Palm oil sounds alright doesn't it? But it can be bad. Really, really bad. Vast areas of habitat are cleared for palm oil plantations every day. This land is critical to the survival of orangutans and they are closer to extinction than most of us realise.

Australia's palm oil consumption

A million kilos of palm oil is imported into Australia each year, where it is used to fry KFC and can be found in other food products such as Sara Lee, Oreo, Tim Tam and Ritz crackers and skincare and babycare products.

What is palm oil used for?

Palm oil in its natural state contains natural nutrients including carotenes (precursors to Vitamin A) and antioxidant tocotrienols (Vitamin E). It is also often an orange colour due to the high carotene content.

It's a very stable oil which means it has a shelf life and is less likely to go rancid. The antioxidants are wonderfully good for your skin, helping to fight off damaging free-radicals, and it's stability makes it a great moisturising ingredient in skincare products.

Traditional palm oil has been used for more than 5000 years in African countries.

How to avoid palm oil

I urge you to abandon products containing palm oil and choose skin care products that either contain no palm oil at all, or only palm oil from sustainable sources. Choosing unprocessed food would be a big step in the right direction too. Chuck out all your processed and frozen products and give KFC a wide birth. Check the labels on your skincare products.

Find out how to help the orangutans

To find out more about what the palm oil trade is doing to orangutans, check out the following websites:

* Rainforest Info * The Australian Orangutan Project * Friends of the Earth * Borneo Orangutan Survival