Here is a telling quote from "Canola Information Services" funded by Saskatchawan Canola Producers as a public lobbying effort.

"Biotechnology has the potential to improve even further the
nutritional value of canola oil. For example, nutritionists have recently become concerned with the health effects of a particular group of fatty acids, called trans fatty acids, which are produced when vegetable oils, like canola oil, are hydrogenated, or solidified, to make products such as commercial frying oils."

OK, so much for the BS about Canola not being hydrogenated. The fun continues...

"Biotechnology is being used to modify the fatty acid profile of canola to contain higher levels of monounsaturated fatty acids. This new type of canola oil will provide low levels of saturated and
trans fatty acids as well as relatively high stability to oxidative
breakdown without having to be hydrogenated. In addition, biotechnologists are reducing the levels of harmful saturated fatty acids even lower than the current level of 7% in traditional canola. It is anticipated that these new oils will be available in the market within three to five years."

So much for the claim often made that Canola has no saturated fat content. Continuing...

"Scientists at Calgene Inc., in Davis, CA have produced modified
canola oils containing high levels of the fatty acids, stearic acid and lauric acid, using genetic modification. The high stearic canola varieties exhibit stearic acid levels as high as 40% compared to only 2% in traditional canola. A high stearic canola oil would allow food processors to make a solid canola product, such as a margarine, without extensive hydrogenation.

The high lauric canola was produced through the transfer of a gene
from the California bay laurel plant into canola resulting in lauric acid levels of 40% in comparison to only trace levels in canola. High lauric canola can be used in such food applications as confectionery coatings, frostings and icing.

High stearic and high lauric canola also represent an exciting new
market for canola oil in the soaps and detergent industries which have
typically used imported palm kernel and coconut oils as fatty acid sources."

Sure looks to me like the Canola growers and processors have their target set on destroying the tropical oils industry entirely, as a method of market consolidation. Canola has very little to do with health, and a LOT to do with a huge industry trying to corner a market. I expect to eventually see either a battle with soybean producers or a consolodation. Such is the nature of a basically unregulated market economy.

Source

From the same source, the dirty little secret is further exposed...

"Cold Pressing

Cold pressed canola oil and is generally marketed in specialty food stores. The production of cold pressed canola oil involves essentially the same steps as described mechanical extraction. In addition, the temperature of the cake during mechanical pressing is controlled at or even below 60 degrees C (140 F) or less by water cooling the screw press. Oil recovery when using cold-pressing techniques most often ranges from 75% to 85%. The price of cold pressed canola oil tends to be slightly higher because of the lower recovery of oil. Cold pressed canola oil is generally sold in bottled form directly to consumers and is usually not used in further food processing. Cold press oil should be refrigerated to maintain freshness."

AFAICT, cold press oil is the ONLY oil that has the full health benefits touted for Canola.

Now for more corporate bullshit on labelling from the same source.

"Some people have suggested that ALL foods produced through
biotechnology should be labelled. We can imagine what this would do to the price of foods and complexity of labels in Canada considering the variety of food products that contain, for example, canola oil!

The costs and constraints of enforcing such a regulation and the significant financial burden to food processors would add costs to foods which would ultimately have to be passed along to the consumer.

Because the general consensus is that genetically modified products are safe, it is the proposed position of government agencies in Canada and the U.S., that the extra costs and inconvenience of unnecessary labelling should be avoided."

Yeah right! This industry doesn't want people to know just how much they plan on bio-engineering Canola oil or prevent alternate industries like the health food industry the option of promoting the idea of "natural" foods. The cost of the additional labelling is miniscule, and regulation is something this agressive industry fears.

Even the Center for "Whatever gets a headline" in the Public interest recognizes part of the Canola problem...

"Canola Popcorn: Full Of It
'Now Popping with Canola Oil. Low in Saturated Fats. No Cholesterol.' The sign at the Multiplex cinema in Northern Virginia is pretty impressive.

Up to a quarter of all theaters use "healthier" canola oil. Canola may be lower in saturated fat, but we gagged when we saw how much cholesterol-raising trans fat it had. Why so much?

Because the multiplex banner is wrong. Theaters are popping in partially hydrogenated canola shortening, not canola oil. Oils have no trans. Shortenings -- even liquid ones -- are usually full of it.

When popcorn is popped in canola shortening, about 30 percent of its fat is cholesterol raising (sat fat plus trans). That's not as good as canola oil's seven percent, but it sure beats you-know-what."

Later on in the piece the organization says something completely missed by theatre owners...

"Ask the manager to switch to air-popped popcorn. If the theater insists on using oil, ask that it be liquid corn oil. Unlike most other oils including canola, corn doesn't have to be hydrogenated (so it contains no trans fat). "
Source

Ian, "the people who care seem to want Canola Oil" but they are wrong. It won't be the first time customers were wrong and needed to be educated.

Geoffrey, kudos for not falling for the hype!

Canola

Rape

From these I gather that canola is but a kind of rapeseed oil. You are correct about the differentiation between them due to the euricic acid content as well as the monounsaturated fatty acid content. I also notice that it says that rape is now known only as a cultivated plant. Judging by the etymology, I'd say the word canola is a coined word but because there is no longer any such thing as a naturally occurring rape plant, I would conclude that there is such a thing as a "canola plant". It would be a special case, in my mind, just as a square is a special case of a rectangle.

Thus, I would say we were both right, although I must agree that you have the better information on the subject.

I like what you said about corn. It's kinda' neat to think that without human cultivation there would be no such thing. It sounds like canola is rapidly heading that way if it hasn't reached that point already. By that very fact, I'd say that all canola or rapeseed oil is a genetically modified product. As a matter of fact, there is an article in the past April issue of Scientific American magazine that talks about this very subject.

Here's the link:

Scientific American

So, I guess if we wanted another reason to tell customers why we are using coconut oil instead of the supposedly more healthy canola, we could say that canola is genetically modified.
(Now, I think I have to go and find out more about whether or not coconut oil is classified as genetically modified. )