FDA May Drop Some Stick Margarine Products From GRAS List

The FDA recently proposed removal of some processed food products – including stick margarines – containing partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs) from the list of foods generally recognized as safe (GRAS) because they contain high levels of trans fats, a significant contributor to heart disease and cardiac deaths. The industry association representing margarine manufacturers has advised against that move because most margarine products contain no partially hydrogenated oils and “margarine is not a significant contributor of trans fats to the American diet”. The National Association of Margarine Manufacturers said soft spread margarine is the “healthiest buttery spread option”, especially compared to real butter that is high in unhealthy saturated fat.