4/21/2004 - Designed to serve both industry and consumers, the newlyre-designed American Palm Council Web site promotes a better understandingof this naturally trans fat free, nutrient rich oil - its health benefitsand applications.

The site, americanpalmoil.com, helps visitors easily distinguish thedifferences between palm oil and other vegetable oils. Palm oil is avaluable source of vitamins A and E, which have been shown to lowercholesterol, and to counter heart disease, cancer and the effects ofaging.

With just one click on the Palm Oil Story icon, visitors to the site candiscover that palm oil has been safely consumed worldwide for more than5,000 years. This section also lists the numerous research studiessupporting palm oil's 12 well-documented benefits.

The Health Benefits icon brings visitors to a page that dispels some ofthe major misconceptions about palm oil, which has been erroneouslyreferred to and grouped with palm kernel oil and coconut oil as a"tropical oil." Instead, palm oil is trans-fat free, and one of the mostnutrition-filled oils on the market.

Click on the Palm Oil Uses icon to learn of the many ways that palm oil isused in food, and non-food products. Palm oil is abundantly available,relatively inexpensive, technically suitable for most food products, andoffers multiple health benefits. Naturall trans fat free palm oil can beused in everything from baked goods and baby formula to potato chips andother snacks.

Non-food applications now account for about 20 percent of its usage. Theseinclude soaps, plastics, candles, lotions, body oils, shampoos, cleaningproducts, rubber and even a palm-based diesel substitute.

The site also features up-to-date news and trade information, a glossary,frequently asked questions, and other fact-filled pages. For moreinformation, please visit http://www.americanpalmoil.com./