A Healthier Doughnut, at Least Environmentally

Mark Lennihan/Associated Press Now even more environmentally correct.

ALBANY - The New York State comptroller, Thomas P. DiNapoli, declared victory on Thursday over a relatively little-known scourge: environmentally destructive doughnuts.

Mr. DiNapoli announced that the owner of Dunkin’ Donuts had agreed to set a timetable for obtaining 100 percent of its palm oil, which it uses to make its doughnuts, from sustainable sources.

The comptroller is best known for his role overseeing the state’s pension fund, not for pushing for breakfast-food reform. But in this case, the goals are one and the same: as of last week, the pension fnd owned 51,400 shares of Dunkin’ Brands Group worth about $2 million, and Mr. DiNapoli seeks to prod companies in which the fund invests to embrace sustainable practices.

In this case, the issue was over palm oil, whose production in some places has led to the destruction of rain forests and increased greenhouse gas emissions. Dunkin’ Donuts began using a blend of palm, soy and cottonseed oils for its doughnuts in 2007 when it moved to rid its menu of trans fats.

“Consumers may not realize that many of the foods and cosmetics they eat and use contain palm oil that has been harvested in ways that are severely detrimental to the environment,” Mr. DiNapoli ! said in a statement. “Shareholder value is enhanced when companies take steps to address the risks associated with environmental practices that promote climate change.”

In return for a promise by Dunkin’ Donuts to set a target date by which it would get its palm oil from sustainable sources, Mr. DiNapoli agreed to withdraw a proposed shareholder resolution that would have asked the company to address environmental concerns over its use of palm oil.

Dunkin’ Brands released a statement on Thursday in which it pledged to provide more information about its plans in the second quarter of this year. “Sustainable palm oil is an issue we take seriously and have been engaged on for quite some time,” the statement said.

Dunkin’ Donuts’ use of oils is prodigious â€" most of its doughnuts contain at least 16 grams of fat, and its Chocolate Coconut Cake Donut contains 39 grams, or almost three tablespoons.

A person familiar with Mr. DiNapoli’s doughnut preferences said he enjoyed a jelly doughnut from time to time.