The ethics of palm oil: is it vegan?

The topic of palm oil is one that often divides the vegan community and causes heated arguments and discussions. I see it all the time on Facebook. Whenever somebody posts a picture of, for example, Oreos - which are technically vegan, but contain palm oil - you can expect a burst of outrage in the comment section about the ethicality of palm oil. These comments usually end up being deleted.

Technically, palm oil is vegan - but only so long as we follow the standard definition of veganism. According to dictionary.com, a vegan is "a vegetarian who omits all animal products from the diet", and/or "a person who does not use any animal products, as leather or wool." By this definition, palm oil is vegan, since it is plant-based and is not derived from an animal.

But let's look deeper. The dictionary.com definition only scrapes the surface of what veganism is about. Personally, I follow the Vegan Society's definition of veganism: "a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of humans, animals and the environment." In short, veganism is a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude exploitation of and cruelty to animals. Veganism is, according to the Vegan Society, about much more than simply eliminating animal-derived ingredients from our diets and clothing choices.

"Palm oil, as we know, is often collected through unethical means, and palm oil production is known to cause damage to the environment and to destroy animal habitats." 

I consider the Vegan Society's definition the most accurate because the founder of the society, Donald Watson, actually coined the term "vegan". Who could be more qualified to define a word than the creator of the word itself?



So, if we follow the Vegan Society's definition, veganism is about, as much as is possible and practicable, making ethical choices in every aspect of our lives. And palm oil, as we know, is often collected through unethical means, and palm oil production is known to cause damage to the environment and to destroy animal habitats. Most commonly, palm oil production is associated with the habitat destruction of endangered orangutans. According to Wikipedia, human activities have caused severe declines in the populations and ranges of both Sumatran and Bornean orangutans. Habitat destruction is one of the three largest threats to both species.

"So, while palm oil is certainly a plant-based food, I personally think that unethically sourced palm oil cannot be included in an ethical diet."

So, while palm oil is certainly a plant-based food, I personally think that unethically sourced palm oil cannot be included in an ethical diet. It's as simple as that. Of course, there are many vegans who do consume palm oil, and while I encourage them to seek out alternatives, I do recognise that different people follow different definitions of "veganism".

If you are interested in cutting out palm oil from your diet, there is a very useful app from Palm Oil Investigations. The app can be downloaded here. Keep in mind that it may not be available in your country yet -- in this case, you may like to donate to Palm Oil Investigations to help them raise funds to expand their app.

One Green Planet offers a very helpful list on their website, found here. The list gives information about vegan brands that use and do not use palm oil. Please, next time you do your grocery shopping, keep this important information in mind.

Vegan-friendly restaurant review: Montezuma's and E for Ethel

For readers who aren't familiar, Montezuma's is a vegan-friendly Mexican-style restaurant located on Melbourne Street, Adelaide. Back in 2014, I wrote a review for Montezuma's and a neighbouring dessert cafe named Elephant Walk. Recently, Montezuma's changed their menu, opting to add some awesome new plant-based options to please their vegan customers. All vegetarian meals can now be ordered with vegan cheese and/or vegan sour cream. So, of course, I had to go back to review their new additions!

I'll start by mentioning the fantastic customer service. The woman serving me, Cam, was lovely, and was doing a fantastic job of managing the floor on her own. My grandma and I had a great chat with her and she was very helpful in pointing out all of the vegan options, including her own personal recommendations. Thank you very much, Cam!

I had some trouble deciding which meal to get because I'm not used to having so many options to choose from. I'm not complaining, though! I ended up picking an old favourite of mine - the vegetarian Montezuma's Delight. If you're after a vegan option, all you have to do is replace the sour cream and cheese with vegan versions (or just omit them entirely).

I'm not sure what brands of vegan cheese and sour cream are used, but the cheese looked and tasted similar to Daiya and the sour cream was probably Tofutti. Both brands are favourites of mine. I know a lot of vegans don't like Daiya cheese, though, so if you're one of them, the Montezuma's Delight is just as delicious without.



The meal was presented nicely. I love to see a motley of colours on my plate. The Montezuma's salad is the best I've ever tried and I often make my own version at home. It boasts an array of healthy raw veggies, including cauliflower, celery, broccoli, red cabbage, carrot and - the best part - green apple. It's a simple way to add a sweet and fresh crispiness to the salad.

Underneath the salad sits a corn tortilla smothered with frijoles, and it's all topped off with a hearty tomato-based sauce and some black olives.

Taste-wise, my grandma and I both thoroughly enjoyed our meals and will definitely order them again - but we're also keen to try everything else on the menu! The vegan cheese and sour cream were excellent choices and complimented the meals well. The servings were huge and so the food was very filling, but that's what I expect from Montezuma's! The prices are reasonable considering the size of the meals.

Montezuma's isn't a classy, high-brow restaurant with five star-quality meals, but it doesn't need to be. It's simply a fun, well-decorated and affordable place to grab a tasty and filling meal. If you're a vegan, vegetarian or omni looking for a fun place to eat with your family, friends or partner, Montezuma's is my number one recommendation.

On another note, if you like to drink coffee after lunch, there is a nice eco-friendly coffee shop around the corner that Cam showed us. It's hidden away but it's definitely worth going in - they have lots of milk options for vegans as well as some vegan desserts. Their coffee was great! They also sell homemade paintings, toys, sculptures and other little gifts. The cafe is called E for Ethel - check them out on Facebook here.

E for Ethel make great coffee!

If you're reading this, thanks for having me Montezuma's (and E for Ethel) - I'll be back soon (when I'm not too busy with Uni work!)