As an industry we have developed products over the years to help consumers to meet their needs in terms of spreading and culinary performance, quality and nutrition. We were pioneers in the development of margarines low in saturated fat and of low fat spreads. This has helped consumers to make reductions in fat intake and substitute saturated fats with unsaturated fats.

New research in recent years has tended to refine the same fundamental picture with regard to healthy eating and reinforce rather than contradict earlier recommendations. This is certainly true of the recent findings on trans fats. From a consumer and health point of view the advice on spreading products remains, as it has been for the past 20 years, to switch from butter and hard margarines to soft margarines or low fat spreads.

IMACE members provide a variety of soft, high in unsaturates spreads and low fat spreads that are low in saturated fats and very low in trans fats. Their popularity has been a factor in the improved dietary balance seen in recent years in many countries.

IMACE position

IMACE advocates the need for consumers to observe a balanced relation between fatty acids, as one of the main elements of a healthy diet.

Based on the FAO/WHO Report on Fats and Oils in Nutrition, IMACE therefore supports the following recommendations

• that consumers should control their overall fat intake to approximately 30-35% energy
• that consumers should cut down saturated fat intake to under 10% energy and reduce their intake of trans fatty acids
• that consumers should increase polyunsaturated fat intake to 7% - 10% energy.
  

Based on nutrition science, these recommendations also apply to children, above 2 years.

More info :
Vitamin A and D fortification of margarines and fat spreads across countries of the European Community.
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