Just like many vegetable oils, palm oil is a prevalent ingredient in dozens of foods. However, palm oil also pervades more than just your chip bags in the pantry. In fact, it is so common it's used in laundry detergents, makeup, shampoos, soaps, and of course, in food products like margarine and baby formula. Palm oil comes from the Elaeis guineensis, otherwise known as an oil palm tree, and has become the epicenter of a very lucrative yet destructive industry. Oil palms originate from the west and southwest regions of Africa and are occasionally referred to as African oil palms. Oil palms usually grow to be between 20–30 meters tall, with roots that congregate into mats in the first 35 centimeters of soil. At the top of oil palm trees grows 1,000-3,000 fruits in bunches, called drupes. It's within the center of the drupes that the mesocarp resides. Mesocarp is the edible part of the fruit that is rich in fatty acids, vitamins, and amino acids. It's also the place where palm oil is extracted for production. Because palm oil is so versatile, its trees have been brought to various parts of the world in encourage continual growth and production. Over the years, this has been at the expense of the natural habitats and wildlife that are located in prime spots for the plantations. We have palm oil to thank for so many commodities that exist in stores, and yet its production severely contributes to the destruction of several ecosystems around the globe.