KUALA LUMPUR: The palm oil industry is regularly affected by misinformation, which is churned into a frenzy of inaccurate news articles and opinion pieces by the media.
Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC) chief executive officer Dr Kalyana Sundram said unfortunately, the frenzy is ever so often not supported by facts. He said the recent scare about Nutella causing cancer is a classic case in point.
Recently, the New Straits Times reported that the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has released a report linking palm oil consumption — a major ingredient in Nutella — with the risk of getting cancer.
The report suggested that palm oil is more carcinogenic than other vegetable oils. This is because palm oil produces 3-monochloropropanediol (3-MCPD) and glycidyl fatty acid esters (GE) when heated above 200°C.
The EFSA panel said these chemicals are genotoxic and carcinogenic.
Kalyana said Ferrero S.p.A Italy, the manufacturer of Nutella that has been operating for 70 years, has gone the full mile in sourcing its raw materials, including substantial quantities of Malaysian palm oil.
“This includes palm oil that has been certified to be sustainably produced, with premiums voluntarily paid for and quality-enhanced with near-zero content of 3-MCPD and GE.”
He said the underlying issue relates to the presence of contaminating 3-MCPD and GE residues in all types of oils and fats.
“All oils and fats producers and food industry players have known this for more than a decade. It occurs in olive, soya, rapeseed, corn and sunflower oils as well.”
Kalyana said this issue has triggered a lengthy period of evaluation not only in Europe, but also in the laboratories of the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB).
He said MPOB has published its findings in scientific journals and acknowledged the higher content of these contaminants in palm oil compared with other oils and fats.
“The reasons for their occurrence are several-fold, starting from cultivation due to soil condition, up to the final processing and refining.”
Kalyana said since palm oil is used in several leading infant formulations, the board’s first step is to reduce the contaminants or eliminate them from baby food.
“Global infant formula manufacturers use premium palm oil fractions in their products. This was acknowledged in the EFSA report, which was cited by the media.”
He said when the EFSA report was revealed in the middle of last year, the Malaysian palm oil industry had initiated a focused dialogue between plantation companies, millers, refiners and end-users.
“Collectively, we agreed to work towards adopting processing technologies that aim to reduce or eliminate the contaminants in palm oil.”
He said the matter has been highlighted to the cabinet through the Plantation Industries and Commodities Ministry.
“Minister Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong has impressed upon the cabinet on the urgency and need to innovate and reduce, or eliminate these contaminants in palm oil.”
A special allocation to adopt that technology was granted by the Malaysian government.
“We are executing measures to remove these contaminants, and possibly, strive ahead of all other edible oils by eliminating their presence in Malaysian palm oil.”
He said the Malaysian palm oil industry is concerned with the presence of 3-MCPD esters in its oil although the actual risk to human health has yet to be clearly defined.
Kalyana hoped the media will refrain from associating palm oil with the risk of developing cancer.
“There is no scientific evidence in these allegations. On the other hand, palm oil is endowed with naturally-occurring minor nutritional constituents, including tocotrienols, carotenes and phenolics.
“These nutrients have proven benefits, including stroke prevention and even as anti-cancer agents. Some of them are being studied for their anti-cancer and health benefits.”
Following media reports that caused unwarranted concern about palm oil and cancer, the MPOC will monitor whether there are any impact on the industry and imports to Europe since the EFSA report was released.
“In general, European food manufacturers, refiners and producers have indicated that, for the large part, the EFSA report has been accepted in the regulatory context.
“They have begun to source for all types of oils and fats, not just palm oil, which have low content of these contaminants,” he said.
Moreover, neither the EFSA nor any other national food safety authority has advocated or suggested a ban on the consumption or use of palm oil, or any other vegetable oil for that matter.
“The market that was most diverged from the regulatory context of the EFSA report was Italy, home of Ferrero’s operations, where it was, unfortunately and inaccurately, categorised as a “palm problem” instead of an issue that affects all refined vegetable oils, including olive oil.”
At present, the European food industry, which is highly-regulated and observes the highest standard of safety, has not moved to remove palm oil from their products following the release of the EFSA report.
It still maintains that the regulatory context of EFSA is relevant.
Kalyana said the palm oil industry will only succeed as long as consumers have trust in what they are buying is healthy, sustainable and, above all, safe.
“The palm oil we sell to any part of
the world has been subjected to the highest standard of quality and safety controls.”
With respect to the contaminants found in all vegetable oils, the board will institute close-monitoring measures and act to reduce the level of 3-MCPD esters and GE.
He said the palm oil industry is also actively engaging with Fediol, the European Union vegetable oil and proteinmeal industry association, in addressing the level of carcinogenic contaminants in palm oil.
“In the near future, palm oil produced in Malaysia will be free of these contaminants. It affects all refined vegetable oils and is an issue that the entire food industry must take very seriously.”
Kalyana said MPOC is concern that EFSA has not stepped in to clarify the misinformation surrounding palm oil.
Meanwhile, the media is extensively quoting the food authority’s evaluation of the underlying risks associated with these contaminants.
He also urged the public to contact experts at MPOB or MPOC for any enquiries on the subject, as they are fully supportive of responsible media and news reports that seek to inform and educate the public at large.