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Trans Fat and Food Label Concerns

This living topic addresses the issue of misleading food labels, particularly those that claim "0 grams trans fat" on products that contain high levels of saturated fat. The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has called on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to take action against this practice. The topic highlights examples from various manufacturers, including Sara Lee, Nestle, and Mrs. Smith's, that use such labels, potentially misleading consumers into thinking these products are heart-healthy. The CSPI argues that the FDA should prohibit "0 grams trans" claims on foods that are high in saturated fat to prevent consumer confusion.

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Trans fat cutbacks reduce heart attacks and strokes, study finds

Researchers say more far-reaching restrictions could produce widespread benefits

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Just a few short years ago, consumers could find trans fats in a variety of food products at the grocery store or in restaurants. But after linking the smallest amounts of these acids to cardiovascular disease, many areas of the country set up restrictions to keep them in line.

However, current guidelines still seem to be somewhere in the middle of the issue. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) currently allows up to 0.49 grams of trans fats to be present in a product without having to appear on the label, sending health-conscious food shoppers scrambling.

To determine what effect trans fats were having on consumers, researchers from the University of Chicago and Yale School of Medicine conducted a study comparing consumers in areas where trans fats were banned in restaurants and areas where they were not. Even with this limited reduction, the researchers found that people who lived in areas with less trans fats had less hospitalizations for heart attack and stroke.

"The results are impressive, given that the study focused on trans fatty acid bans in restaurants, as opposed to complete bans that included food bought in stores," said senior author Dr. Tamar S. Polonsky. "If we enact a more complete restriction on trans fatty acids, it could mean even more widespread benefits for people long term."

Fewer heart attacks and strokes

The study used data ranging from 2002 to 2013 on New York counties that either had trans fat bans in place for restaurants or did not, focusing on hospital admissions for heart attack and stroke.

The analysis showed that people living areas with bans had significantly fewer hospitalizations for heart attack and stroke three years after the bans were implemented when compared to urban areas that did not have a ban in place. The researchers say that overall decline in combined conditions was an impressive 6.2%.

"It is a pretty substantial decline. Our study highlights the power of public policy to impact the cardiovascular health of a population," said lead author Dr. Eric Brandt.

While the wheels of government are usually slow to turn on these issues, the researchers point out that the FDA has already approved a nationwide ban on partially hydrogenated oils in foods. This could be deeply impactful since the move would essentially eliminate dietary trans fat when it takes effect in 2018.

The full study has been published in JAMA Cardiology.

Just a few short years ago, consumers could find trans fats in a variety of food products at the grocery store or in restaurants. But after linking the smallest amounts of these acids to cardiovascular disease, many areas of the country set up restrictions to keep them in line.

However, current guidelines still seem to be somewhere in the middle of the issue. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) currently allows up to 0.49 grams of trans fats to be present in a product...

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2015
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Food industry already moving past trans fats

Last month's announcement from federal regulators that they are ending the use of trans fats in food products brought a cheer from health advocates. But how do companies that produce food products plan to cope?

Food scientists say the food industry should be able to make a smooth transition away from the substance.

On June 16 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a final determination, removing partially hydrogenated oils (PHO), the primary source of artificial trans fats in processed food, from the “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) list of human food ingredients.

Food manufacturers will have three years to completely phase it out. The FDA said it took the action based on a review of the scientific evidence.

“The FDA’s action on this major source of artificial trans fat demonstrates the agency’s commitment to the heart health of all Americans," said FDA's Acting Commissioner Stephen Ostroff, M.D. "This action is expected to reduce coronary heart disease and prevent thousands of fatal heart attacks every year.”

There has always been some trans fat in food because small amounts form naturally in meat and dairy products. The natural form is not the issue.

Extends shelf life

Instead, the new regulation is aimed at the artificial trans fats that the food industry has used for decades to keep food from going bad and add to a product's shelf life, both in the supermarket and in consumers' pantries.

"If you take oils naturally found in nature, especially the ones that have a lot of unsaturated fats, they are unstable in food products and get rancid," said Fadi Aramouni, professor of food processing and food product development at Kansas State University. "Years ago, the food industry developed a process to hydrogenate these fats.”

By adding hydrogen to oils at high temperatures, the process makes the oil more solid and a lot more stable, and in the process forms what we call trans fat.

“The trans fat, also known as partially hydrogenated oils, are used in a lot of formulations and actually give the food product a little better texture and better taste," Aramouni said.

Raises cholesterol levels

As a result, food manufacturers began using trans fat in more and more processed foods like baked goods, frozen foods, and snack foods. Then, in the 1990s, clinical studies began to show that trans fat raises the "bad" LDL cholesterol and lowers the "good" HDL cholesterol in blood, thereby increasing the risk of heart disease. Subsequent research found that trans fat also stiffens arteries and may increase the risk of diabetes.

While food companies now have three years to remove trans fat from their products, Aramouni says most companies have already made the adjustment. In other words, the food you buy today doesn't contain much trans fat.

"When the FDA required labeling of trans fat in 2006, a lot of companies moved away from using the product," Aramouni said. "Many big oil suppliers developed types of oils that are stable without being hydrogenated, which is done by changing the fatty acid composition of these oils.”

The American Bakers Association says its member companies have been dropping trans fat from its products over the last decade. Still, the trade group was pleased the FDA is giving it three years to complete the process.

“This action provides bakers and other food makers adequate time to further formulate to other, healthier alternative[s], as well as address a number of practical challenges including packaging changes and availability,” the group said in a statement.

Substitutes

Food companies are still adding oil to their products, but many of the types now in use are stable without having trans fat in them. Some companies started using unsaturated fats or natural oils again, incorporating antioxidants to help maintain the shelf life.

As a result, Aramouni says he doesn't think the ban will be much of a problem for the food industry, since most companies have already made the transition. At the same time, he says consumers should be aware of what they're getting.

Under current nutrition labeling regulations, a product containing less than half a gram of trans fat can claim zero trans fat in the product. That requires a closer reading of product labels. Aramouni says consumers need to read the ingredients list, which requires the food to list any partially hydrogenated oils it contains.

2013
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FDA prepares to ban all artificial trans fat

The FDA wants to do away with trans fat in processed foods, hoping to prevent heart attacks and other heart disease.

The agency today issued a finding that partially hydrogenated oils, the primary dietary source of artificial trans fat in processed foods, are not “generally recognized as safe” for use in food. The FDA’s preliminary determination is based on available scientific evidence and the findings of expert scientific panels. 

“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,” said FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D. “The FDA’s action today is an important step toward protecting more Americans from the potential dangers oftrans 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.”

Consumption of trans fat raises low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or “bad” cholesterol, increasing the risk of coronary heart disease. The independent Institute of Medicine (IOM) has concluded that trans fat provides no known health benefit and that there is no safe level of consumption of artificial trans fat. Additionally, the IOM recommends that consumption of trans fat should be as low as possible while consuming a nutritionally adequate diet. 

Powerful promoter of heart disease

"Artificial trans fat is a uniquely powerful promoter of heart disease, and today's announcement will hasten its eventual disappearance from the food supply," said Michael F. Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. "Not only is artificial trans fat not safe, it's not remotely necessary. Many companies, large and small, have switched to healthier oils over the past decade. I hope that those restaurants and food manufacturers that still use this harmful ingredient see the writing on the wall and promptly replace it."

In recent years, many food manufacturers and retailers have voluntarily decreased trans fat levels in many foods and products they sell. Trans fat can be found in some processed foods, such as certain desserts, microwave popcorn products, frozen pizzas, margarines and coffee creamers. Numerous retailers and manufacturers have already demonstrated that many of these products can be made without trans fat.  

Though small amounts of trans fat occur in meat fat and milk fat, most of the trans fat in the food supply has come from industrially produced partially hydrogenated oils. Like saturated fat, trans fat raises one's LDL, or "bad" cholesterol, which promotes heart disease.

But unlike saturated fat, trans fat lowers one's HDL, or the "good" kind of cholesterol that protects against heart disease. Trans fat may also promote heart disease in other ways, such as by damaging the endothelial cells that line blood vessels. 

>“One of the FDA’s core regulatory functions is ensuring that food, including all substances added to food, is safe,” said Michael Taylor, the FDA’s deputy commissioner for foods and veterinary medicine. “Food manufacturers have voluntarily decreased trans fat levels in many foods in recent years, but a substantial number of products still contain partially hydrogenated oils, which are the major source of trans fat in processed food.”

If the FDA finalizes its preliminary determination, PHOs would be considered “food additives” and could not be used in food unless authorized by regulation.

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The "worst restaurant meal in America?"

Just how bad does a restaurant meal have to be to be named "Worst Restaurant Meal in America?"

The folks at Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) think they know. They say laboratory tests show that Long John Silver's Big Catch meal, when comprised of fried fish, hushpuppies and onion rings, contains 33 grams of trans fat, which CSPI calls “the most powerful promoter of heart disease in the food supply.”

And, it gets worse, the consumer group says. On top of that, the meal has another 19 grams of saturated fat, which also promotes heart disease, and nearly 3,700 milligrams of sodium, which is tied to high blood pressure and stroke. While other fast-food meals have more calories than the Big Catch's 1,320, it's the artery-clogging fat that gives the Big Catch the title.

Fat-laden

"Long John Silver's Big Catch meal deserves to be buried 20,000 leagues under the sea," said CSPI executive director Michael F. Jacobson. "This company is taking perfectly healthy fish -- and entombing it in a thick crust of batter and partially hydrogenated oil. The result? A heart attack on a hook. Instead of the Big Catch, I'd call it America's Deadliest Catch."

CSPI researchers say what was most startling was the 33 grams of trans fat in the Big Catch meal, all of which comes from industrially produced partially hydrogenated frying oil. The American Heart Association  recommends that people limit themselves to about two grams of trans fat per day -- or about as much as one might consume from naturally occurring trans fat in milk and meat. That means Long John Silver's Big Catch meal with onion rings has 16 times as much trans fat as the heart association recommends -- more than two weeks' worth.

Most major chains have stopped using partially hydrogenated oil altogether, in response to bad publicity, lawsuits, and local government restrictions on its use. In 2006, before KFC stopped using partially hydrogenated oil to fry its chicken, the worst meal on the its menu had 15 grams of trans fat -- less than half the trans fat in the Big Catch with Onion Rings.

"Trans fat from partially hydrogenated oil is a uniquely damaging substance that raises your bad cholesterol, lowers your good cholesterol, and harms the cells that line your blood vessels," said Walter C. Willett, chair of the nutrition department at the Harvard School of Public Health. "It might have been defensible to use hydrogenated oil in the 1980s, before trans fat's harmfulness was discovered, but no longer. It is outrageous that Long John Silver's foods are still loaded with artificial trans fat and that the FDA still permits it in foods."

Lawsuit threatened

CSPI has formally notified Long John Silver's CEO Mike Kern it will sue the chain if it continues to use partially hydrogenated oil in its deep fryers. Making its fried foods virtually trans-fat free should be easy to do, CSPI claims, since by law, Long John Silver's outlets in California and certain other jurisdictions must limit artificial trans fat to half a gram per serving.

CSPI researchers telephoned multiple Long John Silver’s restaurants in California, and all of them said they used canola oil in their deep-fryers, and not the partially hydrogenated soybean oil used in much of the rest of the country.

Efforts by ConsumerAffairs to reach the Long John Silver’s corporate office for comment were unsuccessful.

2012
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Harmful Trans Fat Still Plentiful in Packaged Foods

Health experts agree that artificial trans fat is among the most harmful substances in food and we're constantly being told we should avoid it. But that's more easily said than done, as a recent survey by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) demonstrates. 

Marie Callender’s pies, Pop Secret’s microwave popcorns, and Long John Silver’s Breaded Clam Strips are among the many products that still contain high levels of artificial trans fat, the nonprofit CSPI said.

After the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) required trans fat to be listed on food labels, most large manufacturers removed partially hydrogenated oil, the source of artificial trans fat, from their products. And after a series of lawsuits, bad press and new restrictions, most large restaurant chains similarly stopped using the discredited ingredient.

Thus, while many consumers might consider the problem solved, the sad fact is several large companies continue to market products containing unhealthy amounts of trans fat.

Examples:

  • Marie Callender’s Lattice Apple Pie (ConAgra Foods) contains 5 grams of trans fat per serving.
  • Varieties of Pop Secret microwave popcorn (Diamond Foods) contain 4 or 5 grams of trans fat per serving.
  • An order of Long John Silver’s Breaded Clam Strips contains 7 grams of trans fat.
  • While White Castle recently eliminated trans fat from most of its products, some regionally marketed pastries contain large amounts. White Castle’s doughnuts contain a whopping 8 or 9 grams of trans fat per serving.

Two grams

The American Heart Association recommends that people limit their trans fat intake to no more than two grams per day. Since small amounts of trans fat occur naturally in beef and dairy products, that leaves very little, if any, room for artificial trans fat from partially hydrogenated oil.

A sampling of foods containing three or more grams per serving includes:

  • Pillsbury’s Buttermilk Biscuits (General Mills),
  • Pepperidge Farm’s Luscious 3-Layer Lemon Flavor Cake (Campbell Soup Co.),
  • Utz’s Cheese Flavored Puff’n Corn,
  • Jimmy Dean’s Sausage, Egg & Cheese Croissant Sandwich (Sara Lee Corp.), and
  • Celeste’s Original Pizza (Pinnacle Foods Group).

Mrs. Budd’s Original Recipe Chicken Pot Pie, a regional brand, has more partially hydrogenated oil than carrots or peas, but consumers would have no way of knowing how many of its 17 grams of fat per serving are from trans fat: The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which regulates food with meat or poultry, hasn’t adopted the FDA’s trans fat labeling rule. (The company told CSPI that the pot pie contains 5 grams of trans fat.)

Should be banned

In 2004, the Center for Science in the Public Interest filed a regulatory petition urging the FDA to ban the use of partially hydrogenated oil in food altogether.

“Considering the virtual unanimity among scientists that trans is the most harmful fat in the food supply, it is totally irresponsible for companies like Sara Lee, Pepperidge Farm, General Mills, and Long John Silver’s, along with many smaller ones, to continue marketing foods with artificial trans fat,” said CSPI executive director Michael F. Jacobson. “The FDA could readily ban the use of partially hydrogenated oil or set a strict limit on the amount of trans fat in a product. Unfortunately, the FDA has let CSPI’s petition collect dust.”

CSPI estimates that companies have eliminated well over half of the partially hydrogenated oil in the food supply. But the remaining trans fat continues to promote heart disease, likely causing thousands of unnecessary premature deaths annually. 

2011

Zero Trans Fat Doesn't Aways Mean What It Says

Many health-conscious food shoppers often choose products listed with "zero trans fat." But because of the way the law is written, they still may be purchasing items containing some trans fat.

And now new research suggests that small amount of trans fat that slips in under the label requirement could be medically significant.

Current law requires that fat content of greater than five grams be listed in one gram increments, less than five grams be listed in .5 gram increments, and lower than .5 grams as containing zero grams of fat. Meaning, if a product has .49 grams of trans fat, the label can list the trans fat content as zero.

An article by Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine student Eric Brandt, published in the January/February 2011 issue of the American Journal of Health Promotion, reveals that label loophole can result in medically significant intake of harmful trans fat, despite what you read on Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved labels.

Brandt maintains that consumers' inability to identify high-risk foods may cause individuals to exceed the daily recommended value of 1.11 grams of trans fat from processed foods and lead to adverse long-term health side effects.

Health risks

Trans fat consumption has been linked to increased risk of coronary artery disease, diabetes, and sudden cardiac death. Because the daily recommended amount of trans fat from processed foods is only 1.11 grams, one would only need to consume a few "deceptively" labeled trans fat foods to exceed the healthy recommended intake.

As few as three of these items would exceed the healthy recommended intake; for example, consuming three serving sizes each with .49 grams of trans fat, totaling 1.47 grams.

Despite what seems to be a small amount of trans fat to ingest, Brandt says research shows that increasing daily trans fat consumption from .9 percent to 2.1 percent, or from two grams to 4.67 grams, will increase one's risk of cardiovascular disease by 30 percent.

In an effort to adhere to its mission and responsibility in "helping the public get the accurate, science-based information they need to use medicines and foods to maintain and improve their health," Brandt recommends the FDA revise its labeling protocol in order to prevent misleading the public about the amount of trans fat they are consuming.

He recommends the FDA require food labels to report trans fat content in smaller increments, enabling consumers to recognize significant levels of trans fat in food products and allow one to properly manage their consumption. The suggested change will increase awareness of accurate food trans fat content, empower informed food choices, and improve public health outcomes.

2007

KFC Removes Trans Fat From Chicken Fryers

Fried chicken restaurant chain KFC has announced it will immediately stop using trans fats to fry its chicken. The chain says potato wedges will also be fat free, while several other menu items will continue to use the artery clogging oil.

Company officials said biscuits, pot pies, macaroni and cheese, and some desserts will continue to be made with trans fats, at least for now. The company said it's still working to remove all trans fat from its entire menu.

Taco Bell, like KFC owed by Yum Brands, also announced that all its U.S. restaurants have switched to an oil with zero grams of trans fat. All 4 200 single-brand Taco Bells were converted to a canola oil, and all 1,400 multibrand locations switched to a soybean oil.

Both the Food and Drug Administration and American Heart Association recommend limiting trans fat intake.

New York City has set a deadline for all 26,000 restaurants operating in the city to stop using trans fats. Other cities are considering similar bans.



Harvard Study Links Trans Fat To Heart Disease


A new study ties high consumption of trans fat, found mainly in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils and widely used by the food industry, to an increased risk of coronary heart disease.

The study by the Harvard School of Public Health provides the strongest association to date between trans fat and heart disease. It found that women in the U.S. with the highest levels of trans fat in their blood had three times the risk of CHD as those with the lowest levels.

The study was published online on March 26, 2007, and will appear in the April 10, 2007 print issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

"The strength of this study is that the amount of trans fatty acid levels was measured in blood samples from the study population." said senior author Frank Hu, associate professor of nutrition and epidemiology at HSPH. "Because humans cannot synthesize trans fatty acids, the amount of trans fat in red blood cells is an excellent biomarker of trans fat intake."

Clinical trials have shown that trans fatty acids increase LDL cholesterol and lower HDL cholesterol, making them the only class of fatty acids, which includes saturated fat, to have this dual effect. HDL (high-density lipoprotein) is considered a "good" cholesterol; LDL (low-density lipoprotein) a "bad" cholesterol.

The researchers, led by Hu and lead author Qi Sun, a graduate research assistant at HSPH, set out to test the assumption that higher trans fatty acid levels in erythrocytesred blood cellswere associated with a higher risk of heart disease among U.S. women.

Blood samples collected in 1989 and 1990 from 32,826 participants in the Brigham and Women's Hospital-based Nurses' Health Study were examined. During six years of follow-up, 166 cases of CHD were diagnosed and matched with 327 controls for age, smoking status, fasting status and date of blood drawing.

After adjusting for age, smoking status and other dietary and lifestyle cardiovascular risk factors, the researchers found that a higher level of trans fatty acids in red blood cells was associated with an elevated risk of CHD.

The risk among women in the top quartile of trans fat levels was triple that of the lowest quartile. "Positive associations have been shown in earlier studies based on dietary data provided by the participants, but the use of biomarkers of trans fatty acids is believed to be more reliable than self-reports. This is probably the reason why we see an even stronger association between blood levels of trans fat and risk of CHD in this study," said Sun.

"These data provide further justifications for current efforts to remove trans fat from foods and restaurant meals," said Hu. "Trans fat intake in the U.S. is still high. Reducing trans fat intake should remain an important public health priority."

The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health.



Starbucks Cuts Trans Fats


Another food retailer says it is enlisting in the battle against trans fats. Starbucks Coffee said that effective immediately, it will stop using the artery-clogging ingredient in its muffins, donuts and other pastries.

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The trans fat ban will only affect half the chain's U.S. stores in the near term, with the rest of the stores joining the ban later in the year.

Trans fats are vegetable oils that have been processed to turn them into solids. They are often used in baked goods, not to enhance taste but to provide texture. Large scale food producers favor them because they are also cheaper.

Beginning Wednesday, Starbucks stores in Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Diego, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Portland, Oregon, will have zero trans fats in their food.

Starbucks joins a growing number of food chains that are bowing to pressure from health advocates to stop using trans fats.

Wendy's has switched to a non-hydrogenated oil that will be used in its restaurants. McDonalds has announced no specific date, but is known to be experimenting with alternative oils.

All restaurant chains will soon have to come up with alternatives. New York City has approved a ban on trans fats in its 22,000 restaurants and several other large cities are considering such a ban.

Health advocates have warned for years against eating food with trans fat. They say the re-engineered oils raise LDL, the so-called "bad" cholesterol, and lowers HDL, the "good" cholesterol.

Studies have shown that consuming as little five grams of trans fat a day over several years leads to a number of cardiovascular ailments, increasing the liklihood of developing heart disease by 25 percent.