Sisters Asha and Jia don’t want their cereal ‘to be made off the back of suffering people and animals’ (Picture: James Linsell-Clark/SWNS)
Two teenagers have launched a battle against Kellogg’s – and have built an army of one million supporters.
Asha and Jia Kirkpatrick, who live in Bedfordshire, made waves in 2020 when they convinced the cereal giant to change their palm oil policy.
Made from the fruits of trees called African oil palms, palm oil is included in a huge number of products we buy from the supermarket.
Many have questioned just how sustainable it is and whether we should boycott palm oil altogether.
Asha and Jia are determined to fast-track this process and have urged big brands to urgently address ‘empty promises.’
It was a threat against their favourite animal that inspired their decision to take a stand up against Kellogg’s.
Asha, 15, told Metro.co.uk: ‘Back in 2018, we watched a moving documentary about orphaned Orangutans who had survived the horrific effects of the palm oil industry.
Jia Kirkpatrick ,13, says the scale of deforestation is ‘terrifying’ (Picture: James Linsell-Clark/SWNS)
‘This motivated us to research big companies using unsustainable palm oil, and found Kellogg’s to be a key offender.’
Jia added: ‘When we discovered the damage that Kellogg’s is doing to the environment we were really shocked as we were eating Kellogg’s everyday, not realising the impact it was having on the rainforest and it’s inhabitants.
‘It’s terrifying to think of the sheer amount of rainforest that is cleared every day in order to provide us with the food we eat.’
More than one million people have now backed a petition by Asha and Jia to call on big companies to take action over palm oil policies.
Palm oil is responsible for the deforestation of some of the world’s most biodiverse forests, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
This has also lead to habitat destroying of endangered species such as the Orangutan and the Sumatran rhino.
Orangutans are just one of the species impacted by palm oil production (Picture: Getty Images)
Palm oil production alone is said to have been responsible for about 8% of the world’s deforestation between 1990 and 2008.
The teenagers hope the likes of Kellogg’s can address the source of their products, and make them as sustainable as possible, while also setting the bar for other influential companies.
Having more than a million supporters back their mission was a welcome surprise for Asha.
She said: ‘Honestly, we never expected to receive the response that we did. The sheer amount of people who want to hold big brands like Kellogg’s accountable for their actions is really heart-warming, and gives me hope for the future.
‘If we use our voices in unison, we can make big changes to the world that we live in.
‘More and more people care about where and how their products are made and don’t want their cereal to be made off the back of suffering people and animals.’
Jia,13, and her sister Asha ,15, want more people to join their fight (Picture: James Linsell-Clark/SWNS)
While Kellogg’s updating their palm oil policy in 2020 was a massive success for the sisters, they have urged that there’s still more the company could be doing.
Jia said: ‘Since they updated their palm oil policy in 2020, it does not feel like much progress has been made, however Kellogg’s say it’s partially due to the pandemic.
‘We need to keep the pressure on and make sure they deliver on their promises.
‘We are meeting them later this month, so we can see what progress has been made and emphasise that someone needs to make a change to move this industry on from its destructive path.’
With the likes of Greta Thunberg inspiring people young and old to care for their planet, Asha said she too will never give up her fight.
When asked what inspired her, the schoolgirl replied: ‘Without a doubt, the heartbreaking reality of the palm oil industry: every child being forced to work, the 50 orangutans being killed everyday, every acre of rainforest being razed to the ground.
‘Something needs to change.
A worker carrying fresh fruit bunches at a palm oil plantation in Kampar regency of Indonesia (Picture: Reuters)
‘When one big business makes a change, the rest will follow and this is what we desperately need Kellogg’s to do, they need to be at the forefront.
‘Very little has changed in the adoption of sustainable palm oil widely across the products we consume.’
For the girls’ parents David and Harvinder, their pride is overflowing at the achievements of Asha and Jia.
David said: ‘We are immensely proud of their impact at such a young age, to encourage a large global brand to change its approach to using palm oil.
Havinder added: ‘They may be young but they are mighty and very determined to effect change. It just shows that we all have the power to change things for the better.
‘They were recently nominated for the future leaders award by The Climate Coalition and the ceremony was held in Parliament.
‘I am inspired by their capacity to take on such a big challenge and determination to see this through.’
The girls have urged Kellogg’s to address ’empty promises’ (Picture: James Linsell-Clark/SWNS)
When contacted, Kellogg’s explained that the company is ‘committed’ to improving how sustainable their production is.
And the cereal giant has also offered a new meeting with the Kirkpatrick sisters.
A spokesperson told Metro.co.uk: ‘We’ve had a continued dialogue with Asha and Jia since December 2018, and we have recently offered them a meeting with our Global Sustainable Sourcing Expert.
‘Since 2009, Kellogg has been committed to working with our global suppliers to support the production of sustainable palm oil from sources that are environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable.
‘We have continued to evolve our strategies and actions to ensure that we are incorporating best practices and learnings from our own experiences, our suppliers, peer companies and industry organisations.
‘In 2020, we strengthened our commitment by setting a goal of procuring 100% Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) Physically Certified palm oil by end of 2025.
‘It’s great that this progress has been acknowledged in the recent WWF Palm Oil Buyers Scorecard, where we were ranked in the top 25% across manufacturers, retailers and hospitality companies and recognised as being “well on the path”.’
You can view Asha and Jia’s petition by clicking here
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
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Sisters Asha and Jia don’t want their cereal ‘to be made off the back of suffering people and animals’.