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Trends in Fat Disappearance in the United States, 1909–65

Graduate School of Nutrition, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York

This paper presents a detailed analysis of the development of disappearance data with special reference to the problem of how much fat Americans use currently and have used historically. It has been shown that sharp changes in the per capita level of total fat disappearance occurred at times when the methodology of producing the data was being revised. The most probable source of error in these statistics is in the fats and oils group. The single most important development in the past 30 years in terms of fat in the diet is the marked increase in soybean oil production and the ramifications this has had on the availability of fats and oils at retail.

Disappearance of a fat or oil into retail channels does not necessarily mean that the commodity was actually ingested but is only indicative of presumed ingestion. These data cannot be compared directly with data for adults as they include estimates for the total civilian population. They cannot be compared directly with household surveys as they include the food used in institutions and restaurants.

There is no real upward trend in fat disappearance between 1940 and 1965. Interpretation of data on fat disappearance before 1940 is extremely difficult due to wide variations in pork production in the 1930's and inadequate data for prior years. Therefore to presume that Americans have greatly increased their level of fat consumption since 1909 is highly questionable. We cannot say with any certainty what has actually happened to the level of fat consumption.

It is clear that some major shifts have occurred in the types of fat that make up total disappearance. The increased availability of soybean oil and changing tastes and preferences of the American consumer have led to an increased disappearance of vegetable based fats and oils at the expense of animal fats.