Trans Fat

What is a Trans fat?

Trans fat can be found in vegetable shortenings, some margarines, crackers, candies, cookies, snack foods, fried foods, baked goods, and other processed foods made with partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. Small amounts of naturally occurring trans fat can be found in some animal products, such as butter, milk products, cheese, beef, and lamb.

What is the daily trans fat intake of Americans?

FDA estimates that the average daily intake of trans fat in the U.S. population is about 5.8 grams or 2.6% of calories per day for individuals 20 years of age and older. On average, Americans consume approximately 4 to 5 times as much saturated fat as trans fat in their diet.

How about Japanese?

According to Japanese Food Safety Commission, 20 years of age and older Japanese people’s the average daily in take of trans fats is about 0.7g～1.31g . If we compare with other countries we could know this amount is less. Which means, we have to regulate the amount of fats or oily foods.

According to Associated Press

Along with the ban, fast-food restaurants in New York City now must post calories on their menu. Few eateries, however, were complying with the calorie rule.
Most fast-food chains reversed their initial opposition to the trans fat ban and implemented it ahead of Sunday’s deadline, the city Health Department reported.
The first phase applies to oils, shortening and margarines used for frying and spreading — not to baked goods or prepared foods, or oils used to deep-fry dough or cake batter. These are covered by the second phase of the regulation, which takes effect on July 1, 2008.

Since New York passed the ban last year, Philadelphia, Montgomery County in Maryland and the Boston suburb of Brookline have followed its lead with similar measures that take effect later this year or in 2008. Several other states and cities including California and Chicago are also considering trans fat prohibitions.

Leaflets tacked onto the wall at one McDonald's said, "0 Grams Trans Fat and Still Loving the Taste!" But the restaurant kept the nutritional information off the menus, relegating it to a chart on the back of the fliers: 740 calories for a Quarter Pounder with cheese, 620 for a McFlurry.

McDonald's Corp. and Burger King Holdings Inc. were among the chains refusing to follow the new rule requiring certain fast food restaurants to list calorie counts next to menu items in type that is at least as large as the price.

Lowell Stephens, a manager at the Burger King, said the information had been posted in the restaurant for at least a year and a half.
"A lot of people know that it's there," he said. "They can read it any time."
But when the city does start cracking down, posting the calories on a chart on the wall won't be good enough.
"It needs to be at the point of purchase," Health Department spokesman Andrew Tucker said Sunday. "The point being that customers can actually see it when they're deciding what to order."

How much trans fats are contained in each foods! Look at the graph →→