Independent Senator Nick Xenophon says he's hopeful of pushing through new laws to force the proper labelling of palm oil once federal parliament resumes.
The senator says the oil is currently used in 40 per cent of all food products yet its growing production in south-east Asia is threatening to wipe out the native habitat of the orang-utan.
He introduced similar labelling legislation in 2009 and while it passed the Senate it failed to get to a vote in the lower house.
"I am determined to re-introduce this bill straight after the election no matter which party is in power," Senator Xenophon said on Friday.
"I want to make sure this is pushed through, because it's too important to let go."
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Senator Xenophon said each year hundreds of orang-utans died in Borneo and Sumatra because of land clearing for palm oil plantations.
The equivalent of about 300 football fields of forest are cleared every day.
He said part of the problem was the various names by which palm oil was referred to, which prevented consumers from making an informed choice not to buy products containing it.
"This is a situation where consumers deserve to know the truth," Senator Xenophon said.
The senator's campaign has drawn the support of Orang-utan Foundation International with Australian ambassador and noted neurosurgeon Charlie Teo saying the destruction of the rainforest could result in the orang-utan becoming extinct in the wild within the next few years.
"I think Australian consumers would feel very strongly if they knew that they were contributing to the devastation of this beautiful creature as well as the rainforest," Dr Teo said.
"They would want truth in labelling."
Dr Teo said there was also a health issue for consumers with palm oil being high in saturated fat.
