Eliminating PHOs from the American diet has proven to be a challenging and costly task for food manufacturers. The new oils introduced in their place are more expensive than the previous options, yet they are significantly healthier. Modified canola and soybean oils are marketed as having a high content of “good fats,” such as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, while maintaining low levels of “bad fats,” like trans and saturated fats. Some baking recipes still require a solid fat to replicate the effects of the now-absent PHOs. As a result, many food producers have turned to palm oil, the most widely used vegetable oil globally. However, palm oil has a considerable environmental impact, as the plantations where the oil palm trees are cultivated are often not sustainably managed and have been linked to deforestation.
Food manufacturers have invested heavily in research and development to reformulate recipes using healthier oils. Initially, they must identify new formulas that preserve the expected taste of their products. After that, they need to test the product’s shelf life, and finally, update packaging to reflect the new ingredients. Once these upfront costs are addressed, food makers will still incur higher average expenses for the healthier oils.
Corbion may have discovered a solution to this issue. The company found that bread manufacturers could achieve similar results using only 80% of the more expensive oil. So far, consumer packaged goods prices do not appear to be affected by this transition. Consumers are unlikely to notice any difference in taste for food made without PHOs. Many companies, including Starbucks, McDonald’s, and Long John Silver’s, proactively worked to comply with the FDA’s requirements well ahead of the deadline, and so far, these restaurants have not received significant consumer complaints regarding their updated menu items.
The transition away from PHOs presents more challenges for some consumer packaged goods than for others. For instance, scientists working on Conagra’s Orville Redenbacher brand dedicated six years to removing trans fats from their popular popcorn line. As the deadline approaches, it will be interesting to observe how other companies navigate this change.
In the context of nutritional choices, the debate between raw calcium versus calcium citrate is also noteworthy. Just as food manufacturers have had to adapt their products to remove unhealthy fats, consumers must consider the best forms of calcium supplementation for their health. Understanding the differences and benefits of raw calcium versus calcium citrate can help consumers make informed decisions as they navigate their dietary options. As companies innovate and reformulate, the conversation around healthful ingredients continues to evolve, emphasizing the importance of both food quality and nutritional efficacy.