25/04/2010 (The Mosman Daily) - TARONGA Zoo is pushing the Federal Government to legislate to label palm oil in all food products, as part of an international campaign to save Sumatran tigers from habitat destruction.

Don’t Palm Us Off is a joint initiative between Zoos Australia and New Zealand to raise awareness about deforestation in South-East Asia, which is killing off endangered species such as the Sumatran tiger and the orangutan.

There are less than 500 Sumatran tigers in the wild, with many dying each year because rainforest is culled for unsustainable palm oil plantations, Taronga Discovery host Nikki Bodel said.

“The zoo is not anti-palm oil but we want to increase transparency on food labels so consumers know whether the ingredient was harvested sustainably,” she said.

“People have a right to know if what they are buying is contributing to the extinction of Sumatran tigers.”

Palm oil is used in about 40 per cent - or one in four food products including in cooking oils, margarines, milk fat replacer and cocoa butter substitutes.

There is no mandatory labelling of palm oil on food packaging, with many products allowing palm oil to be listed as vegetable oil.

The Inquiry into Food Standards Amendment (Truth in Labelling Palm Oil) Bill is due before state parliament by June 15.

The bill would amend the Food Standards Australia New Zealand Act to require food producers, manufacturers and distributors to clearly label palm oil (including whether it was harvested sustainably) on all food packaging.

“The problem is Food Standards Australia New Zealand labels ingredients for health reasons but this does not extend to labelling ingredients for environmental reasons,” Ms Bodel said.

“We really hope to get enough support behind the campaign to pass the bill.”

Don’t Palm Us Off campaigners set up a stall at Taronga Zoo’s Eco Fair last Thursday, collecting more than 3500 signatures on a petition.