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PETALING JAYA: Former primary industries minister Teresa Kok criticized the World Health Organization’s warning for people to avoid palm oil in their diet during the Covid-19 outbreak, saying it reflects “ignorance” of the international organization.
In a strongly worded statement, Kok said the WHO was “surprisingly oblivious” to studies of palm oil’s health benefits.
“This reflects a serious ignorance and fallacy about the nutritional value of palm oil among medical officers at the WHO EMRO (Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office),” he said.
Yesterday, the WHO advised adults to avoid palm oil in their diet during the Covid-19 outbreak and to use alternatives such as olive oil.
He said that people should consume unsaturated fats found in fish, avocado, walnut, olive oil, soy, canola, sunflower and corn oils instead of saturated fats found in fatty oils from meat, butter, palm and coconut, cream, cheese, lard and lard.
Kok, however, argued that palm oil had a natural balance of saturated and unsaturated fats, and this was an internationally accepted fact.
“Therefore, this makes the information in the notice completely inaccurate and illusory,” said the Seputeh deputy.
She said studies had shown that palm oil, particularly unrefined red palm oil, contained high nutritional values, particularly vitamin A, vitamin E, tocotrienol, and vitamin K.
He also noted that some international aid agencies, including those of the United Nations, had recommended that red palm oil be administered to some poor African nations to increase vitamin A deficiency.
However, Kok said she was not surprised by the latest WHO notice, saying it was not the first time that she had published misleading articles about palm oil.
He noted that last year, he carried an item that discredited palm oil and compared it to tobacco and alcohol.
He urged WHO to consult Malaysia’s leading scientists and expert panels at the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) to obtain their correct data “before allowing their EMRO to be triggered in the foot.”
Kok also led the WHO EMRO to the task of promoting a certain group of other vegetable oils such as olive oil, a Mediterranean edible oil.
This explains WHO EMRO’s bias. In particular, it has also unleashed and spread such a whimsical ad at an opportune time, during a pandemic, to selfishly serve its regional interests, “he said.
Kok urged WHO to tell EMRO to back down on its advice and “vigorously maintain its neutrality.”
The WHO notice had also received criticism from the Malaysian Palm Oil Council, which said the council was “outdated.”
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