KFC Australia stops using palm oil

Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) has stopped using palm oil for fast food sold in its Australian outlets, reports ABC News. KFC says the decision came after complaints from customers about its use of palm oil, which at times is linked to deforestation in Southeast Asia. KFC will instead use Australia canola oil or rapeseed. The fast food giant will use only non-genetically modified canola seeds. The move in Australia comes more than a year after KFC Corporation, the U.S. arm of KFC, announced it would stop using palm oil in its deep friers. At this time KFC said it was making the change due to health and climate concerns. Environmentalists have targeted palm oil for its role in destruction of rainforests and carbon-dense peatlands in Indonesia and Malaysia. Some groups advocate use of only palm oil certified under the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil, an eco standard. Palm oil is the highest yielding of major oilseeds, a point often used by the palm oil industry to argue that its product requires less land to produce the same amount of oil as crops like canola, corn, coconut, and soy. Palm oil is used widely as cooking oil and as an ingredient is processed foods, cosmetics, and industrial products.