Instant noodles with instant destruction

 

Imagine walking down the aisles of your local grocery store looking for the food with the highest amount of palm oil — which product would you pick? I bet a lot of you would end up in the cookies & candy aisle, but the product that’s got more palm oil than any other is … (drumroll)

Instant ramen. 

In one average package of ramen noodles it’s a whopping 20 percent of the ingredients! That’s a lot of Conflict Palm Oil for a company like Nissin — especially when they’re falling behind on critical rainforest policies. That’s why Nissin Foods, Asia’s market leader, matters SO. MUCH in protecting our rainforests.

The not-so funny thing is, Nissin made a sustainability-focused website that literally says “DO IT NOW!” And last year, Nissin doubled its profits — partly thanks to the pandemic increasing the demand for instant food. But “a difficult past year” clearly won’t cut it as an excuse for delaying bold commitments and policies this time around. 

Let’s tell Nissin’s US-leadership: DO IT NOW and cut Conflict Palm Oil out of your entire supply chain!

 

Even after years of pressure, Nissin is lagging in its commitments: it’s only made vague (greenwashing) promises for 2030 AND is refusing to be transparent about where all those tons of palm oil are coming from.

But Indonesia’s orangutans, tigers and rhinos can’t wait until 2030. Neither can the communities who’ve had their land stolen or are threatened by sketchy palm oil companies. Nissin is trying to gain ground in the U.S. market — that’s why their execs need to hear directly from you: “No more rainforest destruction, no more Conflict Palm Oil, NOW.”

Here’s to instant noodles without instant destruction — and the day where all grocery stores are Conflict Palm Oil-free.

Toyoyuki Kawakami
Japan Representative
Rainforest Action Network

 

This nose knows

 

You may have never heard of me before — I’m not as well known as some of my rainforest neighbors — I’m a Malayan tapir. I’m a chill little dude and a bit shy around people. In my spare time, I enjoy eating grass, vegetation, and fruit, and after a great meal, I love to just sit by the watering hole and stay cool, sipping fresh H20 through my elephant-like short trunk. It’s the life!

I heard through the jungle vines that you’ve been taking action against Nissin Foods — the inventor of instant ramen — for their role in destroying the rainforests I call home. THANK YOU! 

Because big corporations profiting from rainforest destruction are the biggest threat to my survival. In fact, there are only 2,500 Malayan Tapirs like me left in the wild! Why? Because our homes are being destroyed for Conflict Palm Oil plantations, our water sources are being drained, and the roads that are built to the plantations also increase poaching. It’s real scary stuff!

For local small-scale farmers and Indigenous people, those big palm oil plantations often mean being forced off their ancestral lands, sometimes with brutal force. And for wildlife like me, it means no food, no water, and no place safe. 

I like comfort food just as much as anyone else, but I bet you didn’t know all that damage was packed into one tiny cup o’noodles!

Nissin claims to be using palm oil certified by the RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil), but in reality, it can mix Conflict Palm Oil into their supply chain at any time. That smells like a lot of pooey to me. And I don’t think it’s just because of my long nose. You’re either protecting the rainforests or you’re not! From where I’m sitting, I either have a place to live, or I don’t. 

Hey,  the thing is, even after years of pressure, Nissin is lagging behind in its commitments and me and my friends are running out of time. We gotta turn up the pressure: big brands like Nissin think they can bully people and animals around, but you won’t let them: Right? 

Nissin has made some vague promises about meeting palm oil commitments by 2030 but Indonesia’s orangutans, tigers and rhinos can’t wait until then. I certainly know I can’t! 

Thanks for all your help! It’s awesome knowing folks like you have our backs.

A Wild Tapir
Definitely Not A Staff Member
Rainforest Action Network