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Canola oil eligible for heart-healthy claim

The new health claim available for high oleic canola oil will appeal to end users and consumers of canola oil, while the marketing benefit has potential to spillover to canola producers.

November 28, 2018  By Canola Council of Canada


The qualified health claim applies to edible oils with at least 70 per cent oleic acid

On November 19 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that oils containing a high level of oleic acid, such as high oleic (HO) canola oil, can now carry a new qualified health claim. The claim is based on a review of the scientific evidence on the cardiovascular benefits of the consumption of oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat, instead of saturated fat.

The claim states that, “supportive but not conclusive scientific evidence suggests that daily consumption of about one and a half tablespoons (20 grams) of oils containing high levels of oleic acid, may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.”

To use the claim, it must also be clear that to achieve this benefit, these oils, “should replace fats and oils higher in saturated fat and not increase the total number of calories you eat in a day.”

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“HO canola oil is a naturally stable oil that needs no hydrogenation or modification to extend shelf life,” says Jim Everson, president of the Canola Council of Canada. “This makes it an attractive choice for quick-serve restaurants and food processors looking for a high-stability oil that is both low in saturated fat and free of trans fat.”

The qualified health claim applies to edible oils with at least 70 per cent oleic acid, including HO canola oil, HO soybean oil, HO safflower oil, HO sunflower oil, olive oil and HO algal oil.

Canola oil has been eligible to use a similar qualified health claim based on its unsaturated fat content and reduction of the risk of coronary heart disease since 2006.

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