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Ethical brand ratings and accreditation since 2001

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Ethical Jams & Spreads: From Organic Peanut Butter To Vegan Chocolate Spread

See our Ethical Jams and Spreads Ratings Table to compare brands

Not-so-sweet: The ethics of jam and spread brands

Open up any kitchen cupboard in any house, and you will see favourites for toast toppings. Jam, preserves, marmalade, peanut butter, chocolate spread, yeast spread, honey, jellies, margarine, butter, hummus and more… (anyone feeling peckish?) However, you may not be aware of the ethical issues associated with these toast topping treats. This article will explore the impact of your favourite spreads on the Environment, Animals, and People, helping you to identify the most ethical purchases in your next food shop. Head over to our Ethical Jams and Spreads Ratings Table for a comprehensive list of brands stocking everything from vegan chocolate spread, to organic peanut butter, to palm oil-free products

Finding sustainably sourced jam and spreads

There are many ethical products that you can find online and in supermarkets! For instance, why not opt for a vegan chocolate spread instead of Nutella? Sweet Freedom offers a vegan chocolate spread certified by The Vegan Society. The brand also prides itself on its palm oil free products, with its vegan chocolate spread being completely free from palm oil!

If you are interested in palm oil free products, there are many excellent websites that provide a list of the brands that avoid the use of palm oil. Check out Ethical Superstore and Products Without Palm Oil. Many online supermarkets also have a palm oil free products section, making these products even easier to identify.

Organic peanut butter is another ethical product you can find in supermarkets. Since organic farming avoids the use of pesticides, organic peanut butter has a lower environmental impact and reduces the risk of soil degradation. If you are looking for organic peanut butter, Whole Earth and Meridian are great options.

Pesticide-free peanut butter 

Nut butters also come with ethical concerns. Peanut butter has a relatively low environmental impact, as peanuts require less water and fertiliser than other crops. However, non-organic peanut butter comes with environmental risks, as the pesticides used in growing peanuts can pollute soil and damage ecosystems. This makes organic peanut butter the best option for an environmentally-friendly purchase. In contrast, almond butter is often associated with high water consumption. Although the amount of water required to grow almonds is significantly lower than other water intensive foods (such as meat and dairy) water consumption is still something for an ethical shopper to consider.

Our Ethical Jams and Spreads Ratings Table gives you all the information you need to choose the right products from ethical brands that care. The brands in our list offer a range of sustainable options, including vegan chocolate spread, organic peanut butter, jam, and honey, and plenty of palm oil free products.

 

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Is organic peanut butter good for you?

Here’s a fun fact: peanuts are not actually nuts! Like peas and lentils, peanuts belong to a family called legumes. Despite this, low-salt, organic peanut butter can still form a part of a healthy, balanced diet in appropriate quantities. Organic peanut butter is a good source of potassium, magnesium and B vitamins.

Is chocolate spread vegan and sustainably sourced?

Spreads might seem innocent, and overall, jam is fairly sustainable! Jam isn’t associated with any major causes of environmental degradation. However, many jams contain high amounts of sugar. This comes with potential health risks if consumed in large quantities.  

Chocolate spread is a different matter. Palm oil is a major concern. Chocolate spreads (the most popular being Nutella) contain high quantities of palm oil. The smooth consistency of chocolate spread is thanks to palm oil! Palm oil is listed as the second ingredient in a jar of Nutella after sugar. There’s more palm oil in Nutella than chocolate!

Our consumption of palm oil affects our planet in devastating ways, and consumers are now increasingly aware of this fact. Palm oil decimates forests and wildlife populations. Our World in Data estimates that palm oil and soybeans account for around 18% of the world’s deforestation. According to Orangutan Conservancy, the orangutan population in Sumatra has decreased by over 50% in the last 30 years due to palm oil production.

Many chocolate spreads also contain milk. Therefore, this makes chocolate spread unsuitable for vegans and anyone concerned about unnecessary animal suffering. Fortunately, vegan chocolate spread is now more widely available in grocery stores, offering animal-lovers a cruelty free alternative.

The controversial activities of popular jams and spreads brands

Our latest research reveals that many unethical companies own popular spreads brands. These unethical companies use child labour, deforestation, animal cruelty, and the production of genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. In this list, brands using GMOs include Cadbury and Marmite

Not only does Nutella use unsustainable palm oil, this brand has also been linked to human rights abuses. In 2019, BBC News reported on the labour abuses within the supply chain of Ferrero, the parent company of Nutella. Hazelnut growers for Nutella were reportedly earning as little as £2.50 a day. The article also reports on Ferrero’s use of child labour. The report reveals that two of the workers were aged just 10 and 12. We suggest you avoid Nutella if you are concerned about the impact of your purchases on human rights, and the rights of children.

Solutions: organic peanut butter and spreads

So it’s not just about avoiding unethical companies like Nutella. Ethical shoppers can still buy organic peanut butter and spreads from ethical companies, which can be found in our ethical comparison ratings table! No need to spend hours trawling Google, researching parent companies. We’ve done the hard work for you! You’re welcome!

See our Ethical Jams and Spreads Ratings Table to compare brands

The Good Shopping Guide has researched some of the most popular and readily available jam and spreads brands so consumers are well informed about the ethics of the brands we’re all buying from! Click on any brand to find out more information about brand’s ethics and sustainability.

Mr Organic, Whole Earth, The Groovy Food CompanyLotus Biscoff, Sweet Freedom, Hilltop, Littleover Apiary, Pip & Nut, Bodrum, Bonne Maman, KP, Meridian, Rowse, St Dalfour, Lyle’s, Nutella, Duerr’s, Mackays, Lindt, Cadbury, Hartley’s, Marmite and Sun-Pat.