The Health August 2023 | Page 3

AUGUST , 2023 | THE HEALTH

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| The Health says ... |

Act firmly on unscrupulous retailers

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EFFORTS to smear Malaysian palm oil will never end as long as there are parties who will do anything to protect their vested interests . But what ’ s alarming is that some

Malaysian businesses are party to this unscrupulous and deceptive smear campaign by anti-palm oil lobbyists .
Advokasi Perusahaan dan Industri ( API ), an advocacy group promoting business and industry , recently highlighted that some local retailers and supermarkets sold products with discriminatory ‘ no palm oil ’ labels .
This is surprising as it has been more than a year since a new regulation prohibiting discriminatory labels against palm oil emerged . Indeed , Malaysian importers and retailers are not ignorant of the law .
The one-year grace period for the new regulation under the Trade Descriptions Act 2011 , which came into force in March 2022 , is over . Those guilty can now be fined RM250,000 or be jailed for five years .
It is time for the authorities to act firmly . Perhaps the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission ( MACC ) should also investigate if powerful “ lobbyists ” were involved in getting these anti-palm oil-labelled products onto supermarket shelves .
For more than two decades , the Malaysian palm oil industry has been fighting a smear campaign initiated by the US soybean farmers who saw palm oil as a major competitor .
They began disseminating false information on the nutritional aspects of palm oil , claiming it was bad for health . Their lies were exposed when it was scientifically proven palm oil was a nutritious oil rich in Vitamin E and Carotenoids with antioxidant properties and superior to soy oil .
Having failed , the anti-palm oil lobbyists then made false allegations that oil palm cultivation led to deforestation , biodiversity loss , infringed on indigenous land rights , supported unfair labour practices and contributed to climate change . These , too , have been proven false .
Malaysia has been at the forefront of implementing global standards for sustainable palm oil . Many European countries now recognise the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil ( MSPO ) certification .
The few foreign manufacturers that still adversely label palm oil are a minority . Nevertheless , they have managed to slip through the net to sell their products in Malaysia .
Therefore , irresponsible retailers and supermarkets who support such products must be severely penalised . They are willing to destroy the livelihood of Malaysians dependent on the oil palm industry just to earn profits .