Italian food giant Barilla has eliminated palm oil from over 50 products across its Mulino Bianco brand.
As part of its saturated fat reduction plan, Barilla has replaced palm oil in some of its biscuits, snacks and breads, with healthier alternative oils such as sunflower and extra virgin olive oil. Galetti and Taralucci biscuits have been improved, along with snacks such as, Plum cake and Pan Goccioli.
The changes will also soon be implemented for other products, such as biscuits Abbracci, Rosite, Cuor di Mela and Rigoli.
Barilla is the latest Italian food company to eliminate palm oil from snacks and biscuits, following the example set by Gentilini, Colussi, Galbusera and Balocco.
The initiative has also been picked up by local retailers such as Esselunga, Coop and Conad.
Earlier this year, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) warned that glycerol-based contaminants found in palm oil, raise potential health concerns for average consumers of these foods in all young age groups, and for high consumers in all age groups.
The hazard can also be found in other vegetable oils, margarines and some processed foods.
For its part, the Italian Union for Sustainable Palm Oil, points out that palm oil contributes to less than 20% of the amount of saturated fats consumed daily, while the remaining 80% comes from other food.
It also claims that palm oil is effective in the use of pesticides (less than 2 kg/ton), compared to sunflower (6 kg/ton) and rapeseed (11 kg/ton).
© 2016 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
