Palm oil and the Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) label: Are Swiss consumers aware and concerned

Palm oil is commonly and increasingly used in many products, despite its association with various problematic ecological, social, and health-related issues. The international Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) label is intended to guide consumers toward more sustainable palm oil product purchases. Unfortunately, it is often the case that consumers profess concern for specific food sustainability issues, yet fail to translate this into sustainable action, for example, by avoiding foods with unsustainable ingredients or by using ecolabels. To investigate the factors associated with this discrepancy in the case of palm oil, the current study explores Swiss consumers' (N = 1076) associations with, perceptions, and awareness of palm oil and the RSPO label through an online survey. Analyses of variance revealed that our participants had mostly negative associations with palm oil, viewed palm oil more negatively than other oils and fats, and lacked acceptance of palm oil in various products; consumers' negative perceptions of palm oil mostly concerned sustainability aspects of the fat. Despite this, only 9 % of the participants were even aware of the RSPO label. Surprisingly, a regression analysis showed that this discrepancy was also evident among sustainability-concerned consumers. These results indicate that consumers' awareness and knowledge of (unsustainable) ingredients in products and corresponding ecolabels need improvement. To address this, targeted awareness and knowledge-raising interventions and effective marketing could be used. Furthermore, certification organizations should uphold and provide transparency to their sustainability standards.

Automated summary

Palm oil is widely used in many products but is associated with ecological, social, and health-related issues. The RSPO label aims to guide consumers towards sustainable palm oil. However, consumers' awareness and knowledge of the RSPO label and unsustainable ingredients in products need improvement. Targeted interventions and effective marketing, along with transparent sustainability standards, are necessary to address this discrepancy.