American multinational chemical firm Dow has announced that its Omega-9 Oils have addressed one of the company's 2015 sustainability goals in the area of health,by eliminating more than one billion pounds of trans and saturated fat from the North American diet since their introduction in 2005.
Dow Sustainability and EH&S vice president Neil Hawkins said that although the US Food and Drug Administration has required food labeling of trans fats since 2006,many processed foods still contain unhealthy levels of trans fats and high levels of saturated fat.
"Omega-9 Oils,developed by Dow AgroSciences,are a critical step in addressing world health problems related to nutrition and lifestyle-and another example of Dow innovation pointed squarely at the most pressing issues of our time,"Hawkins added.
Omega-9 Oils are derived from Dow subsidiary Dow AgroSciences'NEXERA canola and sunflower seeds.
According to the company,Omega-9 Oils have zero trans fat and the lowest amount of saturated fat among commonly used cooking oils,including corn,cottonseed,palm,peanut and soybean.
Omega-9 Oils are used widely throughout North America and increasingly in Asia,Europe and Latin America.More than 100 leading restaurant chains and packaged food companies currently use Omega-9 Oils,the company said.
Dow's 2015 sustainability goals focus the Company's efforts on strengthening relationships within communities,continuing to improve product stewardship,innovating to solve world challenges and reducing its global footprint.
