Trans fats nutritional labeling

CFSAN-FDA, Questions and answers about Trans fat nutritional labeling. CFSAN Office of Nutritional Products, Labeling and Dietary Supplements, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Washington, DC, Last updated June 24, 2004. 

Trans fats have been added to the nutrition labels of foods. What next Will nutrition labels eventually become so detailed that they rarely get read by consumers At what point does a label provide "too much information" ... 

FDA reviewed the scientific evidence and recommendations of various scientific bodies, including the Institute of Medicine, National Academies of Science, an expert panel for the National Cholesterol Education Program, and the Advisory Committee on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2000. On July 9, 2003, the FDA issued a regulation requiring manufacturers to list trans fatty acids on the Nutrition Facts panel of the labels of foods and some dietary supplements. The new requirement will mean that manufacturers of most conventional foods and some dietary supplements will have to list in the Nutrition Facts panel the trans fat content of the product, in addition to the information about its overall fat content and saturated fat content. Dietary supplement manufacturers will need to list trans fat, as well as saturated fat and cholesterol, on the Supplement Facts panel when their products contain more than trace amounts (0.5 g) of trans fat. Examples of dietary supplements that may contain trans fat are energy and nutrition bars. 

The new information is the first significant change on the Nutrition Facts panel of the labeling since it was established in 1993. Food manufacturers have until January 1, 2006, to list trans fat on the nutrition label. The FDA estimates that by 3 years after that date, trans fat labeling will have prevented from 600 to 1200 cases of coronary heart disease and 250-500 deaths each year, and that the changes in regulations will save between US 900 million and 1.8 billion... 

It s essential to eliminate unhealthy, acid-forming fats from your diet. You learned about the harmful effects of trans fats in chapter i. Read the labels on packages and avoid anything with trans fats, hydrogenated fats, or partially hydrogenated fats. You ll find this information in the Nutrition Facts table or the ingredient list. 

Nutrition labels now tell us how much trans fat is contained in the product. 

Figure 5-3 Nutritional label from a package of crackers. The reporting limit for trans fat is 0.5 g/serving. Any amount less than this is reported as 0. Structures of representative saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and trans fats are shown. Box 7-1 explains the shorthand used to draw these 18-carbon compounds.

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