FDA Accepts GMA Petition Seeking Continued Low-Level Uses of PHOs in Food Products

02 Oct 2015 --- The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) issued the following statement by Dr. Leon Bruner, GMA’s chief science officer, regarding the decision by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to accept for review industry’s food additive petition seeking approval for a specified set of low-level uses of partially hydrogenated oil (PHOs) in food products.

“FDA’s acceptance of our food additive petition marks the beginning of the agency’s formal review process and we look forward to working with the FDA on achieving approval for these proposed low-level uses of PHOs. Our petition shows that the proposed PHO uses are as safe as the naturally occurring trans fat present in the normal diet.

“GMA’s food additive petition is based on a comprehensive and highly detailed analysis of the latest scientific information available and provides the most current information about the amount of PHO consumed in U.S. diets today.

“Food and beverage companies have already voluntarily lowered the amount of trans fat added to food products by more than 86 percent and will continue lowering PHO-associated trans-fat to levels similar to naturally occurring trans-fat found in the diet.

“The food additive petition seeks approval of limited and specific PHO uses that are important for the production of safe food products. Examples of proposed continued uses include use as color and flavor carriers and to deliver consumer-desired textural characteristics that other oils cannot provide, such as flakiness in doughs. PHOs also function as essential processing aids such as pan release agents so that products do not stick to baking trays and rollers during the manufacturing process.”