Consumption pattern of dietary fats in Chile: n-6 and n-3 fatty acids.

Chile consumes both vegetable and animal fats. Vegetable oils are almost totally imported but animal fats, mainly from marine origin, are locally produced. The country is the second world producer of fish meal and fish oil, and fish oil has been incorporated into the human nutrition through the manufacture of blends of vegetable oil with fractions of deodorized fish oil. Consumption of such oils contributes as a significant source of n-6 and n-3 fatty acids, mainly for the low-income consumers. The use of fish meal and fish oil for animal nutrition is also an additional source of n-3 fatty acids for the Chilean population. Pork, poultry and eggs are important sources of essential fatty acids, especially long-chain n-3 fatty acids. As result of the consumption of these products, milk from low-income Chilean mothers shows significantly higher total n-3 fatty acids relative to mothers from the USA and Germany. Safety concerns about fats consumption in Chile are regulated by a Food Safety Codex recently promulgated which follows FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius directives.