Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil that comes from the pulp of oil palm tree fruit. Native to West Africa, the oil palm tree is now most commonly grown in the tropics of Southeast Asia. There has recently been an increase in palm oil production in South America too. It is the most commonly produced vegetable oil in the world and is incorporated in a wide range of products, including many food items like candy, as well as other products like cosmetics and biofuels.

Palm oil is sourced from places in the world where it is cheaply produced, but at a very high cost—the habitat of many species, some that are critically endangered.

There has been outcry in the past years regarding palm oil and its production, so there have been efforts to educate people about the products and companies that use them, and to influence companies to utilize different ingredients or sustainable practices that do not threaten the habitats of endangered species.