Environmentalists, animal rights advocates and NGOs jumped all over Nestle for their use of non-renewable palm oil in their popular Kit Kat candy bar. Kit Kats, or rather the palm oil that made the milk chocolate not melt into the wafer-cookie centers, were indirectly wiping out orangutans in 2010. The deforestation of native species of palm trees in the region left an already-endangered species with even less of a habitat. Chew on that with your chocolate-covered, crispy wafers from your Halloween candy collection.

Palm oil is the slippery substance used in everything from pastry dough to peanut butter. And this year, it’s disappearing from many popular name-brand candies because of the real-life horror story that is going on between the dark forces of orangutans and local economies.

Let’s be clear: the candy companies are not poaching the orangutans themselves, at least not directly. Reports of orangutans’ torture and brutal death by plantation workers and village locals have been brought before global governments like the European Union and the United Nations by NGOs. These incidents occur in the backwoods, though, with little evidence and minimal attention short of remorse toward the apes.

The companies that harvest this oil chop down forests, leaving the ground bare as new palms are planted, and during this time of emptiness, orangutans and other native species cannot find shelter, so they starve and die.

But this was two years ago, right? The big, bad candy companies were reprimanded by the go-green goodie-goodies and now every baby orangutan can sleep soundly. Not quite.

While many companies have responded to the threat of losing an already-endangered species, deforestation still rages in Indonesia, where massive palm plantations are planted to supply the wealthy Western confection corporations, which bring us 3 Musketeers, Snickers and Twix. This is, of course, until consumers realize the cost of their fun-size treats and start writing to these companies or boycotting the products entirely. But advocacy takes effort, and Halloween is a day of dress-up, drunkenness and fun.

Halloween is also the holiday for candy sales. Christmas comes close, but candy canes can’t compete with the adrenaline-induced drive of a kid — or college student, let’s be honest — to collect as much high fructose corn syrup that a single pillow case can hold. Patriotic celebrations don’t center on confections: St. Patrick’s Day focuses on greasy food. Halloween can leave you with a sugar rush — Valentines’ Day leaves many with a bitter aftertaste. So the hobgoblins win. Stock-ups for trick-or-treating, and candy sales in general, churn major profit for companies like Mars and Hershey around the 31st.

What I find increasingly interesting in the case is that palm oil is not required to make a candy bar. Minor changes in texture or consistency, yes, but the flavor isn’t affected. Ingredient-wise, it’s not essential, but economically, it’s a gold mine. Producing palm oil is cheap for Western companies that outsource farming to those tropical climates that produce the oil.

Palm oil is an additive, a highly subsidized, in-demand additive that supports local village economies. Harvesting palm oil may not be a dream job, but for those living in Malaysia and Indonesia, it may be the best or the only option available. When palm plantations are planted, sure, the natural balance of the forest is upset, but villagers can afford to feed their families, their children. Saving the orangutans seems simple enough, but by saving their home, we may be evicting our human neighbors.

Some companies responded to consumer outrage by banning palm oil in their products altogether. But it is more difficult to stay competitive when other businesses are making quick money at the cost of others. Whole Foods Market pledged this year to not purchase any products that were made with non-sustainable palm oil. But few other large companies can afford the luxury of a semi-wealthy niche market that searches for organic everything.

Horror movies often end on a gruesome, chilling note. We like this, or at least those of us who willingly watch scary movies enjoy the tension, the eerie resolve, the dark force that can never truly find peace. Ghosts and zombie apocalypses are entertaining enough because we can suspend our disbelief in curses, unlucky omens and twisted characters. But what happens when the nightmare is real? (Sorry to steal your thunder, Freddie Kruger.) The fate of the orangutans vs. palm oil plantations may prove to be just as haunting.

Renée is a senior in Media. She can be reached at [email protected].