Policy Wise

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We have written before on the trans fats ban (here and here) but as it usually happens when such broad public health measures are taken, the fight becomes increasingly symbolic.

But, in a twist of science, the law and what some call trans-fat hysteria, Mr. Reich and other wholesale bakers are being forced to substitute processed fats like palm oil and margarine for good old-fashioned butter because of the small amounts of natural trans fat butter contains.Some researchers believe that the trans fat that occurs naturally in butter, meat, milk and cheese might actually be healthy. But to satisfy companies that want to call their foods completely free of trans fats, bakers like Mr. Reich are altering serving sizes, cutting back on butter and in some cases using ingredients like trans fat-free margarine.[link]

This is a perfect example of hysteria replacing genuine public health concerns. It is still not clear if naturally occuring trans fats are harm ful and they might actually have health benefits! Unfortunately, most consumers can hardly be expected to make that distinction and hence companies think it would make more sense to completely eliminate them. This kind of knee jerk reaction can actually harm consumer health as the substitutes might contain ingredients which are harmful to health but are not yet on the public health radar. Unfortunately, even F.D.A refuses to recognise this distinction–companies which want to get their food labelled as trans fats free and win over the health conscious consumer have to eliminate both types of trans fats without any distinction.

The problems it can cause are widespread,

This is an important issue because anything made with animal fats will have trans fats and make it impossible to claim trans fat-free,” said Marion Nestle, nutrition professor at New York University. “Milk has trans fats, after all, and you can see what a mess this is going to cause.”

F.D.A should come out with rules which distinguish between natural and artificial trans fats allowing companies to label their food trans fats free if it contains only natural trans fats.

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