Trans Fat Coming to a
Label Near You!
More
and more of us are very concerned about the foods we eat, and in
particular with the ingredients in packaged foods. These ingredients
may be preservatives and taste enhancers in unhealthy amounts.
It
may be a legal requirement to list packaged food ingredients where you
live. If so, you are reading them aren’t you?
There
has been much discussion about the use of transfat in the manufacture
of food recently and there is some good news out of the US.
The US Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) now requires food manufacturers to list trans fat
(i.e., trans fatty acids) on Nutrition Facts and some Supplement Facts
panels. Scientific evidence shows that consumption of saturated fat,
trans fat, and dietary cholesterol raises low-density lipoprotein (LDL
or "bad") cholesterol levels that increase the risk of coronary heart
disease (CHD). According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood
Institute of the National Institutes of Health, over 12.5 million
Americans suffer from CHD, and more than 500,000 die each year. This
makes CHD one of the leading causes of death in the United States today.
FDA has required that
saturated fat and dietary cholesterol be listed on the food label since
1993. By adding trans fat on the Nutrition Facts panel (required by
January 1, 2006), consumers now know for the first time how much of all
three -- saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol -- are in the foods
they choose. Identifying saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol on
the food label gives consumers information to make heart-healthy food
choices that help them reduce their risk of CHD. This revised label,
which includes information on trans fat as well as saturated fat and
cholesterol, will be of particular interest to people concerned about
high blood cholesterol and heart disease. However, all Americans should
be aware of the risk posed by consuming too much saturated fat, trans
fat, and cholesterol. But what is trans fat, and how can you limit the
amount of this fat in your diet?
More
info with label examples from the source at FDA
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Profit Consumerism
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