FDA Says Partially Hydrogenated Oils No Longer Recognized as Safe, Reclassifies as Restricted Food Additives
The Food and Drug Administration issued an order finding partially hydrogenated oils are no longer “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) and reclassifying them as food additives (here). The move finalizes a proposed order issued in 2013 (see 13110827), on the back of research that found trans fats found in high amounts in partially hydrogenated oils can cause heart disease. Although use of trans fats in foods has been on the decline in recent years, partially hydrogenated oils continue to be found in some brands of popular food products, such as frostings, microwave popcorn, packaged pies, frozen pizzas, stick margarines and coffee creamers, said FDA in a June 15 blog post (here). FDA’s order means food manufacturers may no longer add partially hydrogenated oils to food after June 18, 2018, unless they are otherwise approved by FDA.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
If your job depends on informed compliance, you need International Trade Today. Delivered every business day and available any time online, only International Trade Today helps you stay current on the increasingly complex international trade regulatory environment.
The order only applies to partially hydrogenated oils used as a food ingredient, including “those uses sometimes considered processing aids or food contact substances (e.g., pan-release agents),” said FDA. It does not affect other refined edible oils such as fully hydrogenated oils (defined as fats and oils that have been hydrogenated to complete or near complete saturation, and with an iodine value of 4 or less). Also outside the scope of the order are partially hydrogenated oils that are used in animal feed or used as raw materials to synthesize other ingredients, said FDA. Ingredients that contain only naturally occurring trans fats, such as fats from ruminant animals, are also exempt, as is conjugated linoleic acid and partially hydrogenated methyl ester of rosin, said the agency.
(Federal Register 06/17/15)