The European Union (EU) has banned the importation of palm oil because it is seen as a commodity that profits through deforestation. The destruction of forests to make room for oil palm plantations is seen as an unsustainable resource. But the current issue is that consumers complain when products like Nutella no longer use natural palm oil.
Therefore scientists from Queen Margaret University in Scotland announced the success of producing a palm oil alternative named PALM-ALT. According to Dr Julien Lonchamp and Catriona Liddle who lead the team producing PALM-ALT, it is produced 100% from plant sources and is 70% better for the environment. It is also 30% lower in calories and reduces saturated fat by up to 80%.
In terms of taste and texture, PALM-ALT is also claimed to be difficult to distinguish from real palm oil. The materials used to produce it are by-products from the hemp seed industry, lemongrass seed oil and natural fibers. For the UK and EU, PALM-ALT is also profitable because all the raw materials to produce it can be found in the country without having to be imported.