Food inspectors have collected samples of packaged foods sold in Taiwan to check whether the amount of trans fats in the products are indicated truthfully on their labels, a Department of Health (DOH) official said Monday. 'Food processors or suppliers who are found to have falsely stated trans fats content on labels will be fined between NT$30,000 (US$937.5) and NT$150,000 in accordance with Article 17 of the Act Governing Food Sanitation, ' said Chien Hsi-wen, a section chief in the DOH's Food and Drug Administration. Chien's remarks came amid reports that many makers of packaged foods available in Taiwan have not faithfully indicated the amount of trans fats contained in their products on their labels. A report carried in the Monday edition of the United Daily News quoted Chang Li- chuan, president of an association of nutrition professionals in southern Taiwan's Tainan City, as saying she doubts food ingredient labels seen in local store shelves contain accurate trans fats information. 'Whenever I go shopping, I tend to carefully read ingredient labels of packaged biscuits, potato chips, margarine and non-dairy creamer because all of these things are known to contain high amounts of trans fats,' Chang said. Much to her surprise, however, the labels of most of those items showed they had no trans fats. 'I doubt that suppliers have honestly identified the ingredients in their products, ' Chang said, adding that many local consumers may have unwittingly consumed a large amount of trans fats. Trans fats, also known as hydrogenated oils, have been shown to increase the risk of death from cardiovascular disease. They are favored by food producers because they have a longer shelf life than natural fats and can also give foods a more desirable taste and texture. Out of public health concerns, the DOH amended the food safety act to require food processors to identify trans fats content on their product labels beginning Jan. 1, 2008. Nevertheless, the law allows food processors to make a 'zero trans fats' claim if the product contains less than 0.3 grams of trans fats per 100 grams of the serving size. The U.S. food safety law is even more permissive, allowing food producers to claim 'zero trans fats' by designating a serving size that contains no more than 0.49 grams of trans fats. Chien advised consumers to refrain from consuming too many foods containing hydrogenated vegetable oil, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil and shortenings. 