Packaging margarine ‘Eat Plants. Not Palm please’ is misleading

The Flower Farm misleads consumers by saying on its margarine packaging that palm oil destroys tropical rainforest. Furthermore, The Flower Farm is not allowed to say in its TVC that Orangutans are eradicated by palm oil. The Flower Farm’s call that consumers can save up to 30 m2 of rainforest per family by buying and eating The Flower Farm margarine is also misleading and forms a prohibited environmental claim. Why? Because all margarines in the Netherlands are made from sustainable RSPO palm oil, which means that there is no deforestation of rainforest. The Dutch Advertising Code Committee (RCC) considers The Flower Farm’s message to be misleading because it is incorrect and over-simplified. Essential information has been omitted. The packaging, the TVC, the video and the Instagram films have to be adapted. This also applies to many texts on the website. The RCC has based its ruling amongst others on the many statements made by NGOs such as Solidaridad and the Orangutan Land Trust. The NGOs and scientists agree: a boycott of palm oil is not the right route to take. Sustainable, RSFO-certified palm oil is.

Ebba Hoogenraad represented the European Palm Oil Alliance (EPOA) in proceedings at the RCC.