Leading UK edible oil supplier KTC (Edibles) has launched a new sustainable palm oil brand.
The new Planet Palm range of certified sustainable, traceable and responsibly-sourced palm oil products was aimed at bakery and food manufacturers in the UK, the company said on 25 October.
KFC said initial products in the range would include Planet Palm Oil and three specialist bakery products – Planet Palm Cake Margarine, Planet Palm Pastry Margarine and Planet Palm Shortening.
All products were segregated, according to Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certification, offering traceability back to the refinery, the company said.
“Over the past 15 years, the food industry has shied away from promoting palm oil – with brands either hiding their use or switching out of palm altogether,” KTC Edibles sales director Gary Lewis said.
“Unfortunately, switching from palm to alternatives doesn’t reduce deforestation or protect biodiversity. It simply moves the problems to another part of the world.”
As part of the Planet Palm initiative, KTC Edibles said it had partnered with sustainable agricultural company DAABON to develop new fully traceable and organic palm oil products for the range.
Potential upcoming products included ingredients for bakery, confectionery and ice cream applications, such as doughnuts, waffles, chocolates and creams, the company said.
KTC Edibles said the launch of its Planet Palm range was the latest step in its ongoing sustainability programme. In September 2022, the company announced it had achieved its target to offer only 100% certified segregated sustainable palm oil to customers as part of a promise to the RSPO Shared Responsibility framework.
At the end of last year, the company signed the Sustainable Palm Oil Manifesto, an initiative launched by the RSPO and the Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH) with a focus on sourcing, smallholder inclusion, landscape approaches and communication.
KTC Edibles operates two UK sites in Wednesbury and Liverpool and supplies more than 250M litres/year of cooking oils to customers across the UK food industry.
