high in soybeans
Of the 18 ‘blended’ samples of bottled soybean oil, 12 were found to have transfats above acceptable levels. Transfats were also present in the remaining samples, albeit at lower levels. Similarly, for open drum soybean oil, transfats were found above acceptable levels in 12 ‘mixed’ samples, while 37 were found to have below levels.
None of the palm oils were found to contain more than acceptable levels of transfat. However, transfats were found in all samples, although the levels were below normal limits.
In 2021, the Food Safety Authority introduced rules to control trans fatty acids in food products, effective from December 31, 2022, with a maximum level set at 2 percent. However, the study found that overall, the soybean oil samples contained two to four times more transfats than the standard level. The researchers have not disclosed the name of the company producing and marketing the oil.