Has The Ban On Trans Fat Made Foods Healthier?

San Francisco recently passed a law banning the use of trans fats in restaurants. But what exactly are trans fats, and why should we care? Understanding trans fats and the regulations surrounding them is crucial for making informed decisions about your family’s health.

What Are Trans Fats?

Most trans fat in foods historically came from partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs), formed through a manufacturing process that converts vegetable oil into a solid fat at room temperature. This process was developed to extend shelf life and improve texture in processed foods.

Trans fats were once ubiquitous in processed foods, baked goods, and restaurant meals. They gave foods a desirable texture and extended their shelf life, making them very popular with food manufacturers. However, we now know they come with serious health consequences.

Why Trans Fats Are Dangerous

Eating trans fat raises the level of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol in the blood, and an elevated LDL cholesterol level increases the risk of developing heart disease, the leading cause of death in men and women in the United States.

Unlike other fats, trans fats serve no beneficial purpose in the human diet. They are purely a creation of food processing, and the human body has no nutritional need for them whatsoever.

The FDA Takes Action

In November 2013, FDA made a preliminary determination that PHOs are not “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) for use in food. The final determination was released June 16, 2015.

The FDA established January 1, 2021, as the final compliance date to allow manufacturers time to reformulate foods and ensure an orderly transition in the marketplace. By January 2020, U.S. food manufacturers would no longer be allowed to sell foods containing partially hydrogenated oil, which effectively banned trans fats from being added to foods made or sold in the United States.

The Health Impact

The health benefits of removing trans fats from our food supply are enormous. Removing PHOs from processed foods is estimated to be preventing thousands of heart attacks and deaths each year. In fact, the ban is believed to prevent about 90,000 premature deaths annually.

The FDA estimated costs at $6.2 billion over 20 years, while benefits are estimated at $140 billion over 20 years—mainly from lower healthcare spending. This makes the trans fat ban one of the most cost-effective public health interventions in recent history.

Reading Food Labels Carefully

However, there’s an important catch that consumers need to understand. There is a loophole in the FDA’s trans fat labeling law: any food with less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving can be called “trans-fat free.”

Manufacturers get to choose what a serving size is, and it rarely matches up with what you want a serving size to be. A cracker company can decide that one small cracker is a serving, but if you eat 12 “trans fat-free” crackers, you could have eaten up to 6 grams of trans fat.

The Key to Identifying Trans Fats

The key is to look at the ingredient list. If the product contains hydrogenated or partially-hydrogenated oils, it contains trans fats. Since trans fats are so unhealthy, these products should be avoided.

Look for these terms on ingredient labels:

• Partially hydrogenated oil
• Hydrogenated oil
• Shortening (if it contains partially hydrogenated oils)

If you see any of these ingredients, put the product back on the shelf.

Current Status: Are We Trans Fat-Free?

While the ban has dramatically reduced trans fat in the American food supply, trans fat will not be completely removed from the food supply because it occurs naturally in meat and dairy products and is present at very low levels in other edible oils.

The amounts found naturally in foods are much lower than what was previously added through partially hydrogenated oils, and these naturally occurring trans fats don’t appear to have the same harmful effects as industrial trans fats.

Have Foods Become Healthier?

The short answer is: yes, but with caveats. The trans fat ban has indeed made many processed foods healthier by eliminating one of the most harmful ingredients. However, food manufacturers have had to find alternatives to replace trans fats, and not all replacements are equally healthy.

Some manufacturers have replaced trans fats with:

• Saturated fats (like palm oil) - These are better than trans fats but still should be limited
• Interesterified fats - The long-term health effects are still being studied
• Healthier oils (like olive oil or canola oil) - These are the best alternatives

What Parents Should Know

While the trans fat ban is a huge victory for public health, it doesn’t mean all processed foods are now healthy. Parents still need to:

1. Read ingredient labels carefully - Look for whole food ingredients you recognize
2. Check for hydrogenated oils - They may still appear in some imported products
3. Limit processed foods overall - Even without trans fats, many processed foods are high in calories, sodium, and sugar
4. Focus on whole foods - Fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats should make up the majority of your family’s diet

The Bigger Picture

According to research published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the trans fat ban represents a major public health achievement. The demise of artificial trans fat in our food supply is a testament to the power of scientific evidence informing public health policy.

However, removing trans fats is just one step toward a healthier food environment. We still face challenges with excessive sodium, added sugars, and other unhealthy ingredients in processed foods.

The Bottom Line

The trans fat ban has made foods healthier by eliminating one of the most harmful ingredients from our food supply. This is excellent news for public health and especially for children, whose eating habits formed in childhood will affect their health throughout their lives.

However, “trans fat-free” doesn’t automatically mean “healthy.” Continue to read labels carefully, be aware of serving sizes, and focus on providing your family with whole, minimally processed foods whenever possible.

The trans fat ban is a victory worth celebrating, but the work of creating a healthy food environment continues. Stay informed, stay vigilant, and keep making choices that support your family’s long-term health.