Udo Erasmus 2:
No. There was a time before 1992 when I believed, on the basis of the research available to me at that time, that some plastics were suitable for packaging oil.

A few years later, further research convinced me otherwise. There are known environmental concerns and too many unanswered health questions about plastics. Because of that, I changed my recommendation. Since then, I have always recommended amber glass for packaging oils. More and more people are coming to the same conclusion as I, that glass is better (though not cheaper) packaging. Emerging research is forcing us to question the use of plastics for packaging foods, and especially for packaging liquids.

Udo Erasmus 4:
In 1992, I heard that estrogen-mimicking ingredients used in plastics had leached into the environment, affecting reproductive structures and behaviors in animals. For instance, researchers discovered that estrogen mimickers that leached into water from plastics were responsible for changes that resulted in crocodiles with bent penises 1/3rd the normal size. The crocodiles could not reproduce. I asked myself several questions.

1. What else don't we know about plastics and the plasticizer, stabilizer, mould releaser, toxic metals, contaminants and other molecules found in them?
2. Do we know all of the ingredients used in the plastics we use? The industry does not list the ingredients used in plastics on the container or in their literature or spec sheets.
3. What are the effects of the undisclosed plastic ingredients on health and environment?

I scoured the literature on plastics for about 2 years, talked to Greenpeace, spoke with people who worked in the plastics industry, and obtained from a manufacturer a partial list of the ingredients used to make the plastic in which oils for humans are packaged. Research on the effects of plastics on health and environment is now an ongoing project for me.

By 1993, I had read enough material to conclude that there are too many unanswered questions about plastic to recommend them for packaging oils. As I learned more, I expanded my view to include all consumable liquids: water, oil, vinegar, tinctures, alcohol, juices, and milk. Liquids move and continuously wash the inside of their container. Molecules that can leach from plastic into the contained liquid will do so. The best known example: One can taste a substance contained in plastic water bottles that leaches into water. People drink it, without knowing what it is or how it affects their health. To me, that's disconcerting, because what we take into our body affects our health. And, as a matter of common sense, I trust God�s nature more than man�s synthetic technology. Of all liquids into which molecules from plastics can leach, oils are the most problematic. That's because oils swell plastics, making any leaching potentially easier. But one is less likely to taste plastic leachates in oil, since the chemistry and hence the taste of plastic and oil are similar.

Udo Erasmus 5:
Yes, I made the North American producers of unrefined oils made with health in mind aware of my change in position. And I must say that I was proud of my change in position, based on concerns about health and environment. Proud, because it takes courage to reverse a public position. Proud, because it requires courage take a stand (and if you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything). Proud, because my change in position is for the environment and for health. Let me say it again, in case anyone is not clear about my position. I consider amber glass to be the better packaging choice for the environment and health. Safeguarding health and the environment is my mission and my passion.

Udo Erasmus 6
: In 1994, I told the other North American producers of these oils about my change in position. But perhaps some of them did not hear me. By then, I had given a great deal of thought to the topic, and read enough research to be convinced that my concerns were justified. If someone quotes me as promoting plastic for packaging oil, they are using pre-1992 material that is now long out of date. I have been recommending that oil be packaged in amber glass for a long time. And I recommend against the use of plastic for packaging liquids.

Udo Erasmus 7:
At the time, I thought they would all immediately make the change to glass, and I was surprised that they didn't. Plastic is cheap, durable, and lighter (less expensive to ship). That¹s its up side.

When further questioned by some of them, I suggested that they do their own investigation on the topic and come to their own conclusions. Natural healing and plastics are completely contradictory messages. I could not reconcile them in my mind. That is why I changed position.

In the not too distant future, I will be writing an article on plastics that I will post on my web site.

Udo Erasmus 8:
Yes, all of them should be aware of this change in position. I did what I could to make sure they knew. But apparently, some of them are still not aware of my recommendation to get out of plastic and into glass.

I was once accused of changing my position from plastic to glass for commercial reasons. Since glass is more expensive and lowers profits in a competitive environment, that accusation makes no sense. If you ask health food companies who package in glass why they do so, their answer is never to get a competitive edge, because there is none in the decision for glass. The decision is always health and environment related. The fact that a company will go to the extra trouble to use glass is the most obvious way to confirm that the company has its heart and soul dedicated to health and environment.

Udo Erasmus 9:
I am not perplexed at all. The advertisement misrepresents my position. Perhaps those responsible for the ad still do not know my position on glass and plastic, which I have held since 1994. Their misunderstanding creates confusion in the marketplace. Then again, perhaps the ad uses my name and misrepresents my message to sell products that I cannot in good conscience recommend. In that case, I have to say that I prefer that competitors go out and do their own hard work, and to sell their products on the merit of their own effort.

Due to the efforts made by the manufacturer, FMD in Europe (Flora Manufacturing & Distributing in Canada and Flora Inc. in the USA), and by Ian Richardson's group at Savant Distribution in Leeds, UK (for UK and northern Ireland), and by Dominic Galvin and Darragh Hammond�s group at NaturaLife in Ireland (Eire), I have toured extensively in both places. I have given many lectures, and a great deal of media education was sponsored by these dedicated people. As a result of these efforts, I am fairly well known there.

Hitching products to the coattails of others¹ efforts is a marketing strategy. There¹s not much anyone can do about such strategies. But eventually, the truth always comes out. My suggestion: Make better products; use better packaging; do honest education.

I see 'coattail ads¹ as a kind of compliment, since they acknowledge my leadership in the field. However, because they also create confusion, let me state my position one more time:

I recommend that oils be packaged in amber glass. I recommend that a box be put around that bottle to confer complete protection from light. I recommend an oil blend called Udo's Choice Ultimate Oil Blend. I created and developed the formula for that oil blend. I use that oil blend to cover my need for essential fats, and recommend it to other people to cover their need for essential fats.

I recommend against borage oil or blends containing it. I recommend against the use of plastics for packaging liquids. I recommend against using CLA for human consumption. I recommend organic vegetarian sources of omega-3 and omega-6 essential fats over fish oils, due to the damage and contamination often found in fish oils.

Let me bring further clarity to issues of health and environment. It is my view that the designation 'organic' for liquids (water, oil, juices, milk, vinegar, alcohol, and tinctures) packaged in plastic misleads consumers. Consumers think of 'organic' as natural and healthy. Plastics are not natural, and may not be healthy (ironically, one manufacturer advertises plastics as the 6th food group). Plastics are synthetic, unnatural materials. Liquids intended for human consumption ought not to be in contact with synthetic, unnatural plastics.

1. Some ads mistakenly suggest that I recommend against glass. In truth, I recommend that oils and other liquids intended for human consumption be packaged in amber glass, and additionally protected by being boxed.
2. Some ads quote an outdated article written in 1988 and retired in 1989. The fact is that I have written a 450-page book called FATS THAT HEAL FATS THAT KILL. It was published in 1993, and recommends for glass packaging and against plastic packaging.
3. Some ads erroneously imply that I am associated with or endorse other products. The reality is that I recommend a specific oil blend called Udo's Choice Ultimate Oil Blend. I created and developed the formula. The oil is manufactured by FMD (Flora Manufacturing and Distributing). It is marketed by Savant Distribution in the UK, and by Naturalife in Eire.
4. Some ads falsely suggest that I endorse using flax oil exclusively. In fact, I became omega-6 deficient on flax oil, and recommend it only as part of a properly constructed blend of oils. The truth is that I recommend only an oil blend called Udo's Choice Ultimate Oil Blend, which contains an optimum ratio of twice as much omega-3 as omega-6 essential fatty acids, based on 15 years of experience working with people. It is the ratio that consistently gets the best results. I recommend against using flax oil by itself, because its ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 is out of kilter, and that can lead to serious, even life-threatening omega-6 deficiency symptoms.
5. Some ads make it seem, wrongly, that I am associated with other companies. The fact is that in the UK, I am associated only with Savant Distribution, in Leeds. In Ireland, I am associated only with NaturaLife.
6. Some ads create the illusion that I favor another ratio, which is wrong. Truth is, I work with a 2: 1 ratio of omega-3 to omega-6. This ratio has consistently shown the best results in athletic performance, skin, weight, energy, muscular development, and degenerative conditions including diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, autoimmune conditions, and many inflammatory conditions including arthritis.

I thank those who promote my work by promoting my name, but humbly appeal to their higher nature to not mislead people, and to get my message and the facts straight.

Udo Erasmus 10:

I don�t really think so. I think these are honest mistakes. The field of essential fatty acids is complex, and not everyone has the education or ability required to make sense of them.

Udo Erasmus 11:
I conceptualized methods for making oils with health in mind in 1983. The research that led to my first book FATS AND OILS, which was published in 1986, outlined these methods. At least 4 producers presently make such oils. All of them use low temperature, absence of heat, oxygen, and reactive metals. Between 1983 and 1989, all of them learned from me, directly or indirectly, how to do the 'health in mind' production of oils that provides this protection. The good oils made for health by FMD are pressed at low temperature in the absence of heat, oxygen and reactive metals. In addition, they are protected from light during pressing. That's important, because light is the single most destructive influence on omega-6 and especially omega-3 essential fatty acids.

Finally, let me summarize my work with essential fats over the past 22 years. I began my study of good oils and their health benefits in 1980 after being poisoned by pesticides and medical help failing to help. Between 1980 and 1986, I immersed myself in the research that has been done on fats and health.

In 1983, I developed methods for making oils with health in mind. In 1986, my book FATS AND OILS was published. The book was my PhD thesis in Nutrition. In 1986, my methods for making oils with health (rather than shelf life) in mind were first put into commercial practice under my supervision. Also in 1986, I supervised the first commercial production of flax oil.

I created the formula for Udo's Choice Ultimate Oil Blend after becoming omega-6 deficient on exclusive use of flax oil. My oil blend first went into production in 1994. I gave my first public talk on essential fatty acids in 1986, just after FATS AND OILS was published. Since that time, I have given over 2,000 talks and lectures on the subject. I have been a guest on over 1,500 media interviews. I have trained the staff in over 1,000 retail stores. My reputation and success are based on hard work and persistence.

All the producers of oils made by the methods I created benefit from the work that I do. I am happy for them to benefit. Altogether, we have reached less than 1/10th of one percent of the population in the past 20 years. There�s room for many more people, and I welcome them all. However, some of the producers who benefit from my effort over these past 20+ years disparage me in many different ways: my character, my motives, my education, my production methods, and my products.

My view is that they would benefit more by supporting and encouraging the work I do for their benefit. 99.9% of the population still has no reliable source of essential fats made with health in mind. We should reach them all as soon as possible. Essential fats can make great health improvements in most people. If we work together, more people will benefit sooner. Quality of life will improve sooner. People will suffer less. They will live longer.

It is a huge mission that needs all hands on deck.