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Trans
fats coming to food labels
July 17, 03
Suzanne Havala Hobbs
Brace yourself.
We’re about to find out just how much trans fat our favorite
foods contain.
The Food and Drug Administration last week announced a new
requirement for manufacturers of chips, crackers, cookies,
and more than 40,000 other packaged foods to list on nutrition
labels the number of grams of trans fat their products contain.
Why should you care?
Because trans fats raise levels of "bad" cholesterol
and are associated with higher rates of coronary artery disease.
Even the smallest amount increases the risk of disease.
In fact, trans fats are likely even more artery clogging than
the saturated fats found in animal products.
And they’re everywhere.
As I wrote in a column earlier this year, until now, there
has been no explicit information about trans fats on food
labels. To figure out if a food contained trans fat, you had
to scrutinize ingredient lists. The key words: hydrogenated
or partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, and vegetable shortening.
Code for "trans."
Trans fats occur naturally in meat and dairy products, but
the lion’s share in most of our diets comes from vegetable
oils that have been hardened through a process that turns
liquid oil into a solid. Think Crisco and stick margarine.
That solid shortening helps to make piecrusts and biscuits
flaky and keeps foods tasting fresh longer.
Solid shortening is a mainstay of food manufacturers. With
more attention on the trans-fat content of supermarket foods,
food companies will face pressure to reformulate products.
And it’s not as simple as substituting canola oil for
partially hydrogenated soybean oil. A change in the type of
fat used can affect flavor, mouth feel, and the texture of
foods.
No wonder the food industry has fought plans for trans-fat
labeling.
The new rule is a partial victory for consumers. But it’s
also a victory for the food industry, which successfully blocked
a proposal to also require a warning on foods containing trans
fats, informing consumers that no amount of trans fat is safe.
It’s also an example of how political persuasion often
determines food and nutrition policy. Consumer groups have
been lobbying for the change for a decade. But it wasn’t
until the White House’s powerful Office of Management
and Budget, citing the benefit of saved lives and lower medical
costs, asked the FDA to adopt trans-fat labeling rules that
serious rule-making movement began.
The reg calls for trans fat to be listed separately under
saturated fats on the nutrition fact label. Since no amount
of trans fat is safe to eat, there won’t be any mention
of a daily budget or percentage goal on the label, as there
now is for saturated fats.
Of course, while studies have found no safe intake of trans
fats, the same is true for saturated fats. Ideally, both types
of fats should be accompanied by a warning on nutrition fact
labels, reminding all of us that the goal should be intakes
of saturated fat and trans fat as close to zero as possible.
Food companies have until January 1, 2006 to comply with the
new rule, but expect to see trans-fat listings popping up
on food labels soon. FDA is hoping the regulation will spur
competition among food manufacturers that want to be the first
to market their new "healthier" products.
Be forewarned, however: Restaurant foods are exempt from the
label rule. Fast foods, foods cooked on a grill such as meats,
eggs, sandwiches, and pancakes, deep-fried restaurant foods,
and other foods not sold in wrappers are likely still to be
loaded with trans fats.
Eat defensively. Read labels, push the fruits and veggies,
and stay informed.
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