Mondelez International’s US free-from snack maker Enjoy Life Foods is claiming a first after receiving palm oil-free certification for a number of its products.
Enjoy Life said it has becomes the first food company in the US to receive the certification for its Grain & Seed Bars and Protein Bites from the International Palm Oil Free Certification Accreditation Programme (POFCAP).
It said its new Grain & Seed Bars, which it claims are the only bars on the market to combine three types of the ancient grain sorghum, are the first to receive the certification; and its plant-based Protein Bites will follow in June, for a total of eight SKUs in all.
Joel Warady, the Chicago-based company’s general manager and chief sales & marketing officer, said: “Our certification ensures that a product is 100% palm oil free, which takes the guesswork out of the equation for shoppers who value sustainable options.
“We’re excited to continue expanding our mission in the US and beyond, just as we have in Australia and the UK.
“Palm oil is one of the most commonly used ingredients in US food products, and as awareness of the devastating impact its conventional production has on our planet continues to grow, we feel it’s important to lead by example.
“Our goal is to demonstrate that there are opportunities to create delicious foods without having to utilise an ingredient that increasingly more consumers are looking to avoid.”
Palm oil is the most used vegetable oil in the world, according to the World Wildlife Fund, and is found in everything from ice cream to laundry detergent.
Mondelez acquired Enjoy Life in February 2015.
