2019 Clean Label Conference
Presentation: Factors to Consider for Selecting the Best Fats and Oils to Meet Clean Label Requirements
Speaker: Neil Widlak, MSc, Consultant, Fats and Oil Technologies
Neil Widlak is semi-retired and consulting in fat and oil technologies after having worked in the food industry for over 40 years. His experience includes finding innovative solutions for making foods healthier by incorporating new fat and oil systems to replace partially hydrogenated fats; as well as working with other modifications to improve a fat’s or oil’s healthfulness, performance and/or cost benefits.
Widlak has been employed by both large companies and ingredient suppliers (Kraft Foods and Archer Daniels Midland) and smaller companies (Lou Ana Foods and InterMountain Canola) in fundamental research, formulation and customer service. He is the past president of the American Oil Chemists’ Society, having served on the governing board for several years. This enabled him to understand and develop relevant programs to meet its members’ needs.
Title: Factors to Consider for Selecting the Best Fats and Oils to Meet Clean Label Requirements
Presentation Description: When selecting fats and oils in order to obtain a clean label, key factors must be considered. They include understanding the important chemical and physical properties influencing functional performance; the ease in which “clean” alternative fats and oils can be sourced; and, their perceived impact on health. Because a “clean” label has no standard definition, satisfying a clean label requirement will be different for each food manufacturer. This presentation will provide guidance to formulators and marketers on how to choose the best functional and cost alternative fats and oils to meet a company’s individual clean label standards with the goal of being readily accepted by its customers.
