Let’s Set the Record Straight About Fries and Trans Fat
LETTERS
The December issue’s News column in Food Technology included a story about the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) recent proposal to limit the use of partially hydrogenated oils, the source of artificial trans fats in food. It is disappointing that the accompanying photo showed French fried potatoes, which implies they are a major source of trans fats. This does not reflect current science or facts about the fatty acid profile of French fried potatoes.
More than any other segment of the food industry, the potato industry has made the greatest improvements in the fatty acid profile of French fried potatoes since 2007. FDA acknowledged that frozen potato products have been reformulated to remove partially hydrogenated oils in its Nov. 8, 2013, notice and request for comments (FDA, 2013). Further, three government studies verify the innovations made. A 2013 Centers for Disease Control study showed that trans fats were reduced by 88% in French fries and other potato products sold at retail from 2007—2011, the largest decline of all food categories examined (Otite et al., 2013). A 2012 FDA study found that none of the 16 frozen potato products that were assessed contained any partially hydrogenated oils or detectable levels of trans fats (Doell et al., 2012). Finally, another 2012 FDA study showed that six out of seven samples of French fried potatoes acquired from quick-service restaurants contained less than 1 g of trans fat with five of the seven samples having less than 0.5 g trans fat per serving (Tyburczy, 2012).
Since 2008, nearly all French fried potatoes sold in quick-service restaurants and at retail grocery stores have been trans-fat free. As a science-based organization, the Institute of Food Technologists and its publications must be held to the highest standards of accuracy in its communications, including pictures that perpetuate misperceptions and distort the current facts.
—Maureen Storey, Ph.D., President and CEO, Alliance for Potato Research and Education
References
Doell, D., Folmer, D., Lee, H., Honigfort, M., and Carberry, S. 2012. Updated estimate of trans fat intake by the U.S. population. Food Addit. Contamin.: Part A: Chem. Anal., Control, Expo. Risk Assess. 29(6): 1-4.
FDA. 2013. Tentative determination regarding partially hydrogenated oils. Request for comments and for scientific data and information. Food and Drug Admin., Fed. Reg. 78: 67169-67175.
Otite, F.O., Jacobsen, M.F., Dahmubed, A., and Mozaffarian, D. 2013. Trends in trans fatty acids: reformulations of U.S. supermarket and brand-name foods from 2007 through 2011. Prev. Chronic Disease 10: E85.120198.
Tyburczy, C., Delmonte, P., Fardin-Kia, A.R., Mossoba, M.M., Kramer, J.K.G., and Rader, J.I. 2012. Profile of trans fatty acids (FAs) including trans polyunsaturated FAs in representative fast food sample. J. Agric. Food Chem. 60(18): 4567-4577.