FDA Bans Trans Fats in the US

[Waldo]

Like the headline states, Partially Hydronenated Oils (trans fats) have been removed from the generally recognized as safe category in foods and will be totally phased out nationwide in coming months.

http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm372915.htm

[Duality]

finally.

[Donar]

A decision that could only be made at the speed of government.....lol

[Quillard]

wait, what now? Is this the whole take the oil out of the vegetable and it becomes inlamatory thing, or...? 
Am I getting something mixed up? Are we talking mono and poly saturated ones?

What's this mean for olive oil? Lost. 

[franchise]

This is just Trans Fats, not the other ones - so your partially hydrogenated oils. Margarine, microwave popcorn, lots of processed foods.

[Bagelyo]

Just partially hydrogenated oil, which is a process that makes liquid fats into solid ones, like margarine and shortening. This doesn't cover FULLY hydrogenated oils, which are saturated fats, and not ALL trans fats because they are naturally occurring in dairy (and some meats?).

[Elastigirl]

Disclaimer: I am Paleo and rarely eat transfat because I agree it is unhealthy. Saying that, I really think we would be better off without the government deciding what is healthy for us or not.  Chances are the food companies will just replace it with something else that is unhealthy. The best thing is for people to take charge of their own health and make decisions for themselves what they will or won't eat. 

 

Then again, I also voted against the labeling of Genetically Modified Food for very similar reasons. So, I guess I am an odd duck in that I would like people to eat healthier, but don't really think it is the government's responsibility to decide what that means.

[Dirty Deads]

Disclaimer: I am Paleo and rarely eat transfat because I agree it is unhealthy. Saying that, I really think we would be better off without the government deciding what is healthy for us or not.  Chances are the food companies will just replace it with something else that is unhealthy. The best thing is for people to take charge of their own health and make decisions for themselves what they will or won't eat. 

 

Then again, I also voted against the labeling of Genetically Modified Food for very similar reasons. So, I guess I am an odd duck in that I would like people to eat healthier, but don't really think it is the government's responsibility to decide what that means.

I don't think it is the government deciding what is healthy. I think it's them finally stopping people from sneaking an unhealthy thing into foods and passing it off as healthy. Next up, msg.

[Quillard]

msg

 

what's that?

[notanartmajor]

Monosodium Glutamate - a flavor enhancer produced from corn. People hate it for some reason.

On that note, is there any actual evidence that it (MSG) is harmful to humans?

[Quillard]

Thanks, I would like an answer to that as well if at all possible

Also,

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131105081352.htm

 

they found a new knee ligament. Pretty okay day for humanity furtherance, all in all. 

[Starstuff]

The post title is a little misleading. The FDA didn't ban trans fats; they provisionally removed them from the "generally recognized as safe" list. That means that they have to go through the FDA testing and approval process before being added to foods, not that they are flat-out banned. And that's only if the provisional ruling is made permanent. Basically, all this means is that the FDA is considering no longer classifying partially-hydrogenated oils as safe for human consumption without restriction.
 

[Dirty Deads]

Monosodium Glutamate - a flavor enhancer produced from corn. People hate it for some reason.

On that note, is there any actual evidence that it (MSG) is harmful to humans?

Supposedly there is no proof.  I know that even smaller amounts give me headaches, so there is something there that probably has some sort of intolerance factor. 

[Elastigirl]

The post title is a little misleading. The FDA didn't ban trans fats; they provisionally removed them from the "generally recognized as safe" list. That means that they have to go through the FDA testing and approval process before being added to foods, not that they are flat-out banned. And that's only if the provisional ruling is made permanent. Basically, all this means is that the FDA is considering no longer classifying partially-hydrogenated oils as safe for human consumption without restriction.

 

So, they can still have them but they have to be tested and approved? I am not sure I follow this process. What are they testing for?  If they are saying it is unsafe then wouldn't it fail any tests? What are the restrictions?

[Kaylya]

One thing I love about trans fats is that the threshold required to label it is so high compared to how much of it most foods actually contained even before awareness started being brought to it. In the US, it's 0.5g per serving, in Canada I think it's a bit lower, like 0.2 or 0.3, where suggested upper limits on consumption per day are 1-2g, and that's from sources trying to be a bit realistic (i.e. ideal would be "only that naturally occurring in meat and dairy"). And yes, you can and do see much smaller quantities of stuff labelled, they could label the trans fats in mg like Sodium if they wanted.

[Waldo]

So, they can still have them but they have to be tested and approved? I am not sure I follow this process. What are they testing for?  If they are saying it is unsafe then wouldn't it fail any tests? What are the restrictions?

If you don't know how it works why are you all for doing away with this sort of thing? Corporations and business marketplaces don't have the rights and freedoms of individuals. Individuals have the right that any food sold and labeled as food has to be safe to eat. Businesses do not have the right to sell whatever they want labeled however they want with no food safety standards.

Its basically the same way MJ was made illegal originally, prior to the FCSA; yes it technically was legal, however it requires an impossible process (approval/tax), which for all intents and purposes makes it illegal.

[Elastigirl]

If you don't know how it works why are you all for doing away with this sort of thing? Corporations and business marketplaces don't have the rights and freedoms of individuals. Individuals have the right that any food sold and labeled as food has to be safe to eat. Businesses do not have the right to sell whatever they want labeled however they want with no food safety standards.

Its basically the same way MJ was made illegal originally, prior to the FCSA; yes it technically was legal, however it requires an impossible process (approval/tax), which for all intents and purposes makes it illegal.

My first post was sort of a knee jerk reaction. In some cases (like GMO's I mentioned)  I disagree with the labeling, because it can be vague and not actually tell the consumer very much. When Starstuff went into further detail, I realized, that yea, like you said, I was saying I disagreed with something before really understanding. So amend my first post to I haven't really studied the issue enough to make an informed decision on the matter. I will think on it.  

[Dirty Deads]

If you don't know how it works why are you all for doing away with this sort of thing? Corporations and business marketplaces don't have the rights and freedoms of individuals. Individuals have the right that any food sold and labeled as food has to be safe to eat. Businesses do not have the right to sell whatever they want labeled however they want with no food safety standards.

Its basically the same way MJ was made illegal originally, prior to the FCSA; yes it technically was legal, however it requires an impossible process (approval/tax), which for all intents and purposes makes it illegal.

Unless that business is Driven Sports  and you have amphetamine analogs in your product. Guess they got dealt with though.

[namelesswonder]

What will happen with naturally occurring trans fats, such as those from dairy, which are not harmful?

http://chriskresser.com/can-some-trans-fats-be-healthy

[Waldo]

What will happen with naturally occurring trans fats, such as those from dairy, which are not harmful?

http://chriskresser.com/can-some-trans-fats-be-healthy

Nothing.

It only applies to partially hydrogenated oils added to foods.

[FyreFlies]

I wish they would tackle high fructose corn syrup next. And MSG, like someone mentioned.

[Waldo]

I wish they would tackle high fructose corn syrup next. And MSG, like someone mentioned.

 

I highly doubt either of these things would ever be banned.  They are not unsafe.

[Rooks]

I wish they would tackle high fructose corn syrup next. And MSG, like someone mentioned.

 

 

I highly doubt either of these things would ever be banned.  They are not unsafe.

 

Not healthy, but agreed, not unsafe.  Also, WAY WAY too much money behind HFCS to change anything about it.  

 

That said, back to the OP.  My stance on this news is "Who cares?".  The FDA has proven that they don't really have consumers health at the core of their values and they can be manipulated.  It's up to us to take responsibility for our own health and do our own research on foods.  

[Starstuff]

So, they can still have them but they have to be tested and approved? I am not sure I follow this process. What are they testing for?  If they are saying it is unsafe then wouldn't it fail any tests? What are the restrictions?

 

My understanding is that substances on the "generally recognized as safe" list are free to be used in consumables without any testing. For substances that aren't on the list, but haven't been deemed across the board unsafe, manufaturers can submit an application to use them in a particular context. One of the things required for the application is evidence that the substance has been rigorously tested for human safety in the context the application is for. The FDA then reviews the data and either approves or denies the application.

 

So, the "generally recognized as safe" list is supposed to contain only food additives that the FDA has high confidence based on scientific data has no negative effects on human health when consumed under its intended use (which includes things like concentration and serving size). This ruling means that the FDA is (provisionally) no longer confident that partially-hydrogenated oils pose no risk to human health when consumed in the contexts, quantities, and concentrations in which they are being used in foods.

[Kaylya]

HFCS is not good for you, but the evidence as to whether it's any worse for you than other sources of refined sugar is mixed. I don't see it being banned. What I would like to see is a shift in farm subsidies away from subsidizing corn production so much...