FDA wants to ban trans fats from food

[cali]

The Food and Drug Administration is taking steps to remove artificial trans fats — the artery-clogging ingredient found in crackers, cookies, pizza and many other baked goods, the government agency said Thursday.

Trans fats are considered harmful because they increase risks for heart disease by both raising bad cholesterol levels and lowering good cholesterol. New York City banned trans fats from restaurants in 2007. In 2006, the FDA began requiring food manufacturers to include trans fats on nutritional labels.

“While consumption of potentially harmful artificial trans fat has declined over the last two decades in the United States, current intake remains a significant public health concern,” FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said in a press release. “The FDA’s action today is an important step toward protecting more Americans from the potential dangers of trans fat. Further reduction in the amount of trans fat in the American diet could prevent an additional 20,000 heart attacks and 7,000 deaths from heart disease each year – a critical step in the protection of Americans’ health.”

Food manufacturers began adding artificial trans fatty acids, or partially hydrogenated oils, to products decades ago because they were seen as a healthier substitute than saturated fats such butter and were an economical way to maintain food texture and flavor, according to NBC's diet and nutrition editor Madelyn Fernstrom.

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http://www.nbcnews.com/health/fda-wants-ban-trans-fats-food-8C11551559

[AngryAmish]

1. At first blush I am ok with this

Trans fat are terrible. Maybe McDonalds can go back to using real fat and beef tallow for their fries. Does anyone else remember when McDonalds fries tasted good?


on edit:

Trans fat got a leg up when back in the 80s nutritionists and the ilk started to day animal fats were bad and all fats were bad. This was exactly untrue but people went along to a well funded pressure campaign. Just remember this next time someone starts telling you that something MUST be done about any issue.

[loli phabay]

2. yup, fries cooked in lard always taste best.

[AngryAmish]

3. Duck fat fries have been big around here the last decade or so.

So, so, so, so good.

[loli phabay]

4. never had, sounds good though. best thing though is pizza deep fried in lard then salted. mmmmmmm

[closeupready]

5. What's to stop them? This is what they are SUPPOSED to do.

They likely won't because of pressure from food manufacturers and others involved in the production and use of trans fats.

Get back to me when this happens.

[onecent]

6. Now they tell us what we CAN HAVE and when: I am

beginning to think Big Brother is here in FULL FORCE.