Policies for healthy and sustainable edible oil consumption: a stakeholder analysis for Thailand

Abstract

Objective: Palm oil is a cheap and versatile edible oil in widespread use as a food ingredient that has been linked to negative health and environmental outcomes. The current study aimed to understand the prospects for future health-focused policy development to limit food use of palm oil and promote a greater diversity of oils in Thailand's food system. Design: Eighteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with a range of stakeholders. The interviews probed views on the economic, health and environmental dimensions of the issue, the prospects for health-focused policy development and the policy development process. Transcripts were analysed using a health policy analytical framework. Setting: Thailand. Subjects: Stakeholders from a range of ministries, regulatory agencies, the private sector, non-governmental organizations and academia. Results: There are several impediments to the emergence of strong regulation, including the primacy of economic considerations in setting policy, doubt and misperception about health implications and a complex regulatory environment with little space for health-related considerations. At the same time, some sections of the food industry producing food for domestic consumption are substituting palm with other oils on the basis of consumer health perceptions. Conclusions: Strong regulation to curb the growth of palm oil is unlikely to emerge soon. However, a long-term strategy can be envisaged that relies on greater policy support for other indigenous oils, strategic rebalancing towards the use of palm oil for biofuels and oleochemicals, and harnessing Thailand's food technology capabilities to promote substitution in food production in favour of oils with healthier fatty acid composition.

Palm oil and dietary change: Application of an integrated macroeconomic, environmental, demographic, and health modelling framework for Thailand

“…From a public health perspective, the latter scenario, based on a USD 2.9bn real GDP loss and 13,621 person-years saved, suggests a cost-effectiveness ratio of >USD 200,000 per person-year saved. This exceeds standard cost-effectiveness thresholds for healthcare interventions in developed countries by an order of magnitude (and for developing countries by even more), and, since strong regulation to curb the growth of palm oil is not on the horizon and strategic rebalancing towards the use of palm oil for biofuels and oleochemicals can only be envisaged in the long term (Shankar et al, 2017), it may be worth investigating other behavioural interventions, as well as non-behavioural non-lifestyle interventions, which may compare favourably to this scenario and be more effective in addressing CVD-illness in Thailand. Non-pecuniary valuation of long run GHG emission reduction benefits according to World Bank Guidelines (WB, 2017) would not change this conclusion.…”

The palm oil industry and noncommunicable diseases

“…The contested nature of the evidence suggests the need for independent, comprehensive studies of the health impact of palm oil consumption. Countries such as Fiji, India and Thailand have initiated policy dialogues and analyses aimed at better understanding the role of palm oil in diets and best approaches to reducing saturated fats in the food-chain, but these discussions are far from conclusive 54 , 58 , 70 , 72 , 73 …”

Understanding the Palm Oil Utilization Preference: A Literature Review and Preference Measurement

“…Slightly different when using global glasses to see the development of the use of palm oil as one of the ingredients of cooking oil. Shankar [22] states that the use of palm oil as cooking oil shows a relatively large proportion in the vegetable oil market and even controls up to 33% of the consumption of vegetable oil in the world. According to him, the increase in the use of palm oil is more significantly used as food rather than used as fuel such as biofuel even though biofuel also contributes to increasing the amount of palm oil use.…”

“…Shankar's research also discusses how regulations in a region can influence consumer preferences in choosing to use palm oil as food. For example, considering that food containing palm oil contains a lot of saturated fat, Denmark imposes a higher tax on food products that contain high saturated fat [22]. Even products that can replace the use of palm oil will be subsidized.…”

“…Based on the research map, there are two studies that can be used as references for reviewing the preference for using palm oil processed products as food in sustainability aspects, there are two studies, namely Schleifer & Sun [21] and Shankar et al [22]. Meanwhile, the preference for using palm oil processed products as food in the aspect of state policy is two studies, namely research Gaskell [24] and Shankar et al [22]. Then, the preference for using palm oil processed products as food in the aspect of emissions issued, there is one study, namely research Peng et al [13].…”