Labelling issues: trans fatty acids
manufacturers reduce the use of trans fatty acids in foods, a type
of fat linked to heart disease. A move this week by fast food giant
McDonalds is will be seen as a step in the right direction.
In Europe and the US consumer groups are keen to see food manufacturers reduce the use of trans fatty acids in foods, a type of fat linked to heart disease. A move this week by fast food giant McDonalds is will be seen as a step in the right direction.
The company announced this week that all French fries will be cooked in a new oil that reduces trans-fatty acids by 48 per cent and saturated fat by 16 per cent. As from October the new process will be rolled out to 13,000 US McDonald's restaurants.
So will other foodservice operators and food manufacturers follow suit? In the UK the Joint Health Claims Initiative (JHCI), a joint venture between consumer organisations, enforcement authorities and industry trade associations that is addressing the need to regulate the use of health claims for foods, is currently examining the potential generic claim that decreased consumption of trans fatty acids can promote heart health and healthy blood cholesterol levels. Should the claim be agreed then food manufacturers will have the option in the future to label appropriate foods with the claim.
In the US concerns over trans fatty acid consumption and every increasing levels of obesity encouraged the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to amend regulations on nutrition labelling to require that the amount of trans fatty acids in a food be included in the Nutrition Facts panel. Included in this proposal is a new nutrient content claim defining "trans fat free" and a limit on trans fatty acids wherever there are limits on saturated fat in nutrient content claims or health claims.
Despite agreeing to amend the nutrition label the FDA postponed any change until it had considered the Institute of Medicine, the medical arm of the National Academy of Sciences, report. Three years on the Institute of Medicine published the report this summer and concluded that Americans should cut back their intake of trans fats.
Food manufacturers in Europe and the US might soon be obliged to reflect the current negative feeling towards trans fatty acids - improved labelling could soon be a reality.
