Producers of margarines, fats and oils
Product Board for Margarine, Fats and Oils (MVO), The Netherlands
A collaboration between the producers and customers of oils and fats. The objective of the Task Force is to reduce the quantity of saturated fats and trans fats in foodstuffs. For more detailed information, please see the factsheet.
Information article
Liquid fats in food
‘Liquid fats are healthier than solid fats' - this message has been propounded for many years already. But do we actually eat them? And does the consumption of liquid fats lead to a better, healthier fatty acid composition in food? In order to be able to answer these questions TNO (Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research) Quality of Life has carried out supplementary analyses of the data obtained by the Food Consumption survey 2003. The research shows that using mainly liquid fat for the preparation of food is more favourable for a favourable fatty acid composition of diet than the use of solid fats for preparation.
Liquid fats contain many unsaturated fatty acids. Solid fats contain a relatively large proportion of saturated fatty acids. As is known, unsaturated fatty acids have a favourable effect on the cholesterol level in the blood, while saturated fatty acids actually have an unfavourable effect on this.
ResearchA limited food consumption survey was carried out in the Netherlands among 750 men and women between the ages of 19 and 30 in 2003. The in-depth analyses carried out by TNO Quality of Life investigated what the intake of fats and fatty acids by users of liquid margarine and cooking and frying products is compared with that for the users of solid fats. Analysis was also carried out to determine what the contribution made by margarine, low-fat margarine and cooking and frying fats to the intake of fats and fatty acids is.
Use of different spreading and preparation fats
The research showed that women used margarines with a lower content of saturated fat less than margarines with a higher content of saturated fat. Men though do choose the softer margarines with a lower content of saturated fat. This is the other way round for low-fat margarines. For cooking and frying, including deep-frying, fats the liquid products with a low content of saturated fats were used to about the same extent as the solid products. The average consumption by men was almost always greater than that of women here. This is shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1 Consumption (g/d) of different types of cooking and frying fats, margarines, low-fat margarines and deep-frying fats. Source: TNO report V6542
For this research the research population was divided into three groups according to the type of fat used for the preparation of the hot meal (see Table 1).
- Use of liquid fats only for the preparation of food (liquid cooking and frying products, margarines and/or oils)
- Use of both liquid fat and solid cooking fats (wrapped margarine or butter)
- Use of solid cooking and frying products and/or margarines only.
This showed that those who used liquid fats for preparing food only had a significantly lower intake of saturated fatty acids than those who used solid fats only. This was also true, but to a lesser extent for a combined use of liquid and solid fats. The intake of unsaturated fatty acids is also significantly higher for the users of liquid fats for the preparation of food. These relationships were found both for men and women.
| Men | Women | |||||
| Group | 1: liquid
n = 82 |
2: solid n = 117 |
3: both
n = 122 |
1: liquid
n = 109 |
2: solid n = 124 |
3: both n = 110 |
| Energy (kcal) | 2570 | 2820 | 2800 | 1860 | 1960 | 1920 |
| Total fat (g)
Saturated fat (g) Unsaturated fat (g) Trans fat (g) |
96
34 52 3 |
106
41 54 3 |
109
40 58 3 |
73
26 39 2 |
77
30 38 3 |
73
27 38 3 |
| Total fat (%) Saturated fat (%) Unsaturated fat (%) Trans fat (%) |
33.8
12.0 18.3 1.0 |
33.8
13.1 17.2 1.0 |
34.5
12.8 18.6 1.0 |
34.9
12.6 18.7 1.1 |
35.0
13.9 17.4 1.1 |
33.4
12.4 17.4 1.1 |
Table 1 Intake of energy and fats for young adults according to type of fat used for the preparation of food. Source: TNO report V6542
The research shows that education plays a part in the use of the type of fat used for the preparation of food. Liquid fats only for preparation were used more by persons with a higher education and solid fats only by persons with a lower education.
Sources: Hulshof KFAM, Ocke MC, van Rossum CTM, et al. Resultaten van de voedsel-consumptiepeiling 2003 (Results of the food consumption survey 2003). RIVM report 350030002/2004, TNO report V6000, Bilthoven 2004
Hulshof KFAM, Doest D ter. Aanvullende berekeningen met betrekking tot de consumptie van zichtbare vetten bij jongvolwassenen. Voedselconsumptiepeiling 2003 (Additional calculations concerning the consumption of visible fats by young adults, Food consumption survey 2003); TNO report V6542. Zeist 2005
