Students and teachers from a secondary school in the Czech town Kaplice were determined to focus on one of the biggest food issues – palm oil. They wanted to reduce their own consumption of products containing palm oil and also raise awareness amongst their classmates and parents.
Source of pictures: Deník/Zuzana Kyselová
Indonesia: Frying in Palm Oil
Students started to cooperate with the platform Palm Oil Watch International and created an important campaign to inform others about the impact of palm oil use and production on the natural environment and people’s lives in South-East Asia. They had also borrowed a traveling exhibition called “Indonesia: Frying in Palm Oil” for the campaign. Thanks to these activities all students of Kaplice school have gained an insight into the topic and understood the importance of palm oil consumption reduction. After seeing Indonesia burning and local people suffering they wanted to make changes, so they started in their own school.
Would you care for some rhubarb pie?
Firstly, they tried to complete a four-week challenge to eat palm oil free food products. Then they decided to change their own cafeteria. Together with its very helpful and willing chief, they managed to find better alternatives to food products, containing other types of oils and fats. And they did not stop there. The students also succeeded in establishing a school herb garden to spice up food in the cafeteria! After they discovered that majority of cakes and sweets in the supermarket are based on palm oil, they planted and grew rhubarb to bake their own palm oil free pies.
Compare!
Finally, several students organized a special Action Day to inform others, mainly outside their school, about the dangers behind the use and production of palm oil. They all agreed that the best way how to do that is through comparing. They bought products from a local supermarket and prepared their own palm oil free alternatives so that the visitors could try and taste both types of snacks and compare them. Moreover, students were explaining to those interested that palm oil free products don’t only taste better, but their consumption is less harmful and more responsible. Indeed, the visitors mostly preferred the products without palm oil – homemade Nutella, muffins, granola or spreads. And they could even take a cookbook to start to cook without this ingredient at home. Kaplice students were incredibly successful!
