14 Jul 2009

Cadbury defends use of palm oil in chocolate

11:27 am on 14 July 2009

Cadbury is defending the use of palm oil in its new recipe for chocolate in the face of a consumer backlash against the confectionery company

Auckland Zoo has stopped selling Cadbury products because of the use of palm oil, production of which it says is the leading cause behind the destruction of rainforests in South East Asia, the main habitat of species such as orangutans.

A spokesperson says the zoo is also committed to reducing the amount of animal feed that uses palm oil.

Social networking sites have also run campaigns to boycott Cadbury's the new look bars.

Cadbury New Zealand managing director Matthew Oldham, says the palm oil it uses is certified as being sustainably sourced.

He told Morning Report the move to include palm oil was in response to customer demand for softer chocolate and an effort to keep prices down in the face of a doubling of cocoa prices in the past two years.