Part of the U.S. Food and Safety Administration’s mission is to ensure that consumers are being exposed to safe and healthy food and drug products across the country.

With consumer safety in mind, Consumer Reports claims, the FDA has launched an announcement that claims that partially hydrogenated oils will be banned from the regulator’s list of ingredients recognized as safe. Since partially hydrogenated oils are the primary dietary source of trans fat, food products allowed to be commercialized in the US from now on will have to prove they do not contain the ingredients. Product manufacturers who want to use the ingredient will have to petition the FDA for permission.

According to Consumer Reports, consumer safety will be boosted with this new rule. Products such as margarine, for instance, will have to change. As a result, food items you eat at restaurants such as fries and doughnuts will have to be produced with healthier alternatives.

Health safety advocates have been calling for a ban on trans fat for some time. The ingredient increases the risk of heart attack and stroke, making the very act of consuming these products a threat to your health.

Consumer Reports has praised FDA over its latest announcement. Re-evaluating the use of trans fat could help consumers to make better dietary decisions. According to experts, this move could even cause the number of heart disease cases to drop over time.

The History Behind Trans Fat

Trans fat is originated in the additional hydrogen molecules found in vegetable oil. Originally, trans fat was created with the intention of giving fat the stability and same texture of butter without adding cholesterol or saturated fat. The process created trans fat, which over time proved to be better for food producers since trans fat is less expensive than butter. What researchers found was that the product may have been important to give the food industry options, but that over time, the product also exposed consumers to serious health issues.

To consumers, trans fat increases the levels of bad cholesterol while lowering the level of good cholesterol. This problem coupled with the risks associated with inflammation, which is also associated with trans fat, increases the risks associated with the ingredient. To Consumer Reports, FDA’s latest announcement should be celebrated.

While the FDA has set a three-year compliance date, experts believe that several producers will begin removing partially hydrogenated oils from their products beforehand.

To attorneys at our firm, efforts to make sure consumer products are safer for consumption are always welcome. If you’re curious to know more about trans fat and how this ingredient could expose you to health risks, follow this link to read more.