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MARGARINE ASSOCIATION ENDORSES FDA TRANS FAT LABELING REGULATION

Margarine Industry Welcomes Opportunity to Reassure Consumers that Margarine is Still the Healthiest Choice for a Tablespread

WASHINGTON, DC (July 9, 2003) -- The National Association of Margarine Manufacturers (NAMM) today endorsed the Food and Drug Administration's final rule that will require information about the amount of trans fat to be placed on food nutrition labels.

NAMM's action echoes recent statements by both the American Heart Association and the White House Office of Management and Budget urging the FDA to provide this information to consumers so they can make healthier choices. NAMM went on record more than three years ago, calling upon FDA to allow trans fat information on the Nutrition Facts labels. (Nutrition information must be authorized by FDA before it can be placed on the food label.) The margarine industry is particularly interested in seeing consumers gain access to trans-fat labeling, so they will realize that margarine products are a very minor contributor to trans fat in the diet. (In addition, according to FDA, the average intake of trans fat derived from margarine products are less than four-tenths of 1 percent (0.39%) of an adult's total daily calories.)

"Trans fat labeling will make it easier for consumers to select foods such as margarine that can help them reduce both their saturated fat and trans fat intake, and to select foods that best meet their dietary requirements," said NAMM President Richard Cristol.

Cristol noted the margarine industry has responded in recent years to consumer interest in lowering daily fat consumption levels by decreasing the average fat content of its products by 40 percent. Because margarine is cholesterol-free and contains 70 percent less saturated fat than butter, it is the recommended tablespread of leading health organizations, including the government's National Cholesterol Education Program and the American Heart Association.

Today's margarine category encompasses a wide variety of products, from tubs to sticks and even sprays and liquid margarines. Margarine products have been reduced in total fat, saturated fat and trans fat over the past two decades, and many soft, squeeze and spray margarine products are already trans fat-free.

"The margarine industry has been dedicated to serving health-conscious consumers for over 100 years. This is one reason we were among the first in the food industry, years ago, to communicate to FDA our endorsement of trans fat labeling. We believed then as we do now that consumers will be pleasantly surprised to learn that today's margarine products have little or no trans fat," said Cristol.

Responding to one of the prevalent questions that the trans fat issue raises - is margarine still better than butter - the FDA has stated even several years ago that "although some margarines contain more trans fat than butter, the total of trans and saturated fat (the LDL-cholesterol raising fats) is always less than the total for butter. The total for butter is much higher because of all the saturated fat that it contains." The combined total levels of trans and saturated fat in butter can be as much as twice as great as that in many margarine products.

Margarine has no cholesterol and because it is made from natural vegetable oils, it contains primarily polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. (Polyunsaturated fats are also essential fats.) According to U.S. food composition data released by the Department of Agriculture, margarine also is a leading dietary source of vitamin E, which may contribute to heart health as well.

A number of studies have evaluated margarine as a whole food (as opposed to its individual components) and confirmed that consumption of today's margarine products results in much healthier serum cholesterol levels than butter. The most recent study*, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that soft margarine significantly lowered total and LDL cholesterol levels when substituted for butter.

"It is important to remember that consumers do not eat any component of foods in isolation and that all the ingredients of foods should be considered when making dietary decisions. Even with small quantities of trans and saturated fat, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats and vitamin E all combine to provide margarine products that not only taste great and spread easily but also contribute to a healthier diet," Cristol commented.

* Denke, M., Adams-Huet, B., Nguyen, A. Individual Cholesterol Variation in Response to a Margarine- or Butter-Based Diet. Journal of the American Medical Association. December 6, 2000. Vol. 284. No. 21.2740-2747.

More about trans fats on this site.

Additional background information about trans fat.