Procter & Gamble wants to take fake fat nationwide

Olestra now sold only in few states

In this story:

• FDA not worried by hundreds of complaints
• Chefs demonstrate olestra-made meals
• Related stories and sites

June 16, 1997
Web posted at: 4:20 p.m. EDT (2020 GMT)

From Correspondent Eugenia Halsey

(CNN) -- Right now, if you want the Olestra experience you have to live in Indiana, Ohio, or Colorado. The controversial fat substitute, approved last year by the Food and Drug Administration and marketed by Procter & Gamble under the brand name Olean, is being tested in those states. And, if critics have their way, national distribution won't proceed.

Indianapolis is the newest and biggest test market, so far, for fake fat versions of Lay's and Ruffles brand potato chips and Doritos brand corn chips.

You can also get olestra now in other companies' products, including Ritz and Wheat Thins crackers and Pringles potato chips.

At first, Frito-Lay called its olestra-made potato chips "Max." The name didn't catch on, however, and was changed to "Wow!"

FDA not worried by hundreds of complaints

Olestra essentially is fat and sugar, chemically processed so that it passes through the human body unabsorbed.

For now, it's approved only for salty snacks but for some consumers, one bag was enough.

"They made me sick," one shopper told CNN, adding that snack foods made with olestra upset her stomach.

"I had some cramping," one man said. "And if you read the bag, it says 'loose stools.' That happened (to me)."

In all, about 800 consumers have reported mild to moderate side effects, including diarrhea, according to the FDA, which says the complaints are nothing worrisome.

Still, the Center for Science in the Public Interest -- a consumer watchdog group -- wants olestra products pulled from shelves. "An additive that can cause vomiting or diarrhea does not belong in a snack food eaten by millions of Americans," argues Michael Jacobson, the center's executive director.

Chefs demonstrate olestra-made meals

Procter & Gamble has been firing back with testimonials, including one from former Health and Human Services Secretary Louis Sullivan, who is now a paid consultant to P&G.

He says the fact that the FDA has approved the fat substitute is good enough for him. Sullivan calls olestra "a very good, innovative product with another approach to controlling our weight."

Dr. Sullivan was among dozens of invited guests who recently attended an Atlanta dinner where appetizers and desserts were made with olestra oil, which has not yet been approved for the general public.

"I think it's really the oil of the '90s," said Chef Paul Albrecht of Pano's & Paul's restaurant. Procter & Gamble is demonstrating olestra-made meals in cities nationwide.

The company claims Olestra snack foods have been flying off the shelves in test market cities. "We've sold or sampled more than 15 million servings," says P&G's Greg Allgood. "People are telling us that this is a product that works for them."

For now, Frito-Lay plans to make "Wow!" potato chips available nationally sometime next year.

 

• Food special: Fat
• Health special: Fitness

Related stories:

• 1996 Year In Review: Olestra
• Olestra prompts a fat-free food fight - October 1, 1996
• New fake fat: tastes good, less filling - August 25, 1996

Related sites:

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• Olean - Proctor and Gamble
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration
  • Olestra and Other Fat Substitutes

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