Food Facts

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced this summer that it plans to phase out partially hydrogenated oils from food products during the next three years. With 2 billion pounds of partially hydrogenated soybean oil currently used in food applications, this adjustment could impact farmer profitability.

Here are five things you should know about the announcement:

• Soybean oil’s instability makes it unattractive to many food customers. Soybean oil itself does not contain the trans-fats the FDA is eliminating. But, without some sort of stability enhancing produces, such as hydrogenation, it breaks down easily in high-heat situations. Your biggest oil customers don’t want that.
• High Oleic soybean oil is stable, and that meets many customer needs. High oleic soybeans produce an oil that is stable without the need for any hydrogenation. These varieties can help fill the needs of food companies across the United States.
• Not all hydrogenation is equal. The FDA’s ruling is against trans-fat-causing partial hydrogenation. But, full hydrogenation of soybean oil is still okay. It remains an option to gain back lost market needs that high oleic can’t meet.
• Interesterification: Big word, amazing results. The soybean industry has been anticipating a phase out of partially hydrogenated oils for several years. One solution is a different type of processing called interesterification. It produces a “hard” fat from soybean oil, like shortening, without creating any unwanted trans-fats. This process will save you from losing more customers and fill a void that high oleic can’t fill on its own.