Make festive food fair

Christmas; a time for family, friends and food!

It’s that one time of year that we usually choose to indulge, adding mince pies, Christmas puddings and boxes of chocolate and biscuits to our weekly shopping list.

And while they may seem harmless, did you know the purchase of some of our favourite treats are pushing the likes of the critically endangered wild tigers and orangutans to the brink of extinction.

Many of these foods contain palm oil, one of the most widely used ingredients in the world and producing the oil often involves felling rainforests and destroying the habitats of critically endangered species living in Malaysia, Indonesia and West Africa.

But with palm oil used in 50 per cent of supermarket products, how can you ensure your festive fare is as fair as possible?

Make sure your shopping includes sustainable sourced palm oil products by looking out for the RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) Trademark or Rainforest Alliance logos, which mean the product’s ingredients will have been responsibly sourced.

And take a look at the labels, as EU laws rule all food products must state the source of any oil or fat ingredient including palm oil, allowing you to make ethical choices on your Christmas luxuries this year.