KUCHING: The Foreign Ministry will ask the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) to counter the recent ban on sustainable palm oil advertising by a British advertising watchdog for allegedly misleading claims, its deputy minister Senator A. Kohilan Pillay said Thursday.

He said Malaysia would continue to tackle such issues that “painted a negative perception of the Government in an amicable and professional manner.”

“Such bans in Britain are very common and I am very confident that our MPOB can handle this matter amicably and professionally to solve the problem,” he told reporters after launching the ministry’s Outreach, Information and Public Diplomacy Programme here.

Earlier this week, Britain’s Advertising Standards Agency banned a magazine advertisement entitled Palm Oil: The Green Answer which called allegations against the industry for issues, including deforestation and treatment of farmers, as “protectionist agendas hidden under a thin veneer of environmental concern.”

The agency said the advertisement’s claims that palm oil “puts minimal strain on the environment” could not be substantiated and should not be repeated. — Bernama

Source : The Star

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