{"id":4087,"date":"2015-06-24T20:07:00","date_gmt":"2015-06-25T01:07:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/live-gordon-food-service.pantheonsite.io\/fda-update-trans-fat\/"},"modified":"2023-02-01T14:16:18","modified_gmt":"2023-02-01T20:16:18","slug":"fda-update-trans-fat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gfs.com\/es-us\/ideas\/fda-update-trans-fat\/","title":{"rendered":"FDA Update: Trans Fat"},"content":{"rendered":"

On June 16<\/span>th, 2015 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ruled that partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs) \u2014which are the main source of trans fat\u2014are no longer generally recognized as safe. Companies have until 2018 to remove PHOs from their products, meaning  that trans fat will be eliminated from the American food supply within the next three years.<\/p>\n

What is trans fat?<\/span><\/h3>\n

Trans fats are popular in the food industry because they increase the shelf life of oils and they make margarine easier to spread. They also provide a lighter, flakier texture to baked goods and a unique creaminess to pudding and frosting. However, the negative health effects of trans fat outweigh their uses in the kitchen.<\/span><\/p>\n

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What does trans fat do?<\/span><\/h3>\n

Trans fat <\/span>increases the amount of \u201cbad cholesterol\u201d in the bloodstream and decreases the amount of \u201cgood cholesterol.\u201d This effect increases the risk of death from heart disease and strokes. Therefore, the decision to eliminate it from the food supply is intended to improve public health and save thousands of lives each year.  <\/p>\n

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Identifying trans fat <\/span><\/h3>\n

Many manufacturers already have removed trans fat from their foods. For example, Starbucks and Tyson Foods did away with trans fats in 2007. For the next few years, however, some foods may continue to contain PHOs as manufacturers who haven\u2019t yet removed trans fat work to phase out the ingredient. To determine if trans fat is in a food, check the nutrition label under fat. <\/span><\/p>\n

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\"Trans<\/p>\n

Notice in this example that even though Trans Fat reads 0 g., the ingredient statement shows that the food contains partially hydrogenated oil. Therefore, the product does contain some trans fat, but due to current labeling laws, if there\u2019s less than 0.5 gram trans fat per serving, it can be labeled as zero.<\/p>\n

So far we have been discussing artificial trans fat, which is a man-made substance. However, it\u2019s important to note that small amounts of trans fat occur naturally in some animal products, such as meat and milk. There have not been sufficient studies to determine whether naturally-occurring trans fats have the same negative effects as industrially-manufactured trans fats.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Whether the trans fat is artificial or natural, it is best to limit intake of this substance. Some foods that may still contain trans fats include:<\/span><\/p>\n