You might have noticed palm oil or palm kernel oil on a food label on cookies you picked up at the store, or perhaps on that bar of soap you just purchased. If you are like most, you didn’t think anything about it.

Here are some reasons why you should.

Palm oil comes from the palm fruit, while palm kernel oil is extracted from the palm seed, generally extracted using a gasoline-like hydrocarbon solvent. A third product, further down the production line, is fractionated palm oil, which is used by food manufacturers who like the melting qualities and stability. All are saturated fats, but there are some health benefits in organic palm oil, which is lower in unsaturated fats and high in antioxidants, particularly vitamin E. Saturated fats are not the devil in small amounts, but when you begin to see this commodity food in everything, it becomes a problem for your health.

The big concern and connection to your health—and the health of many endangered animals—is the environmental impact of palm oil production.

When the U.S. government regulation required that trans-fat be listed on food labels, the use of palm and palm kernel oil increased dramatically. The palm plant is grown primarily in Indonesia and Malaysia on land that has been cleared for its production—namely rainforests and carbon-rich (think oxygen) peat-swamps. The production of this oil is responsible for the destruction of enormous tracts of land that is habitat to many already endangered species, such as the Sumatran orangutan, the Sumatran tiger and other species.

What can the average person do to help? Limit or eliminate your purchase of food and products that contain palm or palm kernel oil. Vote with your dollar and help to leave some air for your grandchildren!