“Approximately 50% of products on supermarket shelves contain palm oil What’s more, Easter-related products are a haven for sneaky palm oil.”
Easter is a time of both growth and reflection. The rabbit we all now associate with Easter represents renewal and birth. This serves as a metaphor for the Christian celebration of Easter where it is reported that Jesus was resurrected and brought back to life after his crucifixion.
But what about Easter Eggs and Easter Chocolate?
The supermarkets become flooded with a colourful array of chocolates and chocolate eggs leading up to Easter. Unfortunately most of these chocolates contain palm oil that can be often be directly linked back to the destruction of rainforests and habitat for the Sumatran orangutan in Indonesia.
We encourage you to always be aware of the ingredients in the products you buy and their impact on the earth and its wildlife. So, for Easter, we have complied a list of chocolates and chocolate eggs we consider meet the ethical standard for palm oil and the protection of critically endangered orangutans. See our pick of the chocolates we recommend here.
Palm Oil can be listed in hundreds of different ways as an ingredient in products. Click here to view the (ever growing) list.
100% Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO) is produced in a way that helps protect the last remaining habitat for wildlife and preserves the livelihoods of producers. By buying from companies using either CSPO or sustainable alternatives to palm oil, you can enjoy some wildlife-friendly, guilt-free chocolates.
The key is to know how to identify palm oil in a product and if it does contain palm oil, but has no reference to being certified 100% segregated, or 100% identity preserved, then think about choosing another product.
With credit to Zoos Victoria, we’ve selected eight Easter chocolate products we support. While some still contain palm oil, that palm oil is certified sustainable by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). While RSPO certification is by no means perfect, it is a step in the right direction and is proactive in advocating for and lobbying for proper measures to make all palm oil producers accountable.
What Chocolates do we recommend for Easter?
A to Z alternative names for palm oil
Palm oil has a way of being masked within the vast supply chains of our food and cosmetics industries. From the plantation to the supermarket shelf there could be multiple complex stages of production to the original palm kernel or palm oil that results in the ingredient not necessarily having to be listed as ‘palm oil’.
Below are alternative names that palm oil could be listed under, care of Orangutan Alliance:
A
ACETIC AND FATTY ACID ESTERS OF GLYCEROL (472A/E472A)
ALUMINIUM STEARATE
ALUMINIUM, CALCIUM, SODIUM, MAGNESIUM SALTS
OF FATTY ACIDS (470/E470A; E470B)
AMMONIUM LAURETH SULPHATE
AMMONIUM LAURYL SULPHATE
ARACHAMIDE MEA
ASCORBYL PALMITATE
ASCORBYL PALMITATE (304)
AZELAIC ACID
B
BUTYL STEARATE
C
CALCIUM LACTYLATE
CALCIUM OLEYL LACTYLATE
CALCIUM STEARATE
CALCIUM STEAROYL LACTYLATE (482/E482)
CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE
CAPRYLIC ACID
CAPRYLIC TRIGLYCERIDE
CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE
CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC/STEARIC TRIGLYCERIDE
CAPRYLOYL GLYCINE
CAPRYLYL GLYCOL
CETEARETH (2-100)
CETEARYL ALCOHOL
CETEARYL ETHYLHEXANOTE
BUTTER SUBSTITUTE (CBS)
CETEARYL GLUCOSIDE
CETEARYL ISONONANOATE
CETETH-20
CETETH-24
CETYL ACETATE
CETYL ALCOHOL
CETYL ETHYLHEXANOATE
CETYL HYDROXYETHYLCELLULOSE
CETYL LACTATE
CETYL OCTANOATE
CETYL PALMITATE
CETYL RICINOLEATE
CITRIC AND FATTY ACID ESTERS OF GLYCEROL (472C/E472C)
COCOA BUTTER EQUIVALENT (CBE)
COCOA
D
DECYL OLEATE
DIACETYLTARTARIC AND FATTY ACID ESTERS OF GLYCEROL (472E/E472E)
DILINOLEIC ACID
DISODIUM LAURYL SULFOSUCCINATE
DISTILLED MONOGLYCERIDE PALM
E
ELAEIS GUINEENSIS OIL
EMULSIER 422, 430-36, 470-8, 481-483, 493-5
EPOXIDIZED PALM OIL (UV CURED COATINGS)
ETHYL LAUROYL ARGINATE (243)
ETHYLENE GLYCOL MONOSTEARATE
ETHYLHEXYL HYDROXYSTEARATE
ETHYLHEXYL PALMITATE
ETHYLHEXYL STEARATE
ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN
.
F
FATTY ALCOHOL SULPHATES
.
G
GLYCERIN
GLYCERIN OR GLYCEROL (442)
GLYCERYL DISTEARATE
GLYCERYL LAURATE
GLYCERYL MONOSTEARATE
GLYCERYL MYRISTATE
GLYCERYL OLEATE
GLYCERYL POLYMETHACRYLATE
GLYCERYL STEARATE
GLYCERYL STEARATE SE
GLYCOL DISTEARATE
GLYCOL STEARATE
GUINEESIS (PALM)
.
H
HEXADECYLIC
HEXYL LAURATE
HEXYLDECANOL
HYDROGENATED PALM GLYCERIDES
ISOPROPYL ISOSTEARATE
I
ISOPROPYL PALMITATE
ISOPROPYL TITANIUM TRIISOSTEARATE
ISOSTEARAMIDE DEA
ISOSTEARATE DEA
ISOSTEARIC ACID
ISOSTEARIC ACID
ISOSTEARYL ALCOHOL
L
LACTIC AND FATTY ACID EASTERS OF GLYCEROL (472B/E472B)
LAURAMIDE DEA
LAURAMIDE MEA
LAURAMINE OXIDE
LAURETH
LAURIC ACID LAUROYL SARCOSINE
LAURYL BETAINE
LAURYL LACTATE
LAURYL GLUCOSIDE (FROM PALM)
LAURYL PYRROLIDONE
LINOLEIC ACID
M
MAGNESIUM MYRISTATE
MAGNESIUM STEARATE
MIXED TARTARIC, ACETIC AND FATTY ACID ESTERS OF GLYCEROL (472F/E472F )
MONO-AND- DI-GLYCERIDES OF FATTY ACIDS (471/E471)
MYRISTATE
MYRISTIC ACID
MYRISTIC CETRIMONIUM CHLORIDE ACID
MYRISTOYL
MYRISTYL ALCOHOL
MYRISTYL MYRISTATE
MEDIUM CHAIN TRIGLYCERIDES (MCTs)
O
OCTYL PALMITATE
OCTYL STEARATE
OCTYLDODECYL MYRISTATE
OCTYLDODECYL STEAROYL STEARATE
OLEAMIDE MIPA
OLEIC ACID
OLEYL BETAINE
P
PALM FRUIT OIL
PALM KERNEL OIL
PALM OIL
PALM OLEIN
PALM STEARINE
PALMATE
PALMITATE
PALMITIC ACID
PALMITAMIDOPROPYLTRIMONIUM CHLORIDE
PALMITOYL MYRISTYL SERINATE
PALMITOYL OXOSTEARAMIDE
PALMITOYL OLIGOPEPTIDE
PALMITOYL TETRAPEPTIDE-3
PEG-100 STEARATE
PALMITYL ALCOHOL
R
RETINYL PALMITATE
RED PALM OIL
S
SAPONIFIED ELAEIS GUINEENSIS
SATURATED FATTY ACID
SLEARETH
SLES
SLS
SODIUM ALKYL SULFATE
SODIUM CETEARYL SULPHATE
SODIUM COCOYL GLYCINATE
SODIUM COCOYL ISETHIONATE
SODIUM DODECYLBENZENESULFONATE
SODIUM DODECYL SuLPHATE (SDS OR NaDS)
SODIUM ISOSTEAROYL LACTYLAYE
SODIUM LACTYLATE; SODIUM OLEYL LACTYLATE; SODIUM
STEAROYL LACTYLATE
SODIUM LAURATE
SODIUM LAUREL
SODIUM LAURETH SULFATE
SODIUM LAURETH 1 SULPHATE
SODIUM LAURETH 2 SULPHATE
SODIUM LAURETH 3 SULPHATE
SODIUM LAURETH-13 CARBOXYLATE
SODIUM LAUROYL LACTYLATE
SODIUM LAURYL
SODIUM LAURYL ETHER SULPHATE
SODIUM LAURYL GLUCOSE CARBOXYLATE
SODIUM LAURYL LACTYLATE/SULPHATE
SODIUM LAURYL SULFOACETATE
SODIUM LAUROYL SARCOSINATE
SODIUM METHYL COCOYL TAURATE
SODIUM MYRISTATE
SODIUM PALM KERNELATE
SODIUM PLAM KERNELOYL ISETHIONATE
SODIUM PLAMATE
SODIUM PLAMITATE
SODIUM POLYARTLSULFONATE
SODIUM STEARATE
SODIUM STEAROYL FUMARATE
SODIUM STEAROYL GLUTAMATE
SODIUM STEAROYL LACTYLATE
SODIUM TRIDECETH SULPHATE
SOLUBILISER PS20
SORBITAN CAPRYLATE
SORBITAN COCOATE
SORBITAN DIISOSTEARATE
SORBITAN DISTEARATE
SORBITAN ESTER
SORBITAN ISOTEARATE
SORBITAN LAURATE
SORBITAN MONOGLYCERIDE
SORBITAN MONOLAURATE
SORBITAN MONOPALMITATE
SORBITAN MONOSTEARATE (491)
SORBITAN OLEATE
SORBITAN OLIVATE
SORBITAN PALMITATE
SORBITAN SESQUIOLEATE
SORBITAN TRIOLEATE
SORBITAN TRISTEARATE
SORBITAN TRISTEARATE (492)
SORBITAN TRIGLYCERIDE
STEARALKONIUM CHLORIDE
STEARALKONIUM HECTORITE
STEARAMIDE MEA
STEARAMIDOPROPYL DIMETHYLAMINE
STEARETH-2
STEARETH-7
STEARETH-10
STEARETH-20
STEARETH-21
STEARIC ACID
STEARIC ACID OR FATTY ACID (570)
STEAROYL SARCOSINE
STEARYL ALCOHOL
STEARYL DIMETHICONE
STEARYL HEPTANOATE
STEARYL TARTARATE
STEARYLTRIMETYLAMMONIUM CHLORIDE
STEAROYL LACTIC ACID
STEAROYL SARCOSINE
STEARTRIMONIUM CHLORIDE
SUCCINYLATED MONOGLYCERIDES
SUCROSE ESTERS OF FATTY ACIDS
SUCROSE STEARATE
SUCROSEESTERS OF FATTY ACIDS
SULPHONATED METHYL ESTERS
SURFACTANT CCG
T
TAXANOMIC
TEA-LAURYL SULPHATE
TEA-STEARATE
TETRADECYLOCTADECYL MYRISTATE
TMP ESTERS
TOCOTRIENOLS (VITAMIN E)
TOCOPHEROLS (VITAMIN E)
TOCOPHERYL LINOLEAT
TRIACETIN
TRIACETIN (1518)
TRIBEHENIN
TRICAPRYLIN
TRIDECYL MYRISTATE
TRISTEARIN
V
VEG-EMULSE
VEGETABLE EMULSIFIER
VEGETABLE GLYCERIN
VEGETABLE OIL
VITAMIN A PALMITATE
Y
YEAST WITH 491
YEAST POWDER with 491
Z
ZINC IDNE LAURETH
ZINC MYRISTATE
ZINC STEARATE