FOOD NEWS
Here's What's Actually In
Oreo Filling
By Garth Clingingsmith
A simple blob of frosting between two chocolate wafers makes an American icon. Oreos are ubiquitous, but they remain shrouded in mystery in regard to what's between those chocolate wafers, especially after Nabisco switched the filling in 1991 from lard to partially hydrogenated vegetable oil.
"Cream" isn't on the ingredient list for Oreos, because there's no dairy in them at all. In short, Oreo's "creme" is hydrogenated vegetable oil, high fructose corn syrup, soy lecithin, and vanillin, so it's easy to see the concerns behind the mystery.
Hydrogenated vegetable oil and high fructose corn syrup have a bad reputation for being associated with several well-documented adverse side effects. Additionally, soy lecithin is an emulsifier in many foods and should be eaten in moderation because of the increased risk of adverse effects.
Vanillin is an artificial flavor derived from wood and petrochemicals, which may sound scary, but there are plenty of cooks who prefer it to natural vanilla. Ultimately, these ingredients are found in a lot of foods, and as long as you enjoy them in moderation, you should be fine.