UK Watchdog Clears ‘Less Saturated Fat Than Olive Oil’ Ads

Britain’s advertising watchdog has cleared Unilever’s TV ads saying its Flora Cuisine cooking oil has “45 percent less saturated fat than olive oil”, rejecting complaints in two separate rulings this month. The claim is accurate as far as it goes. Here is what the ads said, why the complaints failed, and what the comparison leaves out for anyone choosing between the two bottles.

What happened

Flora Cuisine is a blend of sunflower, linseed and rapeseed oils, sold as a heart-friendly oil for frying, roasting and baking. Its TV ads show the presenter Vernon Kay asking his mother what she is pouring into the pan. “Flora Cuisine, 45 percent less saturated fat than olive oil,” she replies, and later tells him she is looking after his “little ticker”.

The Advertising Standards Authority dealt with the ads twice. In a ruling published on August 8, it rejected complaints from six people who felt the ads implied Flora Cuisine had heart benefits olive oil lacks. The ASA said it had seen evidence that switching would cut saturated fat intake, which could contribute to normal heart function, so the ad was not misleading. It noted, though, that from December 14 a general claim like looking after your ticker must be accompanied by one of the specific health claims authorized by the EU.

In a second ruling on August 15, it rejected a viewer’s complaint that the 45 percent figure was flawed because the product contains water, which evaporates in the pan. The ASA said viewers would understand the comparison as using the same amount of each product, and that on that basis the saturated fat saving held. Olive Oil Times reported both decisions this week.

What the comparison leaves out

On saturated fat alone, the numbers are what they are: olive oil is roughly 14 percent saturated fat, and a blend built around seed oils can be lower. But saturated fat is not the reason people choose olive oil. Its case rests on being mostly monounsaturated fat and, in the virgin grades, on natural polyphenols that refined seed oils do not carry.

• Olive oil has its own approved claim. The EU list of authorized health claims, adopted in May, allows “olive oil polyphenols contribute to the protection of blood lipids from oxidative stress”, but only for oils with at least 5 mg of hydroxytyrosol and related compounds per 20 g.
• Not every olive oil qualifies. Refined and blended grades lose most of their polyphenols, so the claim really belongs to fresh, good extra virgin.
• Some claims were turned down. On August 7 the European Food Safety Authority said it saw no reason to reconsider its rejection of a claim that olive oil polyphenols help maintain normal HDL cholesterol.

What it means for buyers

Both oils can have a place in a kitchen. If your concern is the saturated fat number on a label, the ad is technically right. If you are choosing olive oil for flavor and for the overall pattern of Mediterranean eating, a lower saturated fat figure on a seed oil blend does not change that, and the best evidence for olive oil comes from using it in place of butter and other solid fats.

This is general information, not medical advice. If you have been told to watch your cholesterol or your heart health, talk to your doctor or a dietitian about which fats suit you.

For more, see Olive Oil and Heart Health: The Honest Version, Olive Oil vs Butter and Margarine: The Honest Comparison and, on another rival’s label, Canola Oil Bottles Can Carry Label On Heart Benefits.

Sources

• Olive Oil Times: U.K. Watchdog Okays Unilever’s ‘Less Saturated Fat than Olive Oil’ Claim
• NutraIngredients: UK watchdog ‘O-Kays’ Unilever healthy oil campaign
• The Drum: Vernon Kay Flora Cuisine advert escapes ban
• EUR-Lex: Commission Regulation (EU) No 432/2012, list of permitted health claims