Myth 1 – Most trees are cut down for paper or wood
Not so, most tropical rainforest is destroyed for farm plots, to graze livestock, to grow soy for animal feed, and for unsustainable palm oil found in nearly 50% of the packaged products in supermarkets. The food we eat is directly causing deforestation.
Myth 2 – There are too many people to feed
30% of all food produced is lost and wasted. By wasting less, reviving degraded land and eating a more plant-based diet we can feed more people.
Myth 3 – Boycotting palm oil will help stop deforestation
It’s how and where palm oil is grown that needs to change. Other vegetable oil crops would take between 4-10 times more land to grow. Look out for the RSPO sustainable palm oil label.
© WWF UK
Myth 4 – Avoiding certain foods or brands will solve it
There’s no way of knowing where deforestation is hiding in our food. For example, chicken may have been fed on soy grown in deforested land in South America, or it may not – there’s no way for us to know. That’s why we need our government to ban the sale of products that cause deforestation.
Myth 5 – There’s nothing I can do about it
It can feel like an impossible problem to solve, but you can put pressure on decision makers to act, raise awareness, and make changes to your diet and what you buy. If we all take action we can change the food system and end deforestation in our food for good.