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 zinc bisglycinate chelate 50 mgturned to palm oil, which is the world’s most popular vegetable oil. However, palm oil carries a sizable environmental footprint. Plantations whezinc gluconate rdare the trees are grown are not always planted in a sustainable manner, and have been linked to deforestation.###Food manufacturers have made a sizable investment in R&D to update recipes with healthier oils. First, new formulas need to be found that don’t diminish the expected taste 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 more on average for the healthier oils.###Corbion may have fobest zinc supplementund a solution to this best zinc supplement for women over 50problem. The company found that bread manufacturers could effectively get the same results using only 80% of zinc oxide vs zinc supplementthe pricier oil. And so far, consumer CPG prices seem unaffected by the switch.###Consumers likely won’t notice a difference in the taste of food made without 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 the 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.