Palm oil, made from the fruit of the oil palm tree (Elaeis guineensis), is one of the most widely produced edible fats in the world. The oil palm yields two types of oil: One is extracted from the flesh of the fruit (palm oil), and the other from the seed, or kernel (palm kernel oil). Palm oil is consumed in many countries in vegetable oil, shortening, and margarine. Palm oil is used because it’s economical to grow.
The whole of the palm fruit is used, both the flesh and the stone, to make oil, so it’s about 10 times as productive as a soya bean or rapeseed. Plus, it is a super efficient crop which means it’s something like nine times more productive per hectare than the next most productive oil.
