Even after removing the bad oil, nearly 4 out of 10 packaged foods still contained palm oil — which is also high in saturated fat — meaning the overall fat profile didn't get much healthier.
Scientific Claim
After regulation, tropical oils (primarily palm oil) were present in 39.7% of packaged food products in Poland, up from 47% before regulation, indicating that while PHOs were eliminated, tropical oils remained a dominant fat source in processed foods.
Original Statement
“Nearly 40% of the products (n = 309; 39.7%) from six food categories... contained tropical oils, primarily palm oil... In Study I, prior to the implementation... tropical oils were present in 47% of the products.”
Evidence Quality Assessment
Claim Status
appropriately stated
Study Design Support
Design supports claim
Appropriate Language Strength
definitive
Can make definitive causal claims
Assessment Explanation
The claim reports observed percentages from two time points using identical methodology. No causal inference is made — only descriptive comparison.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (0)
Contradicting (1)
The study says companies stopped using harmful trans fats (PHOs) and mostly switched to palm oil, but it doesn’t say how common palm oil is in all packaged foods — so the claim’s numbers are made up and not backed by the study.