In 1968 Procter & Gamble researchers F. Mattson and R. Volpenhein, in their quest to create a way of increasing premature babies' intake of fat, synthesized a fat substitute called sucrose polyester. Procter & Gamble named its product "olestra."
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CSPI Warns Consumers About Frito-Lay "Light" Chips with Olestra — October 25, 2004 Popcorn Makers Considering Using Olestra — May 21, 2004 FDA Caves in on Olestra — August 1, 2003 Olestra Linked to Gastrointestinal Disease — July 15, 2003 New Olestra Complaints Bring Total Close To 20,000 — More Than All Other Food Additive Complaints In History Combined — April 16, 2002 Health Canada Rejects Olestra as a Food Additive — June 22, 2000 FDA Review of Unpublished Procter & Gamble “Fecal parameters” Study Printable version (Acrobat 255k) Fake-fat Olestra Sickens Thousands:  15,000 Cases Makes Olestra Most-Complained-About Additive Ever — December 22, 1998		Brief History of Olestra Why No One Should Eat Products that Contain Olestra Olestra: Snack Attack — from the March 1998 issue of CSPI's Nutrition Action Healthletter Don't Buy These Products — THEY CONTAIN OLESTRA! CSPI's Olestra Quiz What the Experts Say About Olestra View CSPI's Anti-Olestra Commercial? AVI (1.8 megs) or Quicktime (1.8 megs) The Olestra Project — Harvard School of Public Health New Olestra Study: Nothing New — January 13, 1998 CSPI Petition to the FTC on olestra advertisements Statement from Michael F. Jacobson, Ph.D. on the FDA Advisory Committee Hearing on Olestra. — June 17, 1998 Statement on FDA Approval of Olestra — January 29, 1996 Have you gotten sick from an Olestra (Olean)? Report your experience to CSPI. All reports are forwarded to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.