Bottega Pistho
Pick up a spread from the supermarket and read the ingredients. In the vast majority of cases, the second or third ingredient is palm oil. It is the cheapest fat available: inexpensive, flavourless, and gives a smooth, uniform texture. But the cost is borne by those who eat it and by the environment.
Why companies use palm oil
Palm oil is the most produced vegetable fat in the world. The reason is simple: the oil palm yields up to 10 times more oil per hectare than soya or sunflower. This makes it extremely cost-effective for the food industry.
In spreads, palm oil plays a technical role: it is solid at room temperature (thanks to its high saturated fat content), giving the spread that dense, "spreadable" consistency everyone recognises. Without it, you need alternatives — and alternatives cost more.
The environmental problem
According to the WWF, oil palm cultivation is responsible for the deforestation of around 27 million hectares of tropical forest — an area the size of New Zealand. This has a direct impact on biodiversity (orangutan habitat has shrunk by 50% in 20 years) and on CO2 emissions (the destruction of tropical peatlands releases enormous quantities of greenhouse gases).
The nutritional problem
Palm oil contains approximately 50% palmitic acid, a saturated fatty acid that the WHO associates with increased LDL cholesterol. EFSA has also identified contaminants potentially carcinogenic (3-MCPD esters and glycidyl esters) formed during the refining process, with particularly concerning levels in products intended for children.
The alternatives we use
In our spreads we replace palm oil with:
- Sunflower seed oil — rich in vitamin E and unsaturated fatty acids, it provides a creamy texture without the saturated fat load
- Cocoa butter — provides the structure needed at room temperature, with an aromatic profile that naturally complements nuts
Does this combination cost more than palm oil? Yes, significantly. But the result is a spread where the flavour of the main ingredient — pistachio, hazelnut, almond or coconut — arrives clean, without the greasy, anonymous filter of palm oil.
How to read the label
European regulations require the specific type of vegetable fat to be stated. Phrases to look for:
- "Palm oil" or "palm fat" — present, avoid if possible
- "Vegetable fats (palm, coconut)" — present, often hidden in a list
- "Sunflower seed oil" + "cocoa butter" — clean alternative
- "Extra virgin olive oil" — the premium choice (used in our pesto)
Also watch for "palm oil free" with an asterisk leading to "replaced with hydrogenated vegetable fats" — in that case the cure is worse than the disease.
Taste makes the final difference
The definitive test is simple: open a jar of industrial pistachio cream and one artisan cream without palm oil. In the first, the colour is uniformly bright green (colourings). In the second, the colour is subtle, natural, with variations. On the palate, the first has a smooth but anonymous texture. The second has the granularity of real nuts, and a flavour that lingers.
