FDA Legislation banning Trans-Fats

[CaptainMurasa]

I saw this on the news today. What does everyone think of this?

 

I need to do more research, but it seems food manufacturers are beginning to phase out the more industrialized and processed fats out of their products.

 

Perhaps someone can link me to some sites on the subject? I'm using Wikipedia as a starting point, but maybe there's some papers that direct me to otherwise.

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

I think it's treating a symptom rather than a cause.  Just because processed foods will be incrementally less bad doesn't mean people will stop eating processed foods. In fact, it will probably backfire.  People will think, "Hey, no transfats, that means I can eat more if this stuff."   

[Oramac]

Being one of the few Conservative/Libertarian members of NF (or, one of the few outspoken ones anyway), I generally dislike having more laws.  This one is no exception.  By all means, do the research and publish the findings, but let people make their own decisions on what they eat.  

 

Tanktimus makes a great point as well.  People aren't going to suddenly eat better because the gov't mandates away this or that.  

 

EDIT: Here's an article I found on it.  http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/16/health/fda-trans-fat/

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

Being one of the few Conservative/Libertarian members of NF (or, one of the few outspoken ones anyway), I generally dislike having more laws.  This one is no exception.  By all means, do the research and publish the findings, but let people make their own decisions on what they eat.  

 

Tanktimus makes a great point as well.  People aren't going to suddenly eat better because the gov't mandates away this or that.  

 

EDIT: Here's an article I found on it.  http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/16/health/fda-trans-fat/

You're not the only one, but since politics are often divisive and we have such a unified, supportive community here I find it politic not to discuss politics too much.

[Oramac]

You're not the only one, but since politics are often divisive and we have such a unified, supportive community here I find it politic not to discuss politics too much.

 

A wise decision.  I, too, quite enjoy the positive, supportive community we have here on NF.  

[CaptainMurasa]

Ditto. I don't like talking about politics too often. It always feel too partisan and I hate bringing it up because I don't like breaking fights based on people's beliefs.

 

When I saw this news release, I feel that they were really just treating a symptom and not fixing the real problem. It would probably backfire, but I often wonder how the general public sees this. Or if we as a more informed minority thinks about this and maybe help educate our own friends and family on what they eat as a whole.

[Oramac]

Or if we as a more informed minority thinks about this and maybe help educate our own friends and family on what they eat as a whole.

 

True, though the best way for us to inform is to simply follow our own choices and live our lives.  Too often, trying to "educate" people who don't want to be educated can backfire also.  

[EstellaHavisham]

For me the issue is not trans fats and if one should eat them. But adults and companies should be able to decide for themselves what they produce and consume. Or at the very least it should be decided by the elected officials that we vote for, can protest, and write to. Why should the FDA have the right to do this at all?

[Sloth the Enduring]

I think there is a majority of conservative people here.

The problem is the people don't really have a choice, except to eat or not eat junk food. Corporations are going to make it the cheapest way they can regardless of the health effects.

The FDA should have the right to make regulations because the deck is stacked when you consider corporation's affect on the people.

[Elastigirl]

I think there is a majority of conservative people here.

The problem is the people don't really have a choice, except to eat or not eat junk food. Corporations are going to make it the cheapest way they can regardless of the health effects.

The FDA should have the right to make regulations because the deck is stacked when you consider corporation's affect on the people.

I don't generally even go through the junk food aisle in the store anymore, but yesterday I was  in the chip aisle at the store. I was surprised to see that they had several potato chip brands that were fried in coconut oil. Of course they were more expensive, but it was a choice. If there is a market for it, companies will make it and sell it. 

[Deidara]

I don't generally even go through the junk food aisle in the store anymore, but yesterday I was  in the chip aisle at the store. I was surprised to see that they had several potato chip brands that were fried in coconut oil. Of course they were more expensive, but it was a choice. If there is a market for it, companies will make it and sell it. 

 

Yes, they are more expensive. And yes, if there is a market for something, it will be produced.

 

But the fact that it's more expensive to not eat absolute junk is part of the problem.

 

People on low income generally have a much harder time eating healthy, especially if they also have families to feed. I used to be on food stamps, and while it was great that Whole Foods accepts those, it does not change the fact that I still only got a specific amount a month and that things at Whole Foods were still a lot more expensive than cup ramen at the sleazy supermarket down the street from my apartment. Also you know, it took me an hour to get to Whole Foods on the subway and 2 minutes to walk to the supermarket.

 

This is also completely ignoring the issue of food deserts and other obstacles to accessibility that aren't money. But the point is that a lot of people eat junk because they have next to no choice, or they don't know what their choices are or what junk is.

 

I'm perfectly fine with the FDA banning trans fats. FDA bans and regulations are also why there aren't literal rocks in our bread and why industrial food production actually sanitizes things and why we aren't sold literal rotten food. Companies will always try to get by being as cheap as possible and they do not care about the health of the consumer until there's a class action lawsuit. If they can get away with something, they will. (Speaking of which, did they use refined coconut oil for those chips? If so, they're not actually that healthy!)

 

Do I think it would be better if corporate food production cared about the quality of its product and made these changes by itself? Would I be happier if instead of just banning the worst of the junk, we actually had systems in place to help people - both children and adults - become more nutritionally literate (most people aren't and don't know how to educate themselves in this area)? Yes absolutely. But with the system we have in place, these regulations and bans are the best stopgap we have.

[Elastigirl]

Yes, they are more expensive. And yes, if there is a market for something, it will be produced.

 

But the fact that it's more expensive to not eat absolute junk is part of the problem.

 

People on low income generally have a much harder time eating healthy, especially if they also have families to feed. I used to be on food stamps, and while it was great that Whole Foods accepts those, it does not change the fact that I still only got a specific amount a month and that things at Whole Foods were still a lot more expensive than cup ramen at the sleazy supermarket down the street from my apartment. Also you know, it took me an hour to get to Whole Foods on the subway and 2 minutes to walk to the supermarket.

 

This is also completely ignoring the issue of food deserts and other obstacles to accessibility that aren't money. But the point is that a lot of people eat junk because they have next to no choice, or they don't know what their choices are or what junk is.

 

I'm perfectly fine with the FDA banning trans fats. FDA bans and regulations are also why there aren't literal rocks in our bread and why industrial food production actually sanitizes things and why we aren't sold literal rotten food. Companies will always try to get by being as cheap as possible and they do not care about the health of the consumer until there's a class action lawsuit. If they can get away with something, they will. (Speaking of which, did they use refined coconut oil for those chips? If so, they're not actually that healthy!)

 

Do I think it would be better if corporate food production cared about the quality of its product and made these changes by itself? Would I be happier if instead of just banning the worst of the junk, we actually had systems in place to help people - both children and adults - become more nutritionally literate (most people aren't and don't know how to educate themselves in this area)? Yes absolutely. But with the system we have in place, these regulations and bans are the best stopgap we have.

I guess part of my concern is that  companies are looking to try and get as cheap as possible, they won't replace it with something healthier, it will probably be just as bad or worse health wise. So we can ban the trans fats, but the potato chips and baked good are still going to be unhealthy. To make up for the loss in taste for the baked goods, they will probably  just add more sugar.

 

I think that trans fats are seen as unhealthy now, so a lot of companies had already stopped using it. I'm not actually sure it is going to make a lot of difference one way or another

[Deidara]

I guess part of my concern is that  companies are looking to try and get as cheap as possible, they won't replace it with something healthier, it will probably be just as bad or worse health wise. So we can ban the trans fats, but the potato chips and baked good are still going to be unhealthy. To make up for the loss in taste for the baked goods, they will probably  just add more sugar.

 

I think that trans fats are seen as unhealthy now, so a lot of companies had already stopped using it. I'm not actually sure it is going to make a lot of difference one way or another

 

Yeah they will end up replacing it with something just as bad if not worse, which is why I called bans like this a stopgap. It temporarily alieves part of a problem without actually addressing the core issue. A lot of companies have stopped using trans fats, but a lot of others still were (I still see it in margarine a lot for instance) so short-term I do think it will still make a bit of a difference.

 

The ony real way to solve the actual issue is for the consumer to start being a priority, and to get people more educated both on nutrition and on what goes into their food, especially processed food. Until that happens, there's just gonna be a lot of "oh this thing that's widespread is very unhealthy and awful so let's ban it and oh no now the thing they replaced it with is also awful" over and over again.

[Sloth the Enduring]

As far as trans-fats go, I don't think there is a replacement that's worse. The processed food companies will have to use an oil that's not quite as unhealthy.

[Elastigirl]

Yeah they will end up replacing it with something just as bad if not worse, which is why I called bans like this a stopgap. It temporarily alieves part of a problem without actually addressing the core issue. A lot of companies have stopped using trans fats, but a lot of others still were (I still see it in margarine a lot for instance) so short-term I do think it will still make a bit of a difference.

 

The ony real way to solve the actual issue is for the consumer to start being a priority, and to get people more educated both on nutrition and on what goes into their food, especially processed food. Until that happens, there's just gonna be a lot of "oh this thing that's widespread is very unhealthy and awful so let's ban it and oh no now the thing they replaced it with is also awful" over and over again.

Agreed. Of course the irony here is that when trans fat was introduced everyone was told it was healthier

 

As far as trans-fats go, I don't think there is a replacement that's worse. The processed food companies will have to use an oil that's not quite as unhealthy.

While I am not sure that banning is the best solution,  the oils they replace it with are healthier. Problem is then a lot of times to make up for shelf stability and taste the use more sugar and salt then they did before. Which may not be as bad as the trans fat, but it is pretty bad itself.

[Estrix]

I rarely think (or concede anyway) that more laws are a solution. As long as the food labelling is half decent I don't really mind what goes into it. As far as adults go, you know what you're eating and you know whether or not it's bad for you. You have a free choice and you can exercise that choice however you like. Not my business.

 

Having said that, it bothers me the crap that children can end up eating. They get no say in their diet. So some good in that area may come out of a ban.

[brownbob06]

Isn't this an FDA ban... Not "Obama legislation?"

[jfreaksho]

There will always be a way to game the system so that certain costs are dumped onto others, especially long-term costs.  We have seen this in our country with environmental issues, and the EPA has generally done a pretty good job of fixing that.  Asbestos-induced cancer and lead paint poisoning are pretty much beaten.  Walmart is currently gaming the system, by reducing the hours of normal employees to part-time so they don't have to pay benefits, which pushes many costs back onto the state (welfare, food stamps, medicaid/medicare, etc).  We see it in China, where farmers put dead pigs in the rivers, either because they over-medicated with clenbuterol, or are simply getting rid of dead or diseased animals that couldn't be sold.  I'm not a big fan of many of the laws we have in place in this country, but this sort that address these chronic issues that affect large swaths of the population aren't always a bad thing.

 

To compare it to smoking: Should there be an image of a sickly obese person on the outside of every package containing trans fats?  A huge "Trans Fats Kills!!!" banner?  I don't see any good way to really educate people about the dangers of trans fats, and not really any reason to do so when so many healthier alternatives exist.