According to a Reuters Health article, manufacturers of corn oil and foods containing the fat can now promote their products as a way to possibly reduce the risk of heart disease. The move came in response to a petition submitted on behalf of ACH Food Companies Inc., part of Associated British Foods, which said there was enough evidence to support such a qualified claim, as long as consumers were not misled. ACH's line-up of brands includes Mazola corn oil, Karo light corn syrup and Argo corn starch.
The Reuters article notes that in order to qualify for the new corn oil claim, products must be low in cholesterol and saturated fat, among other criteria. The products that could qualify to carry the qualified claim include: corn oil, vegetable oil blends and spreads, salad dressings, shortenings and certain baked goods containing the oil.
Reuters claims that those products that meet the criteria must say that 'very limited and preliminary scientific evidence suggests that eating about 1 tablespoon (16 grams) of corn oil daily may reduce the risk of heart disease due to the unsaturated fat content in corn oil ... FDA concludes that there is little scientific evidence supporting this claim. To achieve this possible benefit, corn oil is to replace a similar amount of saturated fat and not increase the total number of calories you eat in a day.'
