Cheap, versatile palm oil is everywhere, and has transformed the economies of Malaysia and Indonesia, but is it worth it?
- From soaps and lipsticks to biscuits and pizza, nearly everything you eat, drink and use contains palm oil, but it is also the largest cause of deforestation
- The worldwide demand for palm oil has lifted incomes in rural Malaysia and Indonesia but the benefits have come at a devastating cost
Once upon a time, there grew a magical fruit. This fruit could be squeezed to produce a special kind of oil that made biscuits more healthy, soap more bubbly and crisps more crispy. The oil could even make lipstick smoother and keep ice cream from melting. Because of these wondrous qualities, people came from around the world to buy the fruit and its oil.
In the places where the fruit came from, people burned down the forest so they could plant more trees that grew the fruit – making lots of nasty smoke and sending all of the creatures of the forest scurrying away. When the trees were burned, they emitted a gas that heated up the air.
Then everybody was upset, because they loved the forest’s creatures and thought the temperature was warm enough already. A few people decided they shouldn’t use the oil any more, but mostly things went on as before, and the forest kept burning.
This is a true story. Except that it is not magic. The fruit of the oil palm tree (Elaeis guineensis), which grows in tropical climates, contains the world’s most versatile vegetable oil. It can handle frying without spoiling, and blends well with other oils. Its combination of different types of fats and its consistency after refining make it a popular ingredient in packaged baked goods.
Its low production costs make it cheaper than frying oils such as cottonseed or sunflower. It provides the foaming agent in virtually every shampoo, liquid soap or detergent. Cosmetics manufacturers prefer it to animal tallow for its ease of application and low price.
It is increasingly used as a cheap raw material for biofuels, especially in the European Union. It functions as a natural preservative in processed foods, and actually does raise the melting point of ice cream.