Danes develops the world’s first palm oil-free gum

af Food Nation

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In a time when there is a great deal of attention to minimise climate impact, the Danish startup company True Gum has become the first chewing gum in the world to be 100% certified free from the use of palm oil. Palm oil is especially prevalent in the food industry and therefore found in many daily groceries such as pizza, chocolate and sweets to deodorants and toothpaste – and also in chewing gum.

The biggest environmental problem with palm oil is the massive clearing of rainforest that occurs every time new plantings are established. And unfortunately, this often happens – more than 2 square miles of forest are cleared every hour to make space for palm oil plantations. When rainforest is burned to make space for palm oil plantations, CO2 is emitted into the atmosphere and biodiversity is destroyed, as well as endangered animal species pressed against extinction.

Danish pioneers will renew the gum

Danish company True Gum, which has already developed a plastic-free chewing gum, is therefore now also joining the fight against the use of palm oil. Palm oil is often used as an ingredient in a wide range of additives and is therefore also included in the production of a lot of chewing gum. The entrepreneurial company has from day one fought hard to rethink how a chewing gum can be made.

The recent certification underlines the climate-friendly ambitions of Danish chewing gum entrepreneurs – something that seems to have gained momentum in both Danish and foreign consumers. True Gum launched their first pack of chewing gum in April 2018 and is now sold in more than 14 different European countries.