Is artificial trans fat on its way to extinction?
>> Wednesday, July 29, 2009
On the trans fat front, two great pieces of news. First, Unilever has announced that they will remove all partially hydrogenated oils from its soft spread margarines. Translation...Unilever's margarines will no longer contain artificial trans fat! (Dairy products used in margarine production may still contain naturally occurring trans fats.) Unilever margarine brands include I Can't Believe It's Not Butter and Shedd's Spread Country Crock. Removal of partially hydrogenated oils from their margarine should be complete by second quarter of 2010.
Second, Cargill recently announced that it will cease production of partially hydrogenated oil at its Wichita plant.
"The demand for hydrogenated oils has decreased significantly as a result of trans fat reduction in foods, therefore leaving the plant underutilized," said Mike Venker, president, Cargill Dressings, Sauces & Oils. "We made every effort to keep the production at the plant, but ultimately could not achieve acceptable production efficiencies."I'm not happy about the jobs inevitably lost with this decision (actually, I hope that they were able to repurpose the line for non-hydrogenated oils and save the jobs), but I am thrilled that the market for partially hydrogenated oils has dried up!
Is this the death knell for trans fat as Marion Nestle, nutrition professor at New York University and author of several respected books, has declared? Let's hope so! In the meantime, read those labels! Trans fat might be on the way out, but that doesn't mean that it's gone yet. I find it in way too many foods still on the shelves.
Special thanks to Fat Fighter TV and Fooducate who broke the news to me. If you need a primer on trans fat and why we should avoid it, check out my post on the subject.
10 comments:
Great news, isn't it? Yay for getting rid of those bad fats! Thanks for the shout out. :)
Interesting to hear that the industry has taken a hit. This should make us a step closer to becoming a healthier country!
It would be a big thing to see artificial trans fats completely gone. It is about time it is no longer available.
Definitely think that getting rid of the trans is a positive move. It speaks to the power of the consumer for sure. I still wonder what is going to replace them if margarines stay on the market, though. I'm definitely a butter and olive oil person when it comes down to it.
I have hope! I think enough of us are complaining about artificial trans fats that they're on their way out :D
Taking steps to a healthier, more natural state again. The Specific Chiropractic Center has specialized events to teach individuals how to cook, read labels and flourish in their own bodies. Great blog. Thanks
The problem is that they'll just be replaced with something that also bad for you. That's why I eat real butter, ingredient: cream. (actually we eat raw milk butter we make at home).
This is something I was quite pleased to see happen!
I see less and less of artificial trans fats! Hopefully this can make a difference on our children's futures and minimize the amount of obese people out there.
Very useful piece of writing, much thanks for your post.
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