Maruchen (Ramen Noodles) palm oil exploiters to conservationists: “Meh.”

A token gesture, so tiny and insignificant it’s almost bizarre, was all Maruchen, the Ramen Noodle giant, gave in response to calls for better sourcing (and reduction) of palm oil in its products.

Maruchen agreed to have US companies who import palm oil for their products adhere to the (laughably insufficient) RSPO—Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil-- standards. . . but this applies only to US companies and not products sold worldwide. 

Rainforest Action Network is asking the public to keep the pressure on, or soon the entire Sumatran rainforest complex, with all its endangered wildlife (including the orangutans) will be a thing of the past.  And yup, that includes Aceh.

RAN is urging everyone to call the Maruchen offices below and “raise your voice for forests and forest-dependent communities.”

English: US office at: (949)-789-2300 line #2 consumer affairs

Spanish: Mexican office at: 52 55 5669 1794

Japanese : Japanese office at: 0120 181 874 or 03 3458 3333

A sample script for what to say is on RAN’s website: http://www.ran.org/maruchan_commitment_falls_short?utm_campaign=maruchan_call_4&utm_medium=email&utm_source=rainforestactionnetwork

 

Meanwhile, back at the rainforest . . . .

Maruchen, the top seller (67%) of ramen noodles in the US (if you eat Ramen Noodles or “Instant Lunch” you eat this stuff) is at the top of the worst “laggards” in adhering to any policies regarding palm oil sourcing and rainforest destruction.

 (RAN)

A few months ago I reported on the “Snack Food 20,” that group of enormously wealthy global food producers/sellers who used inordinate amounts of conflict palm oil in their products.  Rainforest Action Network held a series of campaigns and several companies (including Dunkin Donuts, bless them) responded, vowing to eliminate this unnecessary additive from their products and ceasing to support forest destruction and the devastation of indigenous communities in, predominantly, Africa and Indonesia.

The world loses approximately 80,000 acres of rainforest every day.  It’s been estimated that at least 6,000 of that is in Aceh, due to palm oil expansion.

Visit RAN’s website to find out how the other scofflaws are doing.  But at the moment, noting tops Ramen noodles, owned by Toyo Suisan Kaisha of Japan, and only boycotts and your voice can stop them.

Conflict Palm Oil In An Instant: Activists Call On Instant Noodle Giant to Clean Up Its Supply Chain

http://www.ran.org/conflict_palm_oil_in_an_instant_activists_call_on_instant_noodle_giant_to_clean_up_its_supply_chain

The companies need to adopt a “truly responsible global palm oil procurement policy, which requires fully traceable, legally produced palm oil, and eliminates sourcing from companies which are destroying rainforests or carbon-rich peatlands, stealing community lands or violating human and workers’ rights.”

But the bulldozers aren’t owned by Maruchen, Heinz or PepsiCo; they’re owned by the companies who provide the palm oil to them, and they are going to keep churning up the forests as long as the manufacturers are selling their products to . . . us.

It’s a losing battle for the rainforests and the cocoa farmers in Aceh unless you help.