FDA Tells Food Industry to Stop Using Artificial Trans Fats

In a move that it says is designed to protect the heart health of Americans, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday that food manufactures have three years to remove artificial trans fats from the nation’s food supply.

The FDA ruled that partially hydrogenated oils - the major source of trans fats in the American diet - are no longer “generally recognized as safe,” the designation that for decades has allowed companies to use the oils in a wide variety of food products.

The FDA has estimated that removing partially hydrogenated oils from food could prevent as many as 20,000 heart attacks and 7,000 deaths from heart disease every year.

Partially hydrogenated oils are most often found in processed foods such as baked goods like cakes, cookies, and pies; non-dairy creamers; microwave popcorn; frozen pizza; margarine and other spreads; vegetable shortenings; and refrigerated dough products like biscuits and cinnamon rolls.

Companies have until June 18, 2018, to either reformulate their products and remove all partially hydrogenated oils, or petition the FDA to permit specific uses of the oils, the agency said Tuesday.

Food manufacturers have voluntarily lowered the amounts of partially hydrogenated oils in food products by 86% since 2003, and continue to remove them from products, according to the Grocery Manufacturers Association.

Despite this, even savvy consumers still are being exposed to minute levels of trans fats from partially hydrogenated oils, added Susan Mayne, director of the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.