It’s taken more than sixty years, but somebody finally woke and smelled the coffee.
Trans fats are bad for you!
US moves to ban trans fats in foods
US food safety officials have taken steps to ban the use of trans fats, saying they are a threat to health.
Trans fats, also known as partially hydrogenated oils, are no longer “generally recognised as safe”, said the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The regulator said a ban could prevent 7,000 deaths and 20,000 heart attacks in the US each year.
The FDA is opening a 60-day consultation period on the plan, which would gradually phase out trans fats.
“While consumption of potentially harmful artificial trans fat has declined over the last two decades in the United States, current intake remains a significant public health concern,” FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said in a statement.
“The FDA’s action today is an important step toward protecting more Americans from the potential dangers of trans fat.”
‘Industrially produced ingredient’
If the agency’s plan is successful, the heart-clogging oils would be considered food additives and could not be used in food unless officially approved.
The ruling does not affect foods with naturally occurring trans fats, which are present in small amounts in certain meat and dairy products.
Artificial trans fats are used both in processed food and in restaurants as a way to improve the shelf life or flavour of foods. The fats are created when hydrogen is added to vegetable oil, making it a solid.
Nutritionists have long criticised their use, saying they contribute to heart disease more than saturated fat.
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Do you use margarine?
The answer is simple, STOP!
Posted by Gather and Graze on November 8, 2013 at 9:35 am
Can’t wait for the day all of those tubs of margarine are pulled from the supermarket shelves! Incredible that it’s lasted so long…
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Posted by argentumvulgaris on November 8, 2013 at 5:19 pm
>Gather, be lovely, marg and cooking oils are he worst culprits.
AV
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Posted by livingsimplyfree on November 10, 2013 at 3:44 am
Margarine was never in my home growing up. My daughters-in-law were raised with it but have switched over when their children complained about the taste and said my butter tasted better. Score one for children’s taste buds.
When i think about all the foods with trans fats in the stores it will take a while to get every company to phase them out, but I hope it doesn’t take long. Next on the agenda… banning high fructose syrup? It would be nice wouldn’t it?
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Posted by argentumvulgaris on November 10, 2013 at 8:34 am
>lsf, likewise, we never had marg in the home, my mother wouldn’t have it. It was my ex that introduced our kids to it. Apparently the companies have until 2016, if i remember.
AV
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Posted by livingsimplyfree on November 10, 2013 at 3:13 pm
2016 isn’t as far into the future as I thought it might be, that’s good news.
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Posted by CelloMom On Cars on November 11, 2013 at 11:07 pm
Great news: We like our fats real and honest, thanks. Butter! Bacon! Olive oil!
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Posted by argentumvulgaris on November 16, 2013 at 9:29 am
>CelloMom, oh yes bacon… I put a slab of bacon on the BBQ yesterday, locals had never seen that before and loved it. So I didn’t get to pay for my beer… again.
AV
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