A U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ban on partially hydrogenated oils is forcing an Illinois potato chip maker to make big changes.
Rockford-based Mrs. Fisher’s Chips has been using the oil in its products for decades. Chris Spiess, company vice president, says it helped make Mrs. Fisher’s stand out from the crowd.
“The partially hydrogenated oil portion gave a unique flavor to our chip,” Spiess said, according to ilnews.org. “It gave heaviness to it and a full-hearted taste to it. When you bite into a nationwide brand potato chip, it’s light and very easy to crumble. That shortening helped give [our chip] that stout ability to it and it was unlike anything else.”
The FDA issued the ban in 2015, giving food manufacturers three years to comply. According to a statement, officials determined that “partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs), the primary dietary source of artificial trans fat in processed foods, are not ‘generally recognized as safe’ for use in human food.”
Mrs. Fisher’s has been adjusting their chip recipe since the ruling and customers are noticing a difference. Officials at the 85-year-old company are hoping customers understand this change is not being made by choice
Mrs. Fisher’s is one of the oldest chip manufacturers in the Midwest, employing about a dozen people at its Rockford factory. Ethel and Eugen Fisher began making these potato chips in 1932 from their home.
