Trans Fat On Its Way Out
Food manufacturers must remove partially hydrogenated oils, the primary source of artery clogging trans fat in foods, from the U.S. food supply by 2018, the Food Drug Administration announced last week. Ridding partially hydrogenated oils from the food supply could prevent thousands of deaths from heart disease each year, the agency says. The move comes after FDA in 2013 proposed steps to eliminate partially hydrogenated oils from foods, declaring the harmful fats will no longer be considered "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS) As a result, manufacturers have already removed these oils from many foods. But they can still be found in baked goods, frostings, frozen pizza, and microwave popcorn, among other products, because they are inexpensive, increase food's shelf life, and improve texture. Food manufacturers are generally pleased that FDA has given them three years to eliminate the remaining uses of partially hydrogenated oils. But they also plan to petition