The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval today* of a qualified health claim for canola oil should send a positive message to consumers on both sides of the border. Canola Council of Canada president Barb Isman says the FDA’s stamp of approval is proof positive that canola oil’s unsaturated fats are really “Good for Every Body”!

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has ruled that canola oil is now eligible to bear a qualified health claim on its ability to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease due to its unsaturated fat content.

“The FDA puts all health claim petitions through rigorous scientific review,” Isman says.

Here’s what the FDA approved for display on containers of canola oil and eligible products** sold in the U.S.:

Limited and not conclusive scientific evidence suggests that eating about 1½ tablespoons (19 grams) of canola oil daily may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease due to the unsaturated fat content in canola oil. To achieve this possible benefit, canola oil is to replace a similar amount of saturated fat and not increase the total number of calories you eat in a day. One serving of this product contains [x] grams of canola oil.

Isman says the Council will be supporting the use of this new marketing tool to promote healthy eating because “it’s now possible to point to this FDA approval to show very clearly that all fats are not created equal”.

“Canola oil is a good fat. We’ve said it all along and now the FDA agrees. Canola oil provides a simple and affordable way to improve heart health and that’s great news. We’re hoping as an industry of course, that the claim will encourage more food product designers and manufacturers to use canola oil rather than less healthy choices.”

Canola oil is high in healthy unsaturated fats (93%), free of cholesterol and trans fat, and the lowest in saturated fat (7%) of any common edible oil. In addition, canola oil is multi-functional with a high heat tolerance, neutral taste and light, smooth texture.

For details of the FDA Qualified Health Claim for canola oil, go to www.canola-council.org. 

* U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves qualified health claim for canola oil: healthy oil may help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease
** Criteria for foods eligible to bear the claim include containing at least 4.75 grams of canola oil per reference amount customarily consumed, no more than one gram of trans fat and low levels of saturated fat and cholesterol.

BACKGROUND

The FDA has authorized qualified health claims (QHCs) related to heart disease risk reduction for olive oil, nuts, walnuts and foods that contain DHA/EPA (omega-3 fatty acids) to date. (Note that QHCs have been approved for other foods and compounds related to different health conditions. A full list is at http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/qhc-sum.html.)

The agency's announcements on each of the heart disease-related QHCs along with their petitioners are as follows:

Olive oil - Nov. 1, 2004 - C level QHC
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/news/2004/NEW01129.html
Olive oil QHC petitioner: Bob Bauer, The North American Olive Oil Association, Neptune, NJ

Tree nuts - July 14, 2003 - B level QHC
No press release issued by FDA, but tree nut QHC authorized per http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/qhcnuts2.html
Nut QHC petitioner: D.J. Soetaert, president, International Tree Nut Council, Nutrition Research and Education Foundation, Davis, CA

Walnuts - March 31, 2004 - B level QHC
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/news/2004/NEW01044.html
Walnut QHC petitioner: Sarah E. Taylor, J.D., R.D., M.P.H., Covington & Burling, Washington, DC

Omega-3 Fatty Acids (conventional foods that contain EPA/DHA) - September 8, 2004 - B level QHC
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/news/2004/NEW01115.html 
Omega-3 QHC petitioner: Jonathan W. Emord, Esq., Emord & Associates, P.C., Reston, VA