Trans Fat To Be Added To Nutrition Labels

WASHINGTON -- New federal regulations will require food labels to list how much artery-clogging trans fat products contain.

Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson announced Wednesday that the 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 by 2006, in addition to the information about its overall fat content and saturated fat content.

"We are empowering Americans to make healthier choices about the foods they eat," Thompson said. "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. It's just one more way we're helping consumers lead healthier lives."

The new information is the first significant change on the Nutrition Facts panel since it was established in 1993, Thompson said.

Trans fatty acids are found in hydrogenated oils, grease and shortening. Trans fat is often found in the same foods as saturated fat, such as some margarines, crackers, candies, cookies, snack foods, fried foods, baked goods, salad dressings, and other processed foods.

Concerns over trans fats have increased following a series of studies showing they increase the risk of heart disease by lowering levels of good cholesterol and raising levels of bad cholesterol. Last year, the National Academy of Sciences confirmed that trans fat is about as harmful as its better-known cousin, saturated fat -- and many doctors consider it even worse.

The Food and Drug Administration estimates that listing trans fat content on food labels would save 2,000 to 5,600 lives and between $900 million and $1.8 billion in medical costs each year. That's because people would either choose healthier foods or manufacturers would leave the bad fat out.

"Americans will now be armed with better information to reduce their intake of saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol, which could significantly lower the risk of heart disease, the leading cause of death in America today," said Dr. Mark McClellan, FDA commissioner.

Margo Wootan, nutrition policy director at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, called the new rule a "good first step." But she cautioned that the labels won't tell how much of a particular product counts against a person's daily allotment of total unhealthy fat.

"It will be hard, though, for people to tell if a given number of grams of trans fat is a lot or a little. Five grams may not seem like a lot, but it is," Wootan said.

The group petitioned the FDA 10 years ago to make the label change.

A few companies, like Frito Lay and Lipton, have already taken steps to eliminate trans fat in some products. But McDonald's, which last September announced with great fanfare its proposal to reduce saturated and trans fat in its fried foods, quietly reneged on its pledge earlier this year, according to the CSPI.