Costly Fuel Means Costly Calories - and Costly Soap - the Controversy Over Palm Oil

We're all aware that global oil prices are high, and keep rising. But most of us only think of that in terms of petroleum oil. However, rising costs of food and cooking oil are causing problems around the world as well. Take a look at this superb New York Times article A New, Global Oil Quandary: Costly Fuel Means Costly Calories. It tells about how the prices of food oil, especially palm oil (which is a key ingredient in many of our soap recipes) are affecting people. Don't miss the amazing audio slide show The Other Oil Shock and The Struggle for Palm Oil. Both are really interesting, especially in explaining just where and how palm oil is harvested. "From a growing middle class in the developing world, to energy companies hungry for biofuel, it seems that the world wants more palm oil than it can get." I know of soap makers in the U.S. who have reformulated their recipes to eliminate palm oil from their recipes due to its heavy impact on the world economy and rain forests. It makes really good soap...but at what price?
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