Health Canada is seeking comment from citizens and industry stakeholders regarding a proposed ban on partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs) in foods, says John Sandbakken, executive director of the National Sunflower Association.

Health Canada, the agency that oversees national public health policy in Canada, said Canadians are consuming fewer trans fats today, but more needs to be done to reduce Canadians’ intake of trans fats. Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in Canada. Health Canada said eliminating trans fats in all foods sold in the country “is a significant and final step” in the agency’s efforts to reduce trans fats in the Canadian food supply “to the lowest possible level.” The ban would go into effect one year later after the regulation is finalized, Health Canada said.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration in June 2015 determined that there no longer is a consensus among qualified experts that PHOs, the primary dietary source of industrially produced trans-fatty acids, should be “generally recognized as safe” for any use in human food. Food companies have until June 18, 2018, to remove PHOs from their products in the United States.

As the food industry moves toward PHO-free baking, one of the most attractive options is high-oleic oils and blends — a leading example being high-oleic sunflower oil, Sandbakken says.

Source: National Sunflower Association