Facts about Peanut Oil
1. The FDA exempts highly refined peanut oil from being labeled as an allergen. Studies show that individuals with peanut allergy can safely eat peanut oil (but not cold-pressed, expelled or extruded peanut oil – sometimes represented as gourmet oils). You only buy cold pressed oils in small quantity as they are very expensive.
2. Peanut oil has been considered to be devoid of allergenicity, and this was initially confirmed by double-blind crossover studies.
From Chick-Fil-A Website: http://www.chick-fil-a.com/Food/Ingredients
Curious About Peanut Oil?
Since our Founder and Chairman Truett Cathy created the Chick-fil-A® Chicken Sandwich in the early 1960s, we have used only refined (heat processed) peanut oil to pressure cook our chicken. Truett found it to be the purest oil available and more healthful and better tasting to customers than other oils. Chick-fil-A’s use of peanut oil is communicated on packaging, menu boards, nutrition guides and this Website.
Allergens
Our peanut oil is a high-temperature, heat-processed, fully refined peanut oil (refined, bleached and deodorized). This means the proteins in the oil are stripped out during the processing. According to the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska Food Allergy Research and Resource Program, highly refined oils “do not demonstrate a hazard to allergic individuals1”. There have been many well-designed studies to test the effect of highly refined oils on allergic individuals, and the majority of these “support the position that refined oils are safe for the food allergic-allergic population to consume1.”
Also, according to the International Food Information Council Foundation, highly refined (heat solvent extracted) oils are “non allergenic2.”
The following excerpt comes from the International Food Information Council2:
Myth: Since I’m allergic to peanuts, I can’t eat anything with peanut oil.
Reality: There are many misunderstandings regarding exactly what might stimulate the food allergic reaction. “Virtually all food allergens are proteins,” explained Steve L. Taylor, Ph.D., co-director of the Food Allergy Research and Resource Program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. “And, the process of refining oil removes the protein which would trigger an allergic reaction.” Oils used in processed foods and in cosmetics are highly refined and should pose no problem for the food allergic individual. Yet, caution should be taken with natural, cold pressed or flavored oils. These oils, as well as oil that has been used to cook peanuts (or another food to which an individual might have an allergy), might contain the protein of the allergen and should be avoided. For example, an individual with a fish allergy should ensure that the oil used to cook his or her food was not first used to fry fish.
In addition, the Food and Drug Administration states highly refined oils, such as our peanut oil, are not considered a “major food allergen,” and therefore do not have to be labeled as such.