Some food labels list "partially hydrogenated vegetable oil" as an ingredient. Others say "hydrogenated vegetable oil." Are there any US regulations regarding how those terms differ? Can the term "hydrogenated vegetable oil" legally be used for partially hydrogenated oil, or does it only apply to fully hydrogenated oil?
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According to US law, hydrogenated means fully hydrogenated.
If the fat or oil is completely hydrogenated, the name shall include the term hydrogenated, or if partially hydrogenated, the name shall include the term partially hydrogenated. If each fat and/or oil in a blend or the blend is completely hydrogenated, the term "hydrogenated" may precede the term(s) describing the blend, e.g., "hydrogenated vegetable oil (soybean, cottonseed, and palm oils)", rather than preceding the name of each individual fat and/or oil; if the blend of fats and/or oils is partially hydrogenated, the term "partially hydrogenated" may be used in the same manner.
