Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Palm Oil Prices Rise


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 show about 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.