French retail giant Casino today (25 March) pledged to reduce the amount of palm oil in its products for environmental – and health – reasons.

The company, which runs the Geant, Franprix and Leader Price banners in France, said it would remove palm oil from 200 own-label lines by the end of the year.

“Palm oil is a vegetable fat. Even if it has good stability at high temperature and gives food a crisp texture, mass consumption may present risks to human health and the environment,” Casino said.

“Nutritionally, this oil is rich in saturated fatty acids, which when consumed excessively, raises cholesterol in the blood and increases cardiovascular risk. Environmentally, its use leads to intensive cultivation of palm oil at the expense of forests in Asia. This leads to deforestation and loss of plant and animal biodiversity.”

The retailer also pledged to remove palm oil from all its own-label lines, although it declined to give a timetable beyond the end of this year.

Casino said it already sells 13 products that contain no palm oil.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

Officials at the retailer could not be reached for further comment.