The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized a qualified health claim for canola oil, linking it to a possible reduction in coronary heart disease risk.

The FDA approved the following verbiage: "Limited and not conclusive scientific evidence suggests that eating about 1 1/2 tablespoons (19 grams) of canola oil daily may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease due to the unsaturated fat content in canola oil. To achieve this possible benefit, canola oil is to replace a similar amount of saturated fat and not increase the total number of calories you eat in a day. One serving of this product contains [x] grams of canola oil." Foods eligible to carry the claim must contain at least 4.75 grams of canola oil.

According to the U.S. Canola Association, canola oil is lowest in saturated fat (7 percent) of any common edible oil, and contains no cholesterol or trans fat. This composition helps reduce the risk of CHD by lowering total and LDL cholesterol, according to the USCA, which submitted the health claim petition.

Natural Foods Merchandiser volume XXVII/number 11/p. 10