Response from Tesco regarding fuel

I have received a response from Tesco about what percentage of their fuel is made up of palm oil. In the same e-mail I also told them I was switching all my on-line shopping to Sainsbury's but they haven't replied about that.

Using this as a base, I can now write to other fuel suppliers to see if they can be any more precise about how much palm oil is in their petrol/diesel. This might be one area that I can't avoid palm oil. I don't drive anywhere myself but I do get a lift to my market stall every Saturday in a diesel car and of course, all the delivery vehicles bringing items to me for my business, my groceries, on-line shopping etc. all use fuel so I can't absolve myself of responsibility in this area. There may be one supplier that's better than the others so I'll see if I can find out which ... Anyway, here's what Tesco say about their fuel

Thank you for your patience

I received the following response this morning regarding the usage of Palm Oil in our bio fuels regrettably, they've not given me a percentage figure.

In 2005 we decided to sell biofuels as we believed that they could help customers reduce their carbon footprint and decrease our use of fossil fuels. Since then, EU legislation has made 5% biofuel obligatory in regular fuels.

We do use some palm oil in the production of our biofuels. However, we are continually seeking to reduce the amount of palm oil we use by supplementing it with other vegetable oils, such as waste tallow.

All major fuel companies are also members of the Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and are committed to sustainably sourcing palm oil used in biofuels.
Greenergy (www.greenergy.com), which supplies almost 50% of our fuel requirements, has been praised for its work in developing biofuel sustainability criteria and audit programmes.

I appreciate that this will not have been the answer you hoped for and I'm sorry that I can't get you a more detailed response. I do hope this information will be of some help to you.

New palm oil free lunch!

Remember Nigella Lawson's programme quite a while ago about good food fast called Nigella Express? Well, her book was £25 when it first came out and I baulked at the cost but it's down to £9 in WH Smith now. On Saturday, I bought the Times and it had a voucher to buy the book for a fiver (one day only) so I hot-footed it into Smiths in Cambridge to buy this marvellous bargain.

It has loads of recipes I think I'll be giving a go; the first one I tried was a ripe avocado, mashed with 2 teaspoons lime juice and seasoning to taste. I's very green! Nigella spreads hers on sourdough bread but it's equally good on bread from my new breadmaker and also, it's a great topping for Ryevita which is my standby lunch when I've no bread. I've had it twice now; hope Nigella won't mind me repeating the recipe here but I am giving her book a plug at the same time! :-)

Mars

In response to an appeal on Nature Alert, I have written to Mars as below. Please note before clicking the link, Nature Alert contains some very upsetting content and unvarnished truths. Tonight, BBC3 is repeating a programme Britains Really Disgusting Food Diary which highlights Mars' uncaring attitude towards the use of palm oil in its products. You can also view it on I-Player here, if you want to fast-forward to the bit about palm oil, it's at 32.00 (about half way through the programme). My e-mail outlines why I am annoyed with Mars.

I am trying to live palm oil free having discovered the devastation to rainforest habitats being created by palm oil growers. I used to regularly purchase products made by Mars but after seeing some of your products list Vegetable Oil/Fat as an ingredient (usually a euphemism for palm oil), I stopped.

If you have a list of your products which are free of palm oil (or palm oil derivatives), I would find this most helpful.

Additionally, after viewing the BBC programme, Britain's Really Disgusting Food Dairy, I am shocked that your target to be using sustainable palm oil is 2015 at a time when many companies are bringing forward theirs to much earlier. Whilst I am advocating a zero tolerance towards palm oil myself, I recognise that sustainable sources are a first step in erradicating this pernicious ingredient from the consumer supply chain and Mars MUST do more to preserve what little rainforest is left to the orangutans and other wildlife.

If you are similarly as cross about Mars as I am, please write to them using Mars contact form on their website.

New tap

I've had a new tap fitted in my kitchen this morning. To enable the plumber to get to the pipes, I had to remove all the items under the sink. The contents of this cupboard represent my entire stock of household cleaning items. It was therefore an opportune time to make a list of the products along with the name of the manufacturer. When I get this typed into a Word table, I'll be able to sort the multitude of items by manufacturer and then write one letter about all the items I buy to each company and ask them if any contain palm oil/palm oil derivatives.

Will keep you posted!

Holding response from Tesco

I wrote another e-mail to Tesco last week letting them know that I am switching all my on-line purchases to Sainsbury's and also enquiring why they hadn't yet responded about what the 5% bio fuel component of their diesel and petrol is made from. Here is their reply:

I'm very sorry that I've not yet received a reply to your query. Please let me assure you that I've not forgotten about this and I have escalated the matter again on your behalf. As soon as I receive I will be in contact again and I do appreciate your patience on this matter.

Sainsbury's - yay!

When you're ordering groceries on-line, there's this lovely feature called your Favourites List. Every time you order something, it gets automatically added to your FL. After you've done a few shops, pretty much everything you buy regularly from the supermarket is on it and then shopping is really easy, you just go through the list ordering anything you've run out of. It used to take me 20 minutes with Tesco once I'd given the cupboards and fridge a once over.

As I said in a previous blog entry, I'm ditching Tesco and am currently going through the pain of shopping on-line at Sainsbury's without the benefit of an FL. The order took nearly two hours to do because my favourites list is in its infancy.

So far, the things I've discovered I've forgotten are limes, loo roll, onions, cashew nuts and rice. But hopefully, we'll get there in the end.

I was just waiting to see whether the Sainsbury's order arrived safely before telling Tesco why I'm now shopping elsewhere and chasing them for a reply about their fuel. I'll let you know when/if I receive a reply.

Toothpaste update

Had a reply from Colgate-Palmolive today, who say:
Thank you for contacting us again with your question. Your interest in our Company and our products is greatly appreciated. We are happy to have the oportunity to assist you. Colgate Toothpaste does not contain palm oil or any ingredients that have been derived from it. Than you for taking time etc. blah blah

Why couldn't they just say that when I wrote the first time??!