Some companies already put the information on packages, but all are required to by 2006 under a new federal rule

Thursday, July 10, 2003

By Michael Woods, Post-Gazette National Bureau
 

WASHINGTON -- After 10 years of often contentious debate, the federal government yesterday announced that by 2006 the nutrition labels on packaged foods will have to reveal levels of artery-clogging "trans fat."

Trans fats, or "trans fatty acids," are as bad or worse than saturated fat in increasing the risk of heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States.

"We are empowering Americans to make healthier choices about the foods they eat," said Tommy G. Thompson, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in announcing the rule. "By putting trans fat information on food labels, we are making it possible for consumers to make better educated choices to lower their intake of these unhealthy fats and cholesterol."

Evidence about the harmful effects of trans fats has been accumulating for years, casting doubt on old nutritional dogmas like the idea that margarine is healthier than butter.

Trans fats are formed during hydrogenation, the process of converting liquid oils into solid, spreadable products with a longer shelf life. Margarine is a vegetable oil -- usually corn, soy, sunflower or safflower -- that has been hydrogenated into a solid. "Shortenings" for baking and frying are made with the same process.

The harder the margarine or other product, the more it has been hydrogenated and the higher its trans fat content.

Many baked goods, snack foods, fried foods, salad dressings and other food products contain "hydrogenated vegetable oil" made with the same process.

"Trans fat, like saturated fat and dietary cholesterol, raises LDL 'bad' cholesterol levels in the blood, which increases the risk for heart disease," said Dr. Claude Lenfant, director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. "It is therefore desirable to have food labels display all the information that can help consumers choose foods low in saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol as part of a healthy diet."

Health and consumer groups have pushed for the new regulations, arguing that current food labels hide trans fat content. Food manufacturers countered that listing trans fat would only confuse consumers, many of whom already pay little heed to package nutrition labeling.

"This label change means that trans fat can no longer lurk, hidden, in our food choices," said Dr. Mark B. McClellan, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, which issued the new regulations. The FDA estimated the labeling could prevent up to 1,200 cases of heart disease and 500 deaths a year, as people either choose healthier foods or manufacturers change their recipes to leave out trans fat.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a food watchdog group, petitioned the FDA for the rule almost 10 years ago. The center's nutrition director, Margo Wootan, said, "The new labels will let consumers compare trans fat content from product to product, and that will be a great step forward."

But Wootan said the FDA didn't go far enough: The labels won't tell consumers how much each doughnut or dollop of margarine counts against their daily allotment of total unhealthy fat.

Nor will they bear a message FDA debated this spring -- that trans fat consumption should be as low as possible.

Experts have not yet set a recommended daily limit on trans fat. But one rule of thumb calls for limiting both saturated and trans fats to a combined 25 grams daily. That means a single doughnut or slice of pound cake, with 8 to 10 grams of these fats, would contain a third or more of the daily allotment. A medium order of fries, with about 15 grams of saturated and trans fats, would represent well over half.

Products advertised as low in saturated fat could still have lots of trans fat, so consumers should check, she cautioned. The words "hydrogenated" or "partially hydrogenated" on current ingredient labels are a tipoff that trans fats are present.

Michael F. Jacobson, director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, noted that the new rule will not apply to restaurants. Many cook foods in greases that are a major source of trans fats.

Under the new regulations, manufacturers must list trans fats on nutrition labels directly under the line for saturated fat by Jan. 1, 2006.

FDA said the lengthy phase-in period was partly a concession to small businesses, which will be able to use up current label inventories.

But the FDA expects many manufacturers to start listing trans fats soon. Some began earlier this year in anticipation of the rule, which was issued in preliminary form in 1999. Others have moved to reduce or eliminate trans fats in their products.

PepsiCo Inc. changed its process for making Doritos, Tostitos and Cheetos snack foods to eliminate trans-fatty acids and already has added the content information to its labels, the company said in a statement. Unilever NV's entire line of soft margarine spreads will be free of trans fatty-acids in the first half of 2004, the company said in a statement.

Kraft, the biggest U.S. food maker, said this month it will develop nutrition and marketing standards for all products, as food companies seek to fend off consumer lawsuits over obesity and other health-related issues.

In Pittsburgh, a Heinz Corp. spokeswoman said the company "offers a wide range of products and is responsive to consumer concerns about nutrition. We comply with all guidelines and regulations that FDA sets forth."

The FDA also is considering additional regulations to define what health claims manufacturers can make for low trans fat products.

(Michael Woods can be reached at mwoods@nationalpress.com or 1-202-662-7072. Bloomberg News and the Associated Press contributed to this report.)