals like the Orangutan and Sumatran tiger (both of which will probably be extinct in less than 10 years according to statistics btw).
But have no fear! The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil is trying to make a change!
They get that companies need palm oil, but they also get that you can have palm oil without contributing to the extinction of the worlds valuable wildlife. They are committed to the use of 100% deforestation free palm oil, or in other words, sustainable palm oil.
Ok so lets talk Halloween.
Now you have probably seen this picture going around from the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo:
This handy little picture gives you some examples of good choices for Halloween candy this year. All of the companies listed are part of the Roundtable, however, based on a point system, some are doing better at being sustainable than others.
The green companies are your best choice! They are totally committed to sustainable palm oil! The yellows are not too bad... could use alittle more commitment. The oranges need lots of work. Maybe they just joined the Roundtable or maybe they are a bit lazy on trying to gain points from the 5 point possibilities (can be found on the app).
So the app (made by the same Zoo) (can we just acknowledge how pro active the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is..?!) The App is called the Palm Oil App, and you can look up or scan the bar code on any item. Then the app will show you a green, yellow, or orange dot to tell you where that protect falls as far as the use of sustainable palm oil.
If a company or protect is not listed, either is doesn't have palm oil (I recommend checking the ingredients before pulling out your app), OR it is not part of the Roundtable, therefore has made no commitment to using sustainable palm oil, therefore is killing the orangutans. So ya, we want to avoid supporting those companies.
So on to the candy!!! Below I have comprised an easy list with Yay and Nay candies. For the time being, we are just going to ignore the yellow middle men, because we want to show support for those companies that have launched themselves into the sustainable palm oil commitment! Plus, I don't know about you, but I'm sure as heck not handing out Lindt and Ghiradelli to trick or treaters....
So obviously, your choices have not been severely limited! There are still plenty of candies out there from companies who are using sustainable palm oil, so really how hard can it be to skip over some Wonkas and Nestles (just until they get their stuff together!)
The Orangutans will thank you!
Be sure to check out my youtube video where I talk about Palm Oil, the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, and How to use the app while shopping for Halloween candy!
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