Ingredient Spotlight-Organic Palm Oil

Found on the back of my Newman's Own Alphabet Cookies:
Organic Palm Oil:
-Is not hydrogenated
-Contains no trans-fatty acids
-Is lower in saturated fat than butter and has no cholesterol
-Is widely used in Europe as an alternative to partially hydrogenated oils
-Is extracted from the palm's fruit, not the palm's kernel
-Can be grown organically in tropical regions

Well the cookies are certainly delish. And apparently, Organic Palm Oil is emerging as a new healthier alternative that remains solid at room temperature. I wonder if we'll be seeing this more in cooking recipes as well as mass produced commercial foods. Around the world, palm is one of the most popular cooking oils, so maybe it's only a matter of time before its popularity increases in the US. The emphasis on organic with palm oil is that large companies have clear cut large tracts of land in tropical regions, including the rain forest regions, where the ecosystem has become largely endangered in recent years. By sustainably harvesting palm oil, we get a product that works with those local communities instead of alienating them, is healthy to cook with, and helps preserve the rain forests. In regards to soap, palm oil when used in combination with other oils, helps to create a harder bar, is less soluble in water so its firmness holds up over time, cleans well, and is mild. I recently started purchasing Organic Palm Oil, so this is now being used at Soap Rehab wherever palm oil is a part of the formulation.