THE Primary Industries Ministry and the Malaysian Palm Oil Board are seriously working at countering the Western anti-palm oil campaign to defend our palm oil industry. However, what is lacking is a campaign to trumpet the superior health benefits of palm oil.

The western edible oil industry has long played on sentiments on environmental destruction and the destruction of orangutan habitat to sway public opinion against palm oil.

But when confronted on health issues, it beats a retreat claiming that it does not figure in palm oil debate in Europe. But the truth is, aggressive campaigns against palm oil was launched since the early 1990s primarily on health issues.

In the US, lobby groups and industry organisations played aggressive roles to influence public opinions. The US National Soybean Oil Association and its sponsored National Heart Savers Association went on a rampage against palm oil for its high content of saturated fats, recklessly spreading misinformation and fear of heart disease to the public. The lipid-cholesterol theory of heart disease was at its height dominating scientific thoughts during the 1990s.

The paradigm shifted a decade late. By early 2000, the scientific field in heart disease was aware of the paradox in managing heart disease. Lowering serum cholesterol, consuming unsaturated fats as in soybean, corn and canola oils have insignificant effect on heart disease.

By 2015, the US and British governments announced a change in dietary advice, stating that foods high in saturated fats like butter, eggs, meat, edible oils were not high risk for heart disease. Even though heart disease was and still is the global number one killer, this important shift in scientific thinking was not widely reported in the mainstream.

It was this shift in scientific thinking regarding saturated fats and heart disease that led anti-palm oil activists to fight on environmental issues.

But the damage done through misinformation campaign by the American edible oil industry had taken roots. A whole generation was misinformed that saturated fats leads to heart attacks and stroke. Even until today, and also among those in the health profession, saturated fats and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol are wrongly perceived as ‘bad’.

By the end of the first decade of the 21st century, with gene modification (GM) technology introduced to canola, soybean and corn crops, production of these plant-based oils had been more cost efficient. Graham Brookes et al (2010) estimated the technology helped reduced production cost by 6 to 10%. These temperate oils became more competitive to the cheaper palm oil. Competition for the market share in the edible oil industry has been more aggressive and even vicious at times.

Canada, being the largest producer of canola oil, together with some EU countries, is now in the anti-palm oil axis.

Western anti-palm oil campaign is blind to the fact that there is more environmental destruction caused by the GM crops, besides more health hazards. The GM crops are genetically engineered to resist the Roundup herbicide. More herbicide chemicals are used in GM crops cultivation than oil palm. Glyphosate, which is a main chemical in Roundup, has been linked to disruption of sex hormones, infertility, miscarriages, neurological problems, and cancer. Toxins from glyphosate and the pulps of GMO crops go into animal feed meals once the oil has been extracted, which potentially contaminates the meat, milk, cheese, and eggs.

When industrial profits are at stake, the edible oil war is expected to be more vicious even at the expense of health detriments and spreading lies. The priority of our Ministry of Primary Industries and the Palm Oil Board should be to protect local market share.

When more and more of our Malaysian people are buying canola, corn and soy oils instead of our own cheaper palm oil, something in the previous campaigns and the current “Love MY Palm Oil” campaign is just not hitting the right buttons. – January 25, 2019.

* Captain Dr Wong Ang Peng is a researcher with an interest in economics, politics, and health issues. He has a burning desire to do anything within his means to promote national harmony. Captain Wong is also a member of the National Patriots Association.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.