Palm oil supplier to Nestle, Kellogg's linked to Peru deforestation in report

[Judi Lynn]

Credit: REUTERS/GUADALUPE PARDO
February 07, 2024 — 06:00 am EST

Written by Jake Spring and Alexander Villegas for Reuters

By Jake Spring and Alexander Villegas

Feb 7 (Reuters) - A supplier to brands including Nestle, Kellogg's and Colgate has been farming palm oil on deforested land in one of the best-preserved areas of Peru's Amazon rainforest, an environmental group said in an investigative report released on Wednesday.

Peru-based supplier Ocho Sur and related companies deforested more than 130 square kilometers (50 square miles) in Peru's Ucayali region, with most of the destruction occurring since 2012, the nonprofit Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) said in the report. That is an area more than twice the size of Manhattan.

By Jake Spring and Alexander Villegas

Feb 7 (Reuters) - A supplier to brands including Nestle, Kellogg's and Colgate has been farming palm oil on deforested land in one of the best-preserved areas of Peru's Amazon rainforest, an environmental group said in an investigative report released on Wednesday.

Peru-based supplier Ocho Sur and related companies deforested more than 130 square kilometers (50 square miles) in Peru's Ucayali region, with most of the destruction occurring since 2012, the nonprofit Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) said in the report. That is an area more than twice the size of Manhattan. Palm oil can be found in consumer products from shampoo to chocolate bars.

Ocho Sur in a statement to Reuters said that nonprofit organizations have sought to damage its reputation with false accusations, and that it had all necessary environmental permits since acquiring the land in 2016. The company said it has not expanded its plantation area since, and reforested areas without forest coverage and maintains protected Amazon areas.

"Ocho Sur backs its commitment to biodiversity and preserving the forest," it said.

More:
https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/palm-oil-supplier-to-nestle-kelloggs-linked-to-peru-deforestation-in-report



(My emphasis)

[hatrack]

1. Yeah, they all say that, don't they?