The Food and Drug Administration's recently announced ban on partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs) came as no surprise to foodservice operators, the majority of whom have already transitioned over to more healthful alternatives for their frying needs.
Meanwhile, those businesses that have yet to make the change will have a variety of frying solutions from which to chose as they find themselves competing in an increasingly trans-fat-free marketplace.
The FDA, which had been weighing its decision since 2013, gave the food industry three years — until June 18, 2018 — to eliminate partially hydrogenated oils, the chief dietary source of artificial trans fats in food. Trans fats are recognized as a major contributor to heart disease in this country.
In an earlier ruling, the agency had declared that PHOs were “generally recognized as safe,” or GRAS, a term indicating a product can be lawfully used in food. After reviewing other scientific evidence, however, the agency in November, 2013 issued a new ruling stating that artificial trans fats can increase the risk of heart disease by raising low-density lipoprotein, or bad cholesterol, and would now no longer be considered GRAS. And now, in June, 2015 this most recent ruling with a three-year deadline has been issued.
Trans fats form artificially during food processing when hydrogen is added to vegetable oil to prolong shelf life and improve the texture and taste of some foods. They also occur naturally in some animal products like meat and milk, but those trans fats will not be affected by the ban.
“This won't catch the industry by surprise,” says David Tillman, vice president of foodservice and food ingredients for Stratas Foods LLC, noting that approximately 90 percent of all artificial trans fats have been removed from the foodservice industry already. “When you look at the American diet, there is four times less trans fat in it today than in 2006.”
In fact, the industry has been focused on the artificial trans fat issue for almost a decade. In 2006 the FDA stated that companies must list trans fat content on nutrition labels, prompting some to remove them altogether.
Foodservice operators across the country also found themselves facing off against local jurisdictions opposed to trans fats. In 2006 New York City became the first U.S. jurisdiction to impose restrictions on the use of trans fats by restaurant operators. New York was followed soon afterward by the State of California; the cities of Baltimore, Boston, Philadelphia and Cleveland; and Montgomery County, Md., and Westchester County, N.Y. Regulations in those areas prohibit operators from using ingredients that contain more than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving.
As a result, a number of large foodservice operators such as McDonald's, Burger King and Dunkin' Donuts took a proactive stance by voluntarily reducing the trans fats in their cooking oils and fats.
Oil manufacturers, for their part, have been addressing the artificial trans-fat issue in their research and development laboratories since long before the FDA published its preliminary ruling on PHOs in 2013. Consequently, those suppliers have been able to develop new technological innovations featuring zero trans-fat-per-serving solutions. In many cases, fats containing animal or partially hydrogenated oils are being replaced by such high-oleic products as canola, soybean and sunflower oils.
According to Roger Daniels, vice president, research, development and innovation for Stratas Foods, high-oleic oils are more stable and taste better. In addition, studies indicate they may offer many of the health benefits found in extra virgin olive oil — an important foundation of the popular Mediterranean diet.
Many operators, in fact, who earlier made the transition to cheaper but less stable commodity canola and soybean oils today are voicing increased interest in migrating to higher performance products, Tillman says. “Operators are saying to us 'My [current/commodity] oil doesn't last as long as my old oil' or 'My food doesn't taste as good,' or 'I don't get compliments on my fries anymore.' High performance oil solves that.”
While high-oleic canola oil has proved to be popular, an increasing portion of the industry also is turning to higher-performance, high-oleic soybean oil, which Tillman characterizes as having a cleaner flavor and longer fry life. “It's two steps above high-oleic canola,” he adds. “It's going to be the oil of the future — the most dominant in the industry.”
Other alternatives, particularly for applications requiring the use of solids like bakery applications, include natural solid-containing oils such as palm and palm kernel and coconut; designer lipids such as Algal oils; and next-generation seed oil products.
But while operators looking to replace frying oils containing PHOs have a growing variety of options from which to choose, the bakery industry — much of which has yet to transition over — is more limited in what it can use. While palm oil presents one solution, consumers have to adjust to its particular flavor profile, Tillman notes.
However, Daniels points out that Stratas is expanding its line of “interesterified,” or IE, shortenings, which were developed specially to meet the requirements of bakers who prefer not to use a palm based zero trans solution. “In three years the industry will see more IE shortening being used — particularly when it comes to making donuts,” he says. “It's the new gold standard.”
In the meantime, foodservice operators should not worry about a trans-fat-free future, Daniels observes. “Take a deep breath,” he says. “You have friends in the industry who understand cooking and health and performance … and we're here to help guide you to the optimal solution to your situation.”
“This is good for the industry,” Tillman says. “We're not arguing with the science behind anything. We're embracing it and coming up with as many solutions as possible. And we're listening closely to the consumer. And if the consumer wants something different, we'll develop that, too.”
Memphis, Tenn.-based Stratas Foods specializes in providing fats and oils to the foodservice, food ingredient and retail private markets.
