Out of Africa

Juka’s Organic Co. brings the bounty of Africa to American consumers, one sustainable step at a time

- NEIL ZEVNIK

I don’t know if it’s on your radar yet, but red palm oil only recently flowed into my consciousness. Not that it doesn’t have a history reaching back 5,000 years or more—it was found in an Egyptian tomb dating back to 3000 BCE. And it has been a staple of home cooking in Africa for centuries. In more recent times, it has been used as an industrial lubricant and as a basis for a multitude of cleansing and beauty products.

Red palm oil has proven to have multiple health benefits as well. An article in the NIH Library of Medicine notes that “It has been shown that dietary red palm oil ... promotes the efficient utilization of nutrients ... and improves immune function.”

But you will also find a bit of controversy surrounding red palm oil. Like so many beneficial gifts from nature, its growth, harvesting, and production for commercial products have threatened the environment through deforestation and the resulting harm to the climate, indigenous populations, and endangered species.