FSS and FSA issue further guidance on the use of oils as ingredient substitutions

Food Standards Scotland (FSS) and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) are updating consumers and businesses concerning refined or fully refined food grade vegetable oils that may be used as ingredient substitutions in some food products, despite being labelled as containing sunflower oil.

This update adds fully refined corn (maize) oil to previously issued advice to consumers that refined rapeseed oil, fully refined palm oil, fully refined coconut oil and fully refined soybean oil are temporarily being used in some products without updated labelling.

FSS and FSA have also published the rapid risk assessment underpinning their advice. Their findings show that the risk of allergic reactions from the substitute oils on the list is very low and for fully refined soybean oil it is negligible, which means that allergic reactions to these fully refined vegetable oils are very rare and, if they do occur, are mild.

Source: FSS, 1 June 2022