by Katherine Martinko for treehugger.com
Tomorrow is Halloween, which means that millions of people across North America are stocking up on candy and chocolate bars to hand out to excited trick-or-treaters. These treats may be delicious to eat, but they come at an environmental cost — the destruction of tropical rainforests for palm oil production, a key ingredient in confectionery and most processed foods. In fact, as Rainforest Action Network (RAN) points out, palm oil is so ubiquitous that you can likely find it in every room of your house.
Companies like Hershey’s, Mars, and Nestle are aware of the ecological impact of their sweets, and have made various pledges over the years to stop using ‘conflict palm oil’. It is called this because of the way in which plantation expansion destroys the habitats of rare species — Sumatran tigers, orangutans, clouded leopards, rhinos, sun bears, and elephants.
This excerpt from a news article appeared in and is courtesy of treehugger.com and can be read in its entirety here.
