This book as a whole is concerned with the reduction of saturated fats in foods.
The background to this, both in terms of the clinical nutritional studies backing up the
need for such reductions to be made and the sources of saturated fats in the diet, are
discussed in the fi rst part of the book. The second part of the book deals with ways of
reducing saturates in those food categories that contribute the most saturates to the
diet. This opening chapter sets the scene for the rest of the book by outlining the
background as to why we should be reducing saturated fat intake, but also giving
some details of the opposite view. For those unfamiliar with the chemistry of fats and
fatty acids a brief introduction to this is given. The chapter then goes on to give
some information on the usage of some of the more common ‘saturated’ fats (palm
oil, palm kernel oil, coconut oil, butterfat and lard) over the past 15 years in the EU,
US and UK. The chapter also discusses what the various options are in terms of the
materials that could be used to replace saturates, before concluding with a brief
examination of some food categories that are not considered in their own right in later
separate chapters – foods such as cakes and doughnuts, ready meals and non-chocolate
confectionery.