PepsiCo's secret
- Details
- Published on Friday, 15 July 2016 10:30
- Written by editor
Dear A,
What’s the hidden cost of the cheap palm oil used in Doritos, Cheetos, and other PepsiCo snacks found in your supermarket aisles?
It’s the countless workers exploited at the hands of the palm oil industry in South East Asia -- where PepsiCo’s products are made.
There are stories of workers being lured to Indonesia or Malaysia, only to find themselves trapped on palm oil plantations with no money, no passport, with no days off. Those who work spraying pesticides don’t have the proper equipment, and are exposed to toxic chemicals.
Some workers don’t even get paid -- especially women and children.
But we can help end the exploitation by showing solidarity with palm oil workers. Our friends at Rainforest Action Network have made a video to expose PepsiCo’s ties to the human cost of palm oil.
PepsiCo buys a whopping 450,000 tonnes of cheap palm oil per year. Its sole producer in Indonesia is IndoFood -- one of the largest palm oil growers in the world.
IndoFood has been linked to the suffering of countless workers and the clearing of vast swathes of lush rainforest. To feed the rising global demand for palm oil, the homes of orangutans, rhinos, and elephants are being destroyed.
One by one we’re losing these endangered animals.
It doesn’t have to be this way. Working with our partners, the SumOfUs community has pushed huge companies like McDonald’s, Dunkin’ Donuts, Kellogg’s, Starbucks and many more to adopt sustainable palm oil policies. By standing together, we make ourselves powerful.
We can do it again. But we have to amp up the pressure to force PepsiCo to move.
Please watch and share the video to expose PepsiCo’s ties to conflict palm oil now.
Thanks for all that you do,
Paul, Kat, Hanna, and the team at SumOfUs
More information:
The Snack Food 20 Scorecard, Rainforest Action Network
The Human Cost of Conflict Palm Oil, Rainforest Action Network, OPPUK, and International Labor Rights Forum, 8 June 2016
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