Labelling cuts trans fats in US

Compulsory labelling in the USA appears to have reduced the levels of harmful trans fats in many processed foods.

In a sampling of packaged foods at a local Wal-Mart, researchers at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis found that a majority of margarines and butters, cookies, cakes and snack foods had gone trans fat free.

However, a number of products still had substantial amounts of the fat, the researchers report in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

For example, three of 40 brands of crisps, crackers and popcorn contained at least 3 grams of trans fat per serving, according to the products' labels.

So, despite the food industry's move toward cutting trans fat, consumers still need to check labels, according to the researchers, led by graduate student Matthew Albers.

Trans fat not only raises "bad" LDL cholesterol, but also lowers heart-protective HDL cholesterol. The main source of trans fat in the diet is the partially hydrogenated oil used in many commercially prepared baked and fried foods ncluding cookies, crackers, chips, breads and french fries.

Since 2006, food manufacturers have been required to list trans-fat content on products' "Nutrition Information" labels. This has spurred many brands to cut the fat out.

The findings show that the food industry has made "progress," the researchers say, but consumers still need to watch out for not only trans fat, but saturated fat as well.

"When choosing between products...the consumer should add together the trans- and saturated-fat content listed on the product label and select a brand that has the least of these two fatty acids," advised Dr. Lisa Harnack, an associate professor at the University of Minnesota and a co-researcher on the study.

As for the UK, the Food Standards Agency recently told health minister Alan Johnson 'that voluntary measures to reduce trans fats in food have resulted in such low consumer intakes that mandatory restrictions are not necessary'. The FSA will also be consulting on an EU proposal on all food labelling including transfats. Currently in the UK, labelling is only required if a product claim is made - for example, if a product says 'no trans fats', it needs to prove it.