Production methods and point of origin: Production practices vary
widely for different cooking fats. There’s the land to grow or
raise the original thing (such as olives or dairy cows). There
are the farming practices used to grow or raise that thing (for
example, organic or not, grass-fed or not). And there are the pro-
cessing practices used to turn that thing into a finished product.
Purely in terms of carbon and water footprints, sunflower
and canola rank the best. Thanks to all the cows involved, but-
ter’s carbon and water footprints are far worse than those of
vegetable oils.
Palm oil is an environmental nightmare. The trees are
grown in tropical locations, and the oil production threatens
endangered species like orangutans and Sumatran tigers; pol-
lutes the air through burning to clear forests to make room for
palm plantations; pollutes freshwater, affecting people relying
on that water downstream; and contributes to soil erosion and
climate change because of the destruction of carbon-storing
trees. More than half of packaged products purchased in the
United States, from cookies to lipstick to detergent, include
palm oil. Though used less often in American cooking, it’s the
most commonly consumed plant oil in the world. Some food
products tout sustainably produced palm oil, but
because palm oil is not even in the running for top
oils nutritionally—it’s about 50 percent saturated
fat, whereas all the other plant oils are well under
20 percent—why bother?
With both soy and corn oils, the main con-
cerns are about monoculture on a massive scale,
which degrades soil health and usually
involves lots of pesticides. Little informa-
tion is available about canola production,
but the main concern is that almost all
of it is genetically engineered; if you’re
64 how to be a Conscious Eater