Olestra - The Silver Bullet?

Imagine hogging onto a pack of delectable fries with a big gulp cola, does it reek of calories and a forbearer of the all pervasive and a nervous “hey, have I put on some..eh?” Wait a minute; did ‘He’ just listen to you? Not sure, but yes, the guys at Proctor & Gamble of course did!

Circa 1996, P&G launched Olean (generic-Olestra), the much famed no-fat cooking oil that replaces fat in preparing foods or the so called ‘fake fat’. Olestra is made by a combination of sucrose and vegetable oil, whose numerous fatty acid chains are indigestible by the human body. Therefore, it imbues potato chips with the same flavor and texture as their full-fat cousins but diminishes the guilt factor substantially. Olestra can be used in deep-frying, and it tastes about the same as fat without the absorption of fat or calories. Obviously, this is quite an attractive prospect to chip producers, especially in the current times. P&G had a potential goldmine under its belt; it however decided to share the success with Frito Lay’s! Corporate brotherhood? we were to learn later! All shelves in US were inundated with Frito-Lay’s WOW! Chips, Procter and Gamble’s Fat Free Pringles, and Utz Brand Yes chips.

The devil lied in the details, 1996 saw P&G being granted FDA approval to use in snacks, but there was a caveat. Each pack was to carry a label: “This product contains Olestra. Olestra may cause abdominal cramping and loose stools. Olestra inhibits the absorption of some vitamins and other nutrients. Vitamins A, D, E, and K have been added.” In documents marked "Confidential and Proprietary," Frito-Lay admits that olestra caused "anal oil leakage" in a study commissioned by the company.

Stock markets were bullish on P&G and waited with a bated breath; P&G had poured in almost a billion dollars into it and now was the time to reap on it. In the face of threat of product failure looming large, P&G decided to license it to other chip manufacturers. The sales? Their was a great interest in the product This interest came in spite of over a thousand reports of adverse side effects associated with Olestra, including severe diarrhea, fecal incontinence, and abdominal cramps. To counter these claims, Procter and Gamble hired numerous consultants and dietitians to back up the product and spent even more money on advertising. Nationwide marketing of the WOW! Chips and Fat Free Pringles began in the spring of 1998, and there was a huge initial boom in sales.

But the sales dipped quickly, the reasons for which are not difficult to comprehend either. A lot of cases were reported, an equal number would have gone unreported. It has since remained an oligopolistic market.

The Olestra-based potato chip market has garnered everything from criticism to applauds, controversy to support. Once thought to be one of the snack food industry’s biggest breakthroughs, touting of the fake-fat chips has seemingly declined along with market sales. This is most likely due to the horrible publicity Olestra has received over the years as well as to the less than appetizing label its products are forced to bear.

Alas, we would have to wait before a guilt free chip snack finds it way to your street’s departmental store. For those, who in the world surrounded by saturated, unsaturated and trans fats find their way rather cumbersome, keep hitting veggies and the fruits. That's the mantra- keep it fresh, keep it natural!

Take care!