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After years of deliberation, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it was prepared to take the next step in regulation of trans fats, or partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs) which have been long known to contribute to heart disease. The agency’s preliminary determination is expected to result in trans fats being reclassified as “not generally recognized as safe” (NGRAS), meaning that food manufacturers would need to apply for special permission
Trans fats were introduced to the public in the form of Crisco, which the manufacturer claimed was better and healthier than butter. [See related amazing article about the marketing of Crisco.] They then became popular as margarine, and are included in nearly all fast foods. Partial hydrogenation allows the oil to be solid at room temperature.
The Center for Science in the Public, succeeded in 2003 — after a nine-year campaign — in getting the FDA to require that products containing trans fats be specifically labeled as such. As public awareness of the dangers of trans fats has grown, a combination of CSPI pressure and consumer education has led many restaurant chains and snack makers to lower the amount of trans fats in their products or remove them entirely. Trans fats are still much-used in margarine, microwave popcorn, frozen pizzas and other products.
Some communities, including New York City, have instituted local bans. “If trans-fat labeling in the supermarket was the beginning of the end of trans fat, New York’s move today is the middle of the end of trans fat,” said CSPI executive director Michael F. Jacobson in 2006, after the announcement of that city’s ban.