Caries aren't the only things people should worry about when they eat Halloween goodies

Nov 1, 2013 22:01 GMT  ·  By

Overdosing on candy and other delightful treats on Halloween is bound to have people worrying that a visit to the dentist will soon become inevitable. Green group Rainforest Action Network warns that Halloween goodies harm more than teeth. As the group explains, they might be a leading cause of rainforest destruction.

The organization says that many of the treats people gulp down in impressive quantities each year on October 31 are made with palm oil.

What worries the environmentalists is the fact that, unknown to many, some of the palm oil used by several of the biggest snack companies in the US is linked to rainforest destruction.

Specifically, it comes from plantations that were set up in areas that used to be home to incredibly biodiverse rainforests that were purposely destroyed by people working with the palm oil industry.

Business Green tells us that deforestation rates linked to the palm oil industry are particularly high in Southeast Asia, where endangered orangutans happen to live.

The Rainforest Action Network believes that, were more people to know that what they put in their mouth is bringing these apes closer and closer to extinction, they might rethink their love of candy and snacks.

“In the 21st Century customers don't want to buy candy and cookies that are responsible for pushing the world's last wild orangutans to extinction and for horrifying child labor violations,” reads a statement issued by Lindsey Allen, the Network's current executive director.

The good news is that, since the Rainforest Action Network first started pointing the finger at the palm oil industry and its wrongdoings, several snack companies have agreed to take steps towards helping orangutans not lose their home.

Thus, Unilever is now looking to get all the palm oil it uses from sustainable sources by the year 2020, and Mars has set the same goal for the year 2015. Nestle and Kellogg, on the other hand, say that they have already achieved this goal, and that all the palm oil they use comes from certified sources.