The Global War On Edible Oil

All over the world there are more than seven billion mouths to feed and by 2050 this figure will exceed the threshold of nine billion. We have, however, only one Earth: therefore to produce more, efficiently, and with less waste is truly a global challenge. Edible oil, one of the key ingredients in our diet, has become a precious asset. For this reason, the different varieties of edible oil (palm oil, rapeseed oil, soybean oil, olive oil, sunflower oil, etc.) are at the center of a significant agribusiness venture in which large companies vie for enormous geographical areas for cultivation, and for market share. The major players in the oil war have often turned a commercial battle into a para-scientific challenge that attempts to protect individuals' health and the environment in an opaque way, relying on the emotional involvement of the general public. Within this scenario, the authors explain for us how and why it is possible to produce an edible oil that is in line with the principles of sustainability and of social equity. Fortunately there are companies that have already taken up the challenge because this is the field on which the decisive match for the protection of the planet will unfold. Rita Fatiguso, a journalist, is the Beijing correspondent for the Italian newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore. José Gálvez, is an economist from Equador, journalist and migration and development expert.