Brakes to remove hydrogenated vegetable oils

Supplier Brakes is to remove hydrogenated vegetable oils (HVO) from its own brand products by the end of the year.

Since the start of the year Brakes has made sure any own-brand products launched have been HVO free and it has been reducing use of the oil across its range.

Many suppliers and operators are removing HVO from their products as the trans-fats they sometimes contain have in recent years been shown to carry a association with an increased risk of Coronary Heart Disease.

Big names that have announced trans-fat reductions or bans include pub operator JD Wetherspoon, Domino's Pizza and KFC.

Head of nutrition and health at Brakes, Elieen Steinbock, said: "The removal of HVOs from all our own-brand products is a major challenge as we wish to avoid any adverse impact on product quality or nutrition profile, but we have been working on this for some time and concluding that the removal during this year confirms our commitment to consumer health."

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By Chris Druce

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