In a statement, the company’s managing director, Helmy Othman Basha, said it also highlighted SD Guthrie’s commitment to ensuring the quality, traceability, and security of sustainable palm oil supply to customers in the UK.

He said SD Guthrie’s Liverpool refinery, where the first ever tariff-free shipment of RSPO-certified sustainable palm oil (CSPO) was sent, was the company’s gateway for CSPO to enter the UK market.

RSPO stands for Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil.

The refinery supplies approximately 50%-55% of domestic palm oil demand, with the refined products used for deep-frying in fish-and-chip shops across the country, and as key ingredients in the production of many popular brands of biscuits, baked goods, and British confectionery favourites, Helmy said.

“While our supply chain in Papua New Guinea (PNG) has been and remains the main source of our products for the UK market, this latest shipment originating from our supply chain in Sabah underscores our capability to provide a consistent and stable supply of CSPO to the UK, while maintaining the highest standards of quality, sustainability, and food safety,” he said.

The consignment was shipped from Kunak Port on Feb 19 and arrived on April 4.

“Depending on market conditions and customer requirements, we can offer customers the security of supply they need to run their businesses, from Malaysia or PNG,” Helmy said.

On April 28, Bernama reported Zakri Jaafar, the Malaysian high commissioner to the UK and Northern Ireland, as saying that the shipment was the first consignment of Malaysian palm oil under the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

The UK acceded to the CPTPP on Dec 15 last year, becoming the first European country to join the Asia-Pacific trade bloc. For Malaysia, the CPTPP agreement came into effect on Nov 29, 2022.