By: Dr. Jonathan Ellen The current public debate around dietary health features old-fashioned misinformation, but we are also living in a time of exciting modern opportunities. That is the takeaway from a recent webinar at which I spoke with the Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC). Malaysia finds itself at the intersection of these two elements…
Thereâs a debate emerging over Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs) with different countries taking different approaches to meet global climate goals. Malaysia is carving out a niche as a sustainable aviation fuel hub, leveraging its palm-based low-emissions vegetable oil production to meet all approaches. However, a new report out from the Wall Street Journal documents the…
Two assessments have been conducted analysing in detail how closely the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) standard is able to match the requirements of the EUâs Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) â and how MSPO can therefore be used as a tool for companies to comply with the EUDR. The analyses were undertaken separately, one by the…
After nearly four years of debate and negotiation, the European Parliament recently passed a final version of the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD). The CSDDD is a legal framework that will oblige companies to identify and mitigate environmental and human rights issues. From 2028 onwards, Europeâs largest companies will be required to carry out…
At the end of April, the European Parliament voted to confirm the Forced Labour Regulation (FLR), a rule to ban products made using forced labour from the EU market. Proposed for the first time in September 2022, representatives of the European Parliament and European Council reached provisional agreement on the Regulation earlier this year. If…
By: Dr Jonathan Ellen Is palm oil a seed oil? No. Palm oil is a fruit oil. Such a simple question and one with an equally simple answer. Amazingly, the German Press Agency (DPA), one of the worldâs leading news agencies, does not know the difference. In an article âTests show reusing deep-fry seed oils…
What do a bipartisan group of Republican and Democrat U.S. Senators, 20 EU Agriculture Ministers, and Europeâs largest farming organisations all have in common? All are warning of the dangers of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), if it is not delayed or amended. Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri described EUDR as âfundamentally unfairâ in…
Writing in Indiaâs Financial Express, the eminent American physician and health expert Dr Jonathan Ellen writes that recent criticism of palm oil from Indian commentators is âas stubborn as it is unscientificâ and âsadly continues to muddy the waters of debateâ. Dr Ellenâs full article can be accessed online at Financial Express: https://www.financialexpress.com/opinion/the-palm-oil-debate-like-diets-needs-to-be-more-balanced/3441129/ The article…
India’s commerce minister, Piyush Goyal, has openly criticized the European Union’s greenwashing of protectionist trade policies, echoing sentiments from Malaysia and other Global South nations that the EUâs current approach is âbiasedâ and is harmful to developing world producers and exporters. During the World Trade Organizationâs recent biennial conference, Goyal challenged the EU’s insertion of…
Reuters reports European Agriculture Ministers from 20 of the EU’s 27 Member States are demanding changes to EUDR, including a delay to the implementation. Led by Austria’s Agriculture Minister Norbert Totschnig, the Ministers urged the âCommission for a temporary suspension of the regulation allowing for a feasible implementation accompanied by a revision of the regulation.â…
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