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Check
labels for trans fats
January 16, 03
Suzanne Havala Hobbs
If something
bad for your health was present in many of the foods you ate,
would you want to be told about it?
One such ingredient is found in tens of thousands of products.
But it remains an open question whether the federal government
will require clear labeling that will help guide consumers
to limit their intake of this proven danger.
The ingredient is called trans fatty acids or trans fats.
Trans fats are created when vegetable oil is hydrogenated
or partially hydrogenated, a process that converts liquid
oils into solid or semi-solid forms used in shortening and
some margarines.
Commercial cookies, cakes, pies, and pastries are loaded with
trans fats because hydrogenated oils make baked goods seem
fresher and increase product shelf lives. They're also used
in peanut butter and in fast-food French fries, chicken, and
other deep-fried foods. Trans fats also occur naturally in
meats and whole milk dairy products such as butter, sour cream,
cheese, and ice cream.
Research shows that trans fats – in addition to saturated
fats – raise levels of LDL, or "bad" cholesterol,
and lower levels of HDL, or "good" cholesterol,
thereby increasing the risk of coronary artery disease.
For more than five years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
has been considering how to rework food labels to alert consumers
to the presence of trans fats. The agency's 1999 proposal
was for trans fats to share a line on the Nutrition Facts
panel with saturated fats, an idea that made sense given that
they both have similar effects on our arteries.
The American Heart Association weighed in by publishing guidelines
in 2000 recommending that the total of cholesterol-raising
fats – both trans and saturated – not exceed 10
percent of a person's daily calorie intake.
But an Institute of Medicine report last summer complicated
things when it concluded there is no safe level of the heart
unhealthy fats as even the slightest amount increases heart
disease risk.
So, what's a federal regulator to do?
The FDA's most recent proposal is to list trans fats separately
with an asterisk tied to the phrase, “Intake of trans
fat should be as low as possible.”
But that's not sitting well with the food industry. It doesn't
want the cautionary language.
"The food label is a place for quantitative information.
It's purpose is not to provide nutritional counseling,"
a lobbyist for the Grocery Manufacturers of America told The
Wall Street Journal last month in an article about trans fat
labeling.
Food industry lobbying groups say research is needed to evaluate
consumer response to the footnote. But that's not a good enough
reason to block clear labeling now that accurately describes
the risks of consuming trans fats. The FDA should go even
farther and require similar wording about the risks associated
with saturated fats.
The FDA is taking comments on the proposed labeling requirement,
with a final rule possible early this year.
Meanwhile, Canada this month became the first country to require
trans fats to be listed on food labels. Canadian food labels
may also claim “A diet low in saturated fat and trans
fat may reduce the risk of heart disease.”
It may be a while before we know how much trans fat U.S. groceries
contain. In the meantime, we do know where they're found,
and we do know we should cut back as much as possible. For
now:
• Read ingredient labels and steer clear of foods containing
hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils. Natural foods
stores carry many brands that are free of these ingredients.
• Substitute unsaturated fats such as olive oil and canola
oil for saturated fats and trans fats.
• Eat a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts,
and whole grains and low in refined foods and animal products.
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