Google – AFP, Kerry Sheridan (AFP), 7 November 2013
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US
regulators took steps to ban trans fat from food, saying the artery-clogging
oils are not safe for humans to eat (AFP/File, Johannes Eisele)
|
Washington
(AFP) - US regulators on Thursday took steps to eliminate artery-clogging trans
fats from processed foods like margarine, microwave popcorn and frozen pizza,
saying that partially hydrogenated oils are not safe to eat.
The
proposal by the Food and Drug Administration aims to reduce heart disease and
deaths by requiring packaged food-makers to choose safer mono and
polyunsaturated fats.
The ban
would not take effect right away. First, there is a 60-day comment period
before the rule can become final. The FDA is also seeking feedback from
industry on how long it would take them to change their recipes.
If the
decision is made final, partially hydrogenated oils, which are made by
incorporating hydrogen into liquid oil to make solid fat, would be considered
food additives and could not be used in food unless given special regulatory
approval.
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People pick
up doughnuts on October 27,
2012 in New Philadelphia, Ohio (Getty
Images/AFP/File, John Moore)
|
The FDA
said that “since trans fat content information began appearing in the Nutrition
Facts label of foods in 2006, trans fat intake among American consumers has
declined from 4.6 grams per day in 2003 to about 1 gram per day in 2012.”
FDA
Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said despite declines in consumption of trans
fats over the past decade, Americans’ “current intake remains a significant
public health concern.”
Cutting out
trans fats in the American diet “could prevent an additional 20,000 heart
attacks and 7,000 deaths from heart disease each year,” she said.
The FDA
said its decision would not affect trans fats that occur naturally in some meat
and dairy products, but would apply to man-made partially hydrogenated oils
that are added to processed foods.
These fats,
also known as PHOs, are commonly added to improve flavor and lengthen the shelf
life of products like cookies, pies, cake frosting, chips, crackers, doughnuts,
pizzas, margarine, coffee creamer and some cereals.
Eating
trans fats causes an increase in bad cholesterol, or low-density lipo-protein
(LDL), a leading risk factor in the development of coronary heart disease,
which is the top cause of death in the United States, according to the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention.
Many food
manufacturers have voluntarily cut back their use of trans fats after a public
health campaign to warn of the dangers built steam.
“But a
substantial number of products still contain partially hydrogenated oils, which
are the major source of trans fat in processed food,” said Michael Taylor, the
FDA’s deputy commissioner for foods and veterinary medicine.
"It
may take some time" for food-makers to find ways to comply, he added.
Industry
would have a high standard to meet in order to be able to use trans fats as a
food additive.
It must be
"demonstrated scientifically that there is a reasonable certainty of no
harm from use of the ingredient," he told reporters.
"Companies
are free to petition but they would have to meet that rigorous safety
standard."
The FDA
move was hailed by consumer groups as a major step forward.
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Doughnuts,
french fries and fried chicken
are displayed September 27, 2006 in
Miami,
Florida (AFP/File, Robert Sullivan)
|
"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."
Food
industry representatives said they would cooperate with the FDA.
"Consumers
can be confident that their food is safe and we look forward to working with
FDA to better understand their concerns and how our industry can better serve
consumers," the Grocery Manufacturers Association said in a statement.
Nutrition experts
and doctors applauded the FDA move, but warned that consumers should still be
careful about saturated fat and cholesterol.
"If
and when food manufacturers reformulate their products to remove trans fats,
they often replace the hydrogenated oils with things like coconut and palm oil
that are high in saturated fat,” said Dana Angelo White, assistant clinical
professor at Quinnipiac University.
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