By the early 1990s, the oil processing industry began research
and development of trans fat-free replacements in anticipation of the
publication (first proposed in 1994, final publication in 1999) of
labeling regulations which became federal law in July 2003. Many food
companies began the reformulation and testing of products well before
the 2006 deadline. During the period of 2003 through 2007, the
number of foods having a low or a zero trans claim increased from 200
to well over 1,900. A major challenge to the industry was to accomplish
the goal with commodity fats and oils, including soybean, cottonseed,
sunflower, canola, corn, palm and animal fats. However, over
the past five years, a number of trait-modified oils whose fatty acid
compositions have been altered by plant breeding have been
commercialized, and others are expected to be available within a few
years. Currently, low-linolenic soybean oils are available;
high-oleic soybean oils are available in limited quantities for testing,
and high stearic and stearidonic acid oils will appear on the market
soon. Other commercially available trait-modified oils include mid- and
high-oleic sunflower and canola oils, as well as high-oleic safflower
varieties. By 2008, trait-modified oils accounted for 12% (3 billion
pounds) of the U.S. consumption, and it has been estimated that nearly 1
billion pounds of trans and saturated fatty acids were removed from the
food supply.