The invention is generally directed to conjugated linoleic acid (CLA)-rich vegetable oil production from linoleic rich oils by heterogeneous catalysis. A heterogeneous catalytic vacuum distillation process is used under high temperature conditions to isomerize linoleic acid in triacylglyceride vegetable oils to CLA to produce CLA-rich oils. After processing, the catalyst may be removed by filtration or centrifugation to obtain high quality, CLA-rich oils. The CLA-rich oils may then serve as a potent and bioactive nutraceutical and can be incorporated into various food products, such as a CLA-rich dressing, margarine or chips.
