A Sunny substitute: NuSun sunflower oil is fashionable alternative to trans fats

By Cindy Green

A hip new sunflower hybrid — NuSun™ — produces shelf-stable oil without hydrogenation.
 

That’s important now that trans fats are showing up on food labels. Major food companies are embracing alternatives to trans-fat-laden hydrogenated oil.

“We don’t know how many products we’re in now,” says Larry Kleingartner, head of the National Sunflower Association (NSA) in Bismark, N.D. “Some companies protect that information; but some want to make a big splash about it.” Frito Lay completely converted to non-hydrogenated oils like NuSun in 2003, and Old Dutch and Barrel O’Fun have also been using it in their popular snack foods.

“Old Dutch’s kettle chips are awesome,” Kleingartner says. “They talk about using the
best potatoes and they also mention that they exclusively use sunflower oil.”

Many companies are still converting because of new label requirements. “We know that a
number of companies were waiting until later this fall; some will make the switch in the next couple years.”
 

Designer sunflowers
In 1995, the NSA made a commitment to designing a hybrid sunflower oil with a fatty-acid
structure that would meet changing consumer and food-industry demands: “oil that had a pleasing taste, stability without needing partial hydrogenation and lowsaturated fat levels,” says the NSA’s Web site.

NuSun was developed through standard breeding without genetic modification and commercialized in 1998. A bottled oil labeled NuSun is not on the market yet. “But when you see sunflower oil in a bottle, it’s likely NuSun,” Kleingartner says.

Premium price
Sunflower growers get a premium for NuSun. “It is generally sold for at least 50 cents more
per hundredweight than traditional sunflower oil,” Kleingartner says, and is $1.50 to $2-plus
per hundredweight more than former export market prices.
 

NuSun’s biggest competitors are corn and cottonseed oils, as both are shelf-stable without
hydrogenation, Kleingartner says. “But we don’t grow corn for oil — it’s a byproduct. The
same with cotton — it’s not grown for its seed or oil.”

“The advantage of sunflower is it’s an oil seed that you can increase production of,” as oil
demand increases. “We only produce oil.” Corn and cotton production, conversely, is set
“by the demand for their food and fiber.”

Trans fats losing global favor
Canada is establishing a trans fat label rule that is a little more restrictive; they have to add
their trans and saturated fats together on the label, on a per-serving basis.

“So a food product has to be low in both trans and saturated fats to claim either,”
Kleingartner says. “That eliminates a number of oils — cotton, palm and, in some cases,
corn.” With 0 grams trans fats and 9 percent saturates, NuSun is just under the limit to
make the claim.

“It’s opening up a good market in Canada — some nice opportunities.” Denmark also has a
trans-fat labeling requirement “but we’re not feeling any real activity because of that.”
 

European consumers, who reject genetically modified ag products, ironically have not
yet embraced the trans-fat-free movement. “There are real contrasts in Europe. They don’t
care about saturates … they use palm oil that is about 60 percent saturated fat. But we do
expect that at sometime they will embrace trans fats.”

Short supply for expanding demand

Weather has not cooperated with NuSun’s sharp demand increase. “Unfortunately (with 2004’s cold summer) we had a horrible, horrible short crop that threw a wrench into
the whole situation. We had to turn customers away last year, so we’re basically starting all
over. Once you turn someone away, they find another supply.”

The 2005 crop is much better. “Yields are excellent. But you don’t want to turn the spigot on, go full speed, then turn it off. Unfortunately, last year we had to.”

A fast food future
“We see lots of potential in institutional food use,” Kleingartner says. “That’s an area that
hasn’t opened up yet. … There are no labeling requirements in food service or fast foods.”
“Hospitals are telling patients to eliminate trans and saturates, but a majority of hospitals
still use trans fats in their kitchens.”

Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a Harvard Medical School teaching hospital in Boston,
decided to use NuSun several years ago after NSA did a cooking demonstration with fries,
onion rings and fish. “They’ve been leading the charge on eliminating trans fats … not
only for patients but in their main public dining hall.”

“Finer restaurants will embrace,” going transfat free, Kleingartner says. On the other hand,
“McDonalds says basically our customers don’t care. … But the Center for Science in
the Public Interest is already marking (food chains) for their next battle.” ■