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Palm Oil Prices Rise

Filed Under: Personal Ramblings


These two features in the New York Times are fascinating. Pricing on Palm Oil, a common soapmaking ingredient, have risen almost 70% in the last year. The first thing that comes to my soap-obsessed (or maybe it’s just soap-addled) mind is “Wow! That’s going to raise prices on finished soap.” But, on a global scale, it really affects people on a subsistence level. Palm Oil is a diet staple in India. With pricing rising so quickly, families in developing nations are directly affected.

Click here to watch a 2 minute video about how Palm Oil is processed and farmed. This is a 10 photo slide showabout the impact of Palm Oil pricing on families in India. It is worth watching. For me, it’s a reminder that life isn’t always about soap.

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6 Comments

  1. K.C. – That video was heart breaking – I can’t imagine staying home and not working while I sent my 9 year old out to make money for the family. Wow, thank you for sharing.

    And Ruality, I hear ya’! Coming up with a non Palm alternative for soap is going to be difficult. I love my soap with Palm oil in it as well. What’s a hard-bar-lovin’-gal to do??

  2. I’ve been thinking of trying to go palm-less… but it’s difficult to come up with a good non-animal substitute. I have several customers who’ve questioned my use of palm, and a few who won’t buy soap with palm oil at all, because of the deforestation issue. But I’ve had the same recipe for so long that I don’t want to change the “feel” of the soap.

  3. Thanks for sharing. Even when finances are tight for us in this part of the world, we often lose sight of the fact that so much of the rest of the world is on the verge of starvation. I think it is important that we continue to educate ourselves on what is going on in the rest of the world.
    Check out this video:

    http://current.com/items/86928321_12_yr_old_breadwinner

  5. Thanks – it is sobering when one thinks of how much more it affects others in the world. (And I will add that to my gratitude journal…thanks for reminding me to do it again! I used to do a nightly gratitude list, but I’d forgotten about it for a few months now.)

    BTW, when I click on the video link, it takes me to the first photo of the slide show, not the video.

  6. Thank you AM for this information! Your right, there are other aspects to look at when thinking about the use of Palm Oil. I appreciate you keeping us updated on these important facts.