Hydrogenated Vegetable Fat

About

What it is and where it shows up.

Hydrogenated vegetable fat is produced by adding hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils under heat and pressure, converting them into semi-solid or solid fats with improved stability and extended shelf life. It is widely used in baked goods, margarine, shortenings, and fried foods for texture, plasticity, and resistance to rancidity.

Safety summary

The regulatory and scientific consensus.

Partially hydrogenated vegetable fats are the primary dietary source of industrially produced trans fatty acids (iTFAs), which raise LDL ('bad') cholesterol and substantially increase the risk of coronary heart disease and cardiovascular death. The US FDA declared partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs) not Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) in 2015 and banned their addition to foods by June 2018; the WHO launched its REPLACE action package in 2018 calling for global elimination of industrially produced trans fats by 2023. Fully hydrogenated vegetable oils (containing negligible trans fat but high saturated fat) remain permitted under specific conditions in some jurisdictions, but the two forms are frequently conflated on ingredient labels.

Regulatory landscape

What food-safety regulators have decided.

Jurisdiction	Status	Note
FDA (Food and Drug Administration) (United States)	Banned	FDA issued its final determination in June 2015 that PHOs are not GRAS; manufacturers were prohibited from adding PHOs to foods after June 18, 2018. Fully hydrogenated oils (negligible trans fat) remain permissible. A direct final rule to formally revoke any residual PHO uses was subsequently issued.source
EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) (European Union)	Restricted	Regulation (EU) 2019/649 limits industrial trans fatty acids (iTFAs) to a maximum of 2 g per 100 g of fat or oil in food products sold to final consumers and food producers, applicable from April 1, 2021. EFSA and the European Commission concluded that a legal content limit was the most effective public health measure for iTFA control.source
FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) (India)	Restricted	FSSAI gazetted regulations in February 2021 capping industrial TFA at ≤3% of total fats/oils by January 2021 and ≤2% by January 2022, applicable to partially hydrogenated vegetable fats, vanaspati, margarine, bakery shortenings, and all food products in which these are ingredients. Mandatory declaration of trans fat and saturated fat content on labels is also required.source

Who should approach with care

Whose guidance would steer them away.

Heart Disease — Industrial trans fatty acids from PHOs raise LDL cholesterol and significantly increase coronary heart disease risk and cardiovascular mortality, as established by the FDA, WHO, and multiple epidemiological studies.

Hypertension — Trans fats compound cardiovascular risk in individuals with pre-existing hypertension; FSSAI and WHO note that iTFA elimination is especially important for populations with comorbidities including hypertension.

Diabetes — Higher iTFA intakes are associated with elevated cholesterol and cardiovascular disease risk, which amplifies the already-elevated metabolic and cardiac risk burden in individuals with diabetes.

Children — FSSAI and WHO highlight that even low-level trans fat exposure in young populations increases long-term cardiovascular risk; children should minimise consumption of foods containing partially hydrogenated fats.

Pregnancy — Trans fatty acids can cross the placenta; avoidance is recommended to minimise cardiovascular and inflammatory risks for both the mother and the developing fetus.

Research citations

The sources behind this verdict.

1FDA. Trans Fat | FDA, 2024. fda.gov
2FSSAI. India@75: Freedom from Trans Fats by 2022 – FSSAI Press Release, 2021. fssai.gov.in
3PubMed. The Demise of Artificial Trans Fat: A History of a Public Health Achievement, 2021. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
4WHO. REPLACE: An action package to eliminate industrially-produced trans-fatty acids from global food supply, 2018. who.int
5FDA. Final Determination Regarding Partially Hydrogenated Oils (Removing Trans Fat), 2015. fda.gov

Independently researched5 citations