Darrell Lea Chocolates Brand is First Aussie to Go 100 Percent Palm Free

Iconic Australian chocolate brand Darrell Lea has become the first Australian supermarket brand to go completely palm oil free across its full product line, 9news.com.au reported on August 27.  

The sustainability of the palm oil industry is widely contested due to large-scale deforestation and the devastating impacts on natural habitats and endangered animals. “In recent years, our customers have told us that they don’t want palm oil in our products,” Darrell Lea’s marketing director Tim Stanford said. 

Factories in Melbourne and Sydney started replacing palm oil across the entire Darrell Lea product portfolio in mid August.  In a mammoth effort, Darrell Lea has reviewed and updated the ingredients of over 100 of its products.  Mr. Stanford said misleading product labeling disguises palm oil as “vegetable oil” or “vegetable fat.”