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Foodmakers Search for A New Fat . . . Again
Companies Want to Replace Oils Containing Trans Fatty Acids
By Margaret Webb Pressler
Washington Post Staff Writer
When major food companies began widely using partially hydrogenated oils in the 1970s, they thought they were making their products more healthful. Consumer groups and regulators applauded the industry's switch from heavily saturated fats, such as lard and palm oil.
But the evidence is growing that the trans fatty acids in partially hydrogenated oils are damaging to the heart too -- and more so than other kinds of fats. Once again, the food industry is looking for an alternative fat, only this time there doesn't seem to be an easy answer.
"It isn't simple, it isn't cheap, and it isn't going to happen overnight," said Robert M. Reeves, president of the Institute of Shortening and Edible Oils, a Washington trade group.
The impetus for the change is a Food and Drug Administration ruling last year that by January 2006 all packaged food products have to list on their nutrition labels the amount of trans fatty acids, or trans fat, they contain. That ruling puts pressure on manufacturers to replace oils containing trans fatty acids before the deadline, company officials say, because no one wants to advertise another ingredient implicated in heart disease, along with the already required disclosures on saturated fat and cholesterol.
Though a few major players, such as Frito-Lay Inc. and Pepperidge Farm Inc., have already made the switch to other oils, industry officials said many other companies won't be able to make the change in time. They say that's because alternative oils have their own health problems, are too expensive, or can't be substituted without changing the taste, texture or shelf life of a product.
"The amount of trans fat will be labeled on the product by January 2006. Whether all the products are reformulated, that's unlikely," said Alison J. Kretser, director of scientific and nutrition policy for the Grocery Manufacturers of America (GMA). "It's not for lack of trying."
Food companies are spending millions of dollars researching, evaluating and testing various fat alternatives, Kretser said, but experts in the food and oil industries say it still could be five to 10 years before trans fats can be effectively replaced.
"Trying to find that functionality and get it to the American consumer in a timely way is a very great challenge," Reeves said. "Some of the options that we have will take a while to develop."
The industry effort doesn't get a lot of sympathy from Michael F. Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), which first petitioned for the labeling of trans fats 10 years ago and has called for an outright ban on their use. Studies have shown trans fat prompts increases in levels of bad cholesterol and decreases in good cholesterol, Jacobson said, and "the short answer is that anything is better than trans fat."
Trans fatty acids are created when a liquid oil, such as vegetable or soybean oil, is put through a process called hydrogenation. That makes it more solid and gives it physical characteristics that are beneficial for commercial food operations, such as the ability to be spread, texture and a longer shelf life.
Companies Want to Replace Oils Containing Trans Fatty Acids
By Margaret Webb Pressler
Washington Post Staff Writer
When major food companies began widely using partially hydrogenated oils in the 1970s, they thought they were making their products more healthful. Consumer groups and regulators applauded the industry's switch from heavily saturated fats, such as lard and palm oil.
But the evidence is growing that the trans fatty acids in partially hydrogenated oils are damaging to the heart too -- and more so than other kinds of fats. Once again, the food industry is looking for an alternative fat, only this time there doesn't seem to be an easy answer.
"It isn't simple, it isn't cheap, and it isn't going to happen overnight," said Robert M. Reeves, president of the Institute of Shortening and Edible Oils, a Washington trade group.
The impetus for the change is a Food and Drug Administration ruling last year that by January 2006 all packaged food products have to list on their nutrition labels the amount of trans fatty acids, or trans fat, they contain. That ruling puts pressure on manufacturers to replace oils containing trans fatty acids before the deadline, company officials say, because no one wants to advertise another ingredient implicated in heart disease, along with the already required disclosures on saturated fat and cholesterol.
Though a few major players, such as Frito-Lay Inc. and Pepperidge Farm Inc., have already made the switch to other oils, industry officials said many other companies won't be able to make the change in time. They say that's because alternative oils have their own health problems, are too expensive, or can't be substituted without changing the taste, texture or shelf life of a product.
"The amount of trans fat will be labeled on the product by January 2006. Whether all the products are reformulated, that's unlikely," said Alison J. Kretser, director of scientific and nutrition policy for the Grocery Manufacturers of America (GMA). "It's not for lack of trying."
Food companies are spending millions of dollars researching, evaluating and testing various fat alternatives, Kretser said, but experts in the food and oil industries say it still could be five to 10 years before trans fats can be effectively replaced.
"Trying to find that functionality and get it to the American consumer in a timely way is a very great challenge," Reeves said. "Some of the options that we have will take a while to develop."
The industry effort doesn't get a lot of sympathy from Michael F. Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), which first petitioned for the labeling of trans fats 10 years ago and has called for an outright ban on their use. Studies have shown trans fat prompts increases in levels of bad cholesterol and decreases in good cholesterol, Jacobson said, and "the short answer is that anything is better than trans fat."
Trans fatty acids are created when a liquid oil, such as vegetable or soybean oil, is put through a process called hydrogenation. That makes it more solid and gives it physical characteristics that are beneficial for commercial food operations, such as the ability to be spread, texture and a longer shelf life.
