LETTERS: I read the report "CCC called for informed decision-making to counter negative palm oil perception" (NST, Sept 22) with great interest.
Most interesting was Consumer Choice Centre (CCC) representative Tarmizi Anuwar's statement that "consumers and industries alike must also be diligent in 'cutting through the noise' to reveal the true value of products".
Media platforms, like NST, play a critical role in informing consumers.
I have followed the palm oil industry for over a decade.
As a conscientious consumer, it has not been an easy to shop for goods that do not impact the environment.
However, if media or social media is to be believed, then taking an anti-palm oil sentiment is easy considering the massive amounts of "noise" against palm oil.
Palm oil is a "woke topic" that pays handsomely for any media willing to publish provocative headlines on how being anti-palm oil, saves forests and the planet.
To make matters worse, billionaires like Bill Gates create headlines with anti-palm oil investment announcements.
The Microsoft news network promotes paid advertising with headlines like, "Why We Need An Alternative to Palm Oil".
All this "news" by the anti-palm oil crowd preys upon poorly informed consumers who miss other news about how Indonesia and Malaysia, the world's largest palm oil producers, are a beacon of hope in a sea of tropical forest losses.
While mainstream media sources can be called to task if they provide incorrect information, social media is the biggest problem for the palm oil industry.
So, how should the palm oil industry fight against the financial interests of billionaires and social media influencers, both of whom stand to gain with an anti-palm oil position?
A solution might be a long, sustained information campaign by palm oil industry stakeholders.
The effort by the Malaysian Palm Oil Green Conservation Fund is noteworthy in this respect, but more funding and projects of this nature are needed to overcome the decades of anti-palm oil narratives.
The only way for consumers to make informed decisions is for the palm oil industry to walk the talk on sustainability and share their achievements with the media and consumer rights groups.
ROBERT HII
Toronto, Canada
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times