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

Today, activists took action outside of Nissin Foods Holdings' corporate office in Los Angeles, California, sending a direct communication to the instant noodle giant that it must do more to cut Conflict Palm Oil from its supply chain. Today's event at Nissin Foods is one more action in a growing consumer-driven movement against the controversial ingredient, as more and more American's call attention to the disastrous environmental and social impacts of Conflict Palm Oil.

Rainforest Action Network (RAN) recently released a new progress report, titled Testing Commitments to Cut Conflict Palm Oil, ranking the relative strength of palm oil commitments made since the launch of the Snack Food 20 campaign two years ago. This 2015 progress report shines a spotlight on the laggards in the Snack Food 20 and outlines the actions that these companies, and the front runners who are pushing ahead on their commitments, can and must take to rapidly cut Conflict Palm Oil from our food system.

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The US is the 6th largest consumer of instant noodles in the world, with the average package of ramen noodles containing 20% of palm oil by weight. Nissin Foods Holdings' is one of the largest instant noodle manufacturers in the world--the maker of popular brands like Top Ramen and Cup Noodles--and the laggard has a long way to go to cut Conflict Palm Oil from its supply chain.

"A few years ago, few people had heard of palm oil or the rampant destruction Conflict Palm Oil plantations are causing around the globe. Now, more and more people are becoming aware and standing up for what's right," said Gemma Tillack, Agribusiness Campaign Director for Rainforest Action Network (RAN). "While a new global benchmark has recently been set for what is acceptable as truly responsible palm oil production, much more is needed to drive real change to the ground. Remaining laggards in the Snack Food 20 like Nissin Foods have no excuses left. Nissin must adopt a time-bound, responsible palm oil policy and cut Conflict Palm Oil--which is enslaving children, killing endangered orangutans, and destroying the rainforest-- from its products."

You can download the full report online at www.ran.org/sf20scorecard.