Cocoa factory Olam from Koog aan de Zaan has been mixing the toxic substance ammonia with ground cocoa beans for years. They do this to give the world-famous Oreo cookies a dark color. Olam kept this a secret for years, even though the government knew it. Local residents react indignantly, ‘I will warn people with children’.
Curious about the reaction of local residents? Watch our video. Text continues below video.
Ammonia in Oreo Cookies – NH News | Wiesje Hillen
The news about the ammonia came out yesterday after research into it Noordhollands Dagblad. Emissions of ammonia, together with those of nitrogen oxides, are the largest environmental problem in the Netherlands. The investigation now shows that this makes the factory one of the largest ammonia polluters in the Netherlands. “It blows over the meadow, into the Zaanse Schans, that doesn’t seem right to me,” says someone who lives near the factory.
The emission of this environmental pollutant is a problem for local residents. The cocoa factory in Koog aan de Zaan appears not to have been designed to process large quantities of ammonia.
The whistleblower who reported this news to the Noordhollands Dagblad says about this: “So the ammonia is coming out of every nook and cranny, the stench is enormous. The environment? The top management is not interested in that. The black cocoa powder is and what they earn with it.” The government knew about the addition of tens of thousands of kilograms of ammonia. The Environment Agency has concealed this at Olam’s request.
“It doesn’t sound right, I’m going to dodge it”
Eating the cookie would be harmless as very little to no ammonia remains in the final product. Still, consumers don’t like the message: “It doesn’t sound good, I’m going to avoid it.” In any case, the image of the famous cookie has changed for most.
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