The Defense Logistics Agency, a group under the U.S. Department of Defense that provides worldwide logistics support to the military, recently requested information regarding certain food ingredients, including trans fats and partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs). In comments submitted this week, IDFA encouraged the agency to align with the Food and Drug Administration’s position, which bans PHOs in the U.S. food supply but allows naturally occurring trans fats, such as those found in milk.
In 2015, FDA made a final determination that PHOs would no longer be allowed in foods sold in the United States after June 18, 2018. FDA said PHOs are no longer considered Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) due to their content of trans fat, which has been associated with negative health consequences. At the sametime, FDA confirmed that the determination excluded naturally occurring trans fats, fully hydrogenated oils and ingredients derived from PHOs, such as monoglycerides and diglycerides, since the PHOs aren’t added to the products.
“Most dairy products do not contain PHOs,” said IDFA in the comments. “However, there are naturally occurring trans fats that are created in the cow’s digestive tract and are passed into the milk. The animal sources of trans fats do not have the same health concerns as the industrially produced trans fat.”
IDFA also noted that the Institute of Medicine has said that consuming naturally occurring trans fat is unavoidable in ordinary nonvegan diets without significant dietary adjustments that could have unwanted consequences.
“IDFA members are proud of the variety of nutrient-rich foods they make available to the American military personnel and look forward to continuing to provide these healthy products,” IDFA concluded.
For more information, contact Cary Frye, IDFA senior vice president of regulatory affairs, at cfrye@idfa.org.