Two Major UK Food Brands Step Up for Sustainable Palm Oil

The Chester Zoo Sustainable Palm Oil Communities project relies on organisations stepping forward and taking responsibility for transparency, whilst maintaining their ambition to improve sustainability in supply chains. That’s why we’re thrilled to welcome two influential UK food businesses, KTC Edibles and The Compleat Food Group, as our newest Sustainable Palm Oil Ambassadors.

Together, these companies cover a huge stretch of the UK food system. From the edible oils supplying manufacturers nationwide, to some of the household brands people choose in their supermarket shop each week, their commitment to sourcing deforestation-free sustainable palm oil has the power to create a ripple through supply chains in a truly meaningful way.

Chester Zoo’s work on sustainable palm oil began in 2012, heavily shaped by over two decades of partnership with field partner HUTAN in Malaysian Borneo. This collaboration continues to give us an honest view of the realities on the ground, and to see firsthand that palm oil itself is not the problem. This land-efficient vegetable oil crop has a much greater yield per hectare than alternatives and replacing it with other oils doesn’t remove environmental pressure, it simply shifts that pressure to other regions with equally important ecosystems.

That’s why leadership from businesses matters so much. Choosing sustainable palm oil instead of opting out of a complex system is what helps to improve it. By becoming ambassadors, KTC and The Compleat Food Group are helping to champion an approach that recognises these complexities and pushes for better standards, not a boycott.

And their commitments go beyond internal sourcing policies: as ambassadors, they will help promote accurate, transparent information to their customers and wider industry networks, empowering people to understand why sustainable palm oil matters for rainforest protection, and why responsible procurement is such a powerful tool for change.

These two companies, and our other SPO Ambassadors, are united by a shared message that cuts through the noise. The more voices we have reinforcing the same evidence-led message, the closer we come to moulding supply chains into something that genuinely protects forests.

To learn more about the Sustainable Palm Oil Ambassadors programme, visit www.chesterzoo.org/SPOAmbassadors or get in touch with our sustainable palm oil team at spocity@chesterzoo.org.