Taking the Fat Out of Food

by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Food manufacturers are making it easier for fat-conscious consumers to have their cake and eat it, too — and their cheeses, chips, chocolate, cookies, ice cream, salad dressings, and various other foods that are now available in lower fat versions.

These products can help adult consumers reduce their fat intakes to recommended levels while allowing them to enjoy foods traditionally high in fat. A diet high in fat can contribute to heart disease and some forms of cancer and, because fats are calorie-dense, to excessive body weight.

A host of fat substitutes that replaces most, if not all, of the fat in a food, makes these lower fat foods possible. Most of these fat replacers are ingredients already approved by the Food and Drug Administration for other uses in food. For instance, starches and gums are approved as thickeners and stabilizers. New compounds, such as olestra, have undergone or will undergo close scrutiny by FDA to assess their safety.

In theory, the perfect fat replacer is one that contributes everything fat does in a food but without the calories, saturated fat, and cholesterol. The question remains: Can fat-reduced products actually reduce people's overall calorie intake and have a significant impact on their total fat intake?

Fat in the Diet

Fat is a difficult substance to replace because it has many important functions. A major nutrient, it is important for proper growth and development and maintenance of good health. Fats carry the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K and aid their absorption in the intestine. They are the only source of the essential fatty acids linoleic and linolenic acids. They are an important source of calories for many adults and for infants and toddlers, who have the highest energy needs per kilogram of body weight of any age group. Fat provides 9 calories per gram, compared with 4 calories per gram for protein and carbohydrates.

As a food ingredient, fat is important in food preparation and consumption because it gives taste, consistency, stability, and palatability to foods and helps us feel full so we stop eating.

But there are limits on the amount we should eat because of fats' link to heart disease, cancer and overweight. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting total fat intake to no more than 30 percent of calories and saturated fat to no more than 10 percent. Cholesterol intake should be limited to no more than 300 milligrams a day. Saturated fat and cholesterol are the substances in fat that contribute to the formation of plaque, which clogs arteries, leading to heart disease.

Americans appear to be heeding the experts' advice because, according to a 1995 annual survey by the Food Marketing Institute — an organization of grocery retailers and wholesalers — 65 percent of the consumers surveyed — the highest level to date — rated fat as their No. 1 nutrition concern. More than three-fourths of the consumers said they stopped buying a specific food because of the amount of fat listed on the nutrition label.

A 1995 survey by the Calorie Control Council — an international association of manufacturers of low-calorie, low-fat, and diet foods and beverages — found that 72 percent of respondents who said they look for "light" foods said they are most attracted to food products claiming to be "reduced in fat."

Manufacturers are responding by adding more and more reduced-fat foods to their product lines. That corresponds to the Department of Health and Human Services' Healthy People 2000 goal of increasing to 5,000 from 2,500 in 1986 the number of brand items reduced in fat and saturated fat.

Regulation

Fat replacers can help reduce a food's fat and calorie levels while maintaining some of the desirable qualities fat brings to food, such as "mouth feel," texture and flavor.

Under FDA regulations, fat replacers usually fall into one of two categories: food additives or "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS) substances. Each has its own set of regulatory requirements.

Food additives must be evaluated for safety and approved by FDA before they can be marketed. They include substances with no proven track record of safety; scientists just don't know that much about their use in food. Examples of food additives are polydextrose, carrageenan and olestra, which are used as fat replacers. Manufacturers of food additives must test their products, submit the results to FDA for review, and await agency approval before using them in food.

GRAS substances, on the other hand, do not have to undergo rigorous testing before they are used in foods because they are generally recognized as safe by knowledgeable scientists, usually because of the substances' long history of safe use in foods. Many GRAS substances are similar to substances already in food. Examples of GRAS substances used as fat replacers are cellulose gel, dextrins, guar gum, and gum arabic.

About the Author

www.fda.gov
FDA is A United States government body that oversees medical devices, including contact lenses, intraocular lenses, excimer lasers and eyedrops. In the US, these products must be approved by the FDA before they can be marketed.