Do you remember where you were the first time you tried a Wow chip?
Hopefully within running distance of a toilet.
What a disaster of a product.
Remember, that fat substitute that was known to run through people?
It was called Olestra (marketed under the name Olean) and discovered by Procter & Gamble.
Some at P&G thought this was breakthrough in the food industry and expected a billion plus market.
P&G pushed hard (probably not with any Olestra in their system at the time) on Congress and the FDA to get approval and their patents extended.
On January 24, 1996, the FDA approved olestra for use in savory snacks such as chips, crackers, and tortilla chips.
I don't know - does savory have different meanings because I only remember the toilet time with those Wow chips?
Here's a statement from the FDA years ago about labeling:
" The FDA concluded that the label statement was no longer warranted because:
'Real-life' consumption studies of products containing olestra showed olestra caused only infrequent, mild gastrointestinal (GI) effects. In fact, a 6-week study with more than 3,000 people showed that the group consuming olestra-containing chips experienced only a minor increase in bowel movement frequency compared to those people who consumed only full-fat chips."
3000 people ?? I wonder what they got paid for that study? Hopefully enough to cover 6 weeks of underwear.
So why bring this up? I heard about a new application for Olestra recently.
This time the shelves of the paint department might soon have Olestra based paint. P&G calls the new chemical mix, Sefose. Sefose can be used to replace harmful ingredients commonly found in oil paints.
OK - this sounds better than eating it - But don't lick the paint brush. 
food
