Palm Oil-Free Spread by Dutch Brand The Flower Farm Launches at Sainsbury’s – vegconomist

Netherlands-based The Flower Farm has launched at Sainsbury’s, marking the first major UK supermarket listing for the brand’s vegan and palm oil-free spread.

The spread is made with shea butter, which has similar properties to palm oil but does not contribute to deforestation. The other ingredients include sunflower oil, lemon juice, carrot juice, and sea salt.

The Flower Farm estimates that it has already saved 726,000 kilos of palm oil and over 1.85 million square metres of palm oil plantation. 17.6 million products have been sold to date.

Previously, the spread launched at Booths, a supermarket chain in the north of England. In the Netherlands, the product is widely available at major retailers, including Albert Heijn.

“We are delighted to have Sainsbury’s endorsement as we seek to grow the presence of our palm oil-free spread across the UK retail landscape, whilst raising awareness of the role that palm oil production plays in the destruction of the world’s most biodiverse rainforests,” said Marcel van Wing, founder of The Flower Farm.

Palm oil alternatives

The palm oil industry is becoming increasingly controversial due to its association with deforestation and habitat destruction. As a result, many brands are attempting to move away from the ingredient.

Using different oils such as shea butter is one option, but some companies are working on developing other alternatives. These include cultivated palm oil grown from cells, along with fats made via fermentation. One company, Estonia’s ÄIO, is upcycling wood and agricultural industry sidestreams into a palm oil alternative with the help of a microbe called the “red bug”.

“In the same way that we make kombucha, yoghurt, bread, and beer, we can turn sawdust or other low-value biomass into valuable and healthy ingredients. Our “red bug” cannot turn water into wine, but it can turn sawdust into food,” said ÄIO co-founder Nemailla Bonturi.