马来西亚超市下架宣称“不含棕榈油”的产品

Malaysian Supermarket Bans Products Described as ‘Palm Oil-free’

Malaysia’s biggest supermarket chain has announced it will not sell products that are marked ‘palm oil-free.’

The head of the company announced the move on Thursday. It is part of a campaign by Malaysia to protect the image of palm oil at home and in overseas markets.

Malaysia is the world’s second largest palm oil producer, after Indonesia. The world palm oil trade is said to be worth an estimated $60 billion. But in recent years, it has become the target of environmental activists¹. They say large areas of land, much of it rainforest, have been cleared to grow the trees that produce the valuable commodity².

As a result, the European Union passed an act this year requiring the slow phase out of palm oil as a renewable fuel by 2030. The EU has linked intensive efforts to expand palm oil production to deforestation.

In some areas, palm oil is used as a biodiesel fuel. But in almost 70 percent of the world, palm oil is used in cooking and food products, such as bread and pizza.

Two countries, Malaysia and Indonesia, produce 85 percent of the world’s palm oil. Now, the Malaysian government is considering banning all products that are marked ‘palm oil-free.’

Ameer Ali Mydin is the managing director of Mydin Mohamed Holdings, which owns the supermarket chain. He said Mydin stores removed all products claiming to be anti-palm oil on Wednesday. He said the aim is to convey the importance of palm oil to the Malaysian economy.

Ameer Ali recently told reporters, that his company “…must support palm oil but must also make sure (to counter) the subtle³ messages, the marketing⁴ and branding exercises that people do…”

He said the anti-palm oil products that were removed are all imported, but he would not say how many products were affected⁵.

Teresa Kok is Malaysia’s minister of primary industries. She welcomed Mydin’s campaign. She told reporters she hoped other stores in the country would follow suit.

In July, Malaysia’s government threatened an international school over spreading “anti-palm oil propaganda⁶.” And Indonesia, the world’s biggest palm oil producer, told some businesses in Jakarta last month to remove food products with “palm oil-free” labels from their stores.

I’m Mario Ritter, Jr.

Words in This Story

chain – n. stores having the same ownership and selling the same kinds of goods

commodity –n. a basic material that is widely traded and used

phase out –v. to stop using in steps over time

deforestation –n. the act of cutting down or burning trees in an area

convey –v. to make something known to someone

subtle –adj. clever or indirect, not easily noticed

branding –n. the process of establishing the popular image of a specific product

follow suit –v. to do the same thing someone else has done

1 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 commodity   

n.日用品，商品，物品

参考例句：

• The authorities took measures to roll commodity price back.当局采取措施使物价全面回降。
• Commodity prices remain stable and there are plenty of goods on the market.商品价格稳定，市场货源充足。

3 subtle   

adj.难于觉察或描述的，精巧的

参考例句：

• Her whole attitude had undergone a subtle change.她的整个态度发生了微妙的变化。
• There's a subtle hint of garlic in the sauce.调味汁里稍微有一点蒜味。

4 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

5 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

6 propaganda   

n.宣传，宣传机构

参考例句：

• A lot of propaganda has painted him as bad.大量宣传把他说得很坏。
• Art may be used as a vehicle for propaganda.艺术可以用作为宣传的媒介。