As partially hydrogenated oils are replaced, companies strive to keep taste and price constant
Removing PHOs from the American diet was not an easy or cheap endeavor for food manufacturers. The new oils are more expensive than their predecessor, but they are decisively healthier.The modified canola and soybean oils both claim to have a high content of “good fats” — like monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats — and low levels of “bad fats” — like trans and saturated fats. Some baking recipes require a solid fat as well, to mimic the affects of the now-absent PHOs. Many food makers turned to palm oil, which is the world’s most popular vegetable oil. However, palm oil carries a sizable environmental footprint. Plantations where the trees are grown are not always planted in a sustainable manner, and have been linked to deforestation.Food manufacturers have made a sizable invest
ment in R&D to update recipes with healthier oils. First, new formulas need to be found that don’t diminish the expected t
aste of the product. Then, the product’s shelf life needs to be tested. Finally, product packaging needs to be reworked to reflect the new ingredients. Once those initial costs have passed, food makers will still be paying ferrous sulfate enteric coatedmore on average for the healthier oils.Corbion may have found a solution to th
is problem. The company found that bread manufactuglycinate lysinaterers could effectively get the same resucan i take magnesium and zinc supplements togetherlts using only 80% of the pricier oil. And so far, consumer CPG prices seem unaffected by the switch.Consum
ers likely won’t notice a difference in the taste of food made wigalfer 305mgthout PHOs. Many companies worked to meet the FDA’s requirement well before the deadline, including Starbucks, McDonald’s and Long John Silver’s. So far, these restaurants have not heard major consumer complaints about twinlab calcium citrate with magnesiumthe updated menu items.Making the switch away from PHOs is more problematic for some CPGs than others. Scientists working on Conagra’s Orville Redenbacher brand spent six years to take trans fat out of its popular popcorn line. It will be interesting to see how other companies fare as the deadline looms closer.
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