Thursday, April 1, 2004

Food makers begin flushing trans fats from snacks

ELIZABETH WEISE/GANNETT NEWS SERVICE

http://www.theolympian.com/home/new...ies/16754.shtml

Eager to gain market share -- and to stave off consumer health concerns -- manufacturers aren't waiting for the federal law requiring them to list heart-dangerous trans fatty acids on food labels to take effect in 2006. Instead they're retooling recipes right and left to remove what many nutritionists say is one of the deadliest forms of fat in the American diet.

Already available are trans fat-free snacks from Frito-Lay such as Cheetos, Tostitos and Doritos. Pepperidge Farm is transitioning to a trans fat-free Goldfish recipe this summer. And coming soon are trans fat-free Oreos, Triscuits and a host of other foods.

Manufacturers will be required to begin listing the amount of trans fat on food labels on Jan. 1, 2006. It's most common in pastries, cakes and doughnuts, margarine, cookies, crackers and fried potatoes.

"Gram for gram, trans fat is probably the worst thing in our food supply. It's extremely conducive to coronary heart disease," says Mike Jacobson of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. It was CSPI's citizen's complaint that helped push the FDA to change the labeling requirements.

The FDA estimates that three years after the effective date, trans fat labeling will prevent 600 to 1,200 cases of heart disease and 250 to 500 deaths each year. It takes about three years for lower LDL cholesterol to result in lower coronary heart disease risk. [emphasis added - gotbeer]

Trans fatty acids, or trans fats, are created when vegetable oil is hydrogenated. That's a process in which liquid oil is heated in the presence of a catalyst, often a metal such as nickel or platinum, while hydrogen is bubbled through it.

Hydrogenated oil is chemically less like vegetable oil and more like animal fat. It's also more solid and less likely to go rancid, making it perfect for frying and industrial baking needs.

To get away from hydrogenation, manufacturers are switching from soybean oil to oils such as sunflower, safflower and palm.

Now the challenge is to just stop eating so many fatty foods, says nutritionist Marion Nestle, author of "Safe Food."

"Trans fats should have been out of the food supply decades ago, and it's about time they are gone, but (snack foods) are a calorie distractor. The advertising is designed to make people forget about calories."