The Scoop on Margarine

5. New Formulations

Margarine producers have responded to the FDA’s directive by revamping their ingredients and processing. They are replacing PHOs with water or liquid vegetable oils, including coconut, olive, avocado, and palm. Through a process called interesterification, they combine unsaturated fatty acids with a solid fat by total hydrogenation. According to the Canada-based Office for Science and Society, this process does not create trans fats. Thus, many of today’s margarine products have less saturated fat and virtually no trans fat compared to earlier products. However, it is too early to determine how these new formulations affect our health.