FrieslandCampina Kievit to Promote Sustainable Palm Oil Ingredients through New Names

FrieslandCampina Kievit (Meppel, The Netherlands), part of Royal FrieslandCampina and a specialist in spray-dried emulsions such as oil and fat powders, said it will update the names of its palm oil ingredients to indicate those that are deemed sustainable by the organization RSPO, the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil. The company said it hopes that by making it easier for customers to identify which of the firm’s ingredients are sustainable, that it will promote the use of sustainable palm oil.

The company said it will be the first company in the spray-dried ingredients market to adopt such an initiative. It said that initially the RSPO status will be displayed for palm oil–based ingredients going to markets in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and North and South America.

“By linking the sustainability level of our palm oil products to our product names, customers can immediately see that the palm oil used in our ingredients is sustainable,” commented Bas van Driel, the company’s business unit director, EMEAA, in a press release.

“FrieslandCampina is a leading innovator in the dairy sector,” added Edwin Riegman, the company’s R&D manager for oils and fats. “The company has a progressive policy and strives to achieve 100% purchase of segregated palm oil in the long term. At present, we already purchased sustainable palm oil whenever possible. Preferably segregated, but if that grade is not available, we buy ‘mass balance’ palm oil. In the case of products where neither option is possible, we purchase Greenpalm book and claim certifications. The WWF [World Wildlife Fund] hopes that other companies will follow our example.”