News U.S. Ban trans fats .

[queenislam]

greeting!

U.S. trans fats ban puts pressure on Health Canada.
CBC NewsPosted: Dec 20, 2013 5:01 PM ETLast Updated: Dec 20, 2013 8:52 PM ET

Last month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration took a step towards eliminating most trans fat from the American food supply, but a move to ban trans fats has not yet been enacted in Canada.

The FDA determined that a major source of trans fat — partially hydrogenated oils — can no longer be classified as safe for consumption, meaning they will have to be slowly phased out.

• Trans fat ban proposal in U.S. may affect Canadians
• Trans fat rules rejected as burden on food industry

"While consumption of potentially harmful artificial trans fat has declined over the last two decades in the United States, current intake remains a significant public health concern," FDA commissioner Margaret Hamburg said.

Trans fats (or trans-isomer fatty acids) are a type of unsaturated fat which is not generally found in nature but can be created artificially. They are used in some food products to add flavour and texture, but trans fats have been linked to major health problems like coronary heart disease.

The FDA estimates that trans fat causes 5,000 premature heart attack deaths a year in the U.S. -- in Canada that may translate into 500 preventable deaths a year.

Michael Jacobson, executive director of the Centre for Science in the Public Interest, has been campaigning for decades to reduce the use of trans fat in prepared foods.

He welcomes the change.

“If the FDA finalizes its tentative decision, most food companies would replace hydrogenated oil, the source of the trans fat, with a healthier oil,” he said in an interview with CBC’s Lang & O’Leary Exchange.

Some companies have objected to the proposed change, saying consumers are free to avoid those foods that contain trans fats. But others have eliminated hydrogenated oils voluntarily, as a way of attracting consumers.

With the health risks now well-known, it is time for the FDA to act, Jacobson said.

“Government traditionally has been charged with protecting the public from risks, especially unnecessary risks,” he said.

Companies could ask for exemption, but most are likely just remove the fats, he said, adding that about 75 per cent of trans fats have been removed successfully over the last 10 years.

He said restaurants chains such as Long John Silver’s and Church’s Chicken removed trans fats from their cooking process after the Centre for Science in the public Interest threatened to sue them.

“A lot of times, it’s just a matter of a company needing to invest a little bit of time and possibly experimentation in getting rid of it and replacing it with something healthier,” Jacobson said.

In Canada, there was a 2006 recommendation that Health Canada end use of trans fats, but government has not acted.
“It’s a crying shame. Governments should be more proactive and this is easy because there are substitutes,” he said.

~News.

about time
the kind of stuff human shouldn't even imagine to consume

Thank you for reading,
Take care,
~Wassalam

 

[sister herb]

Thanks for sharing. Yes I agree; people should be more careful what they eat and demand also healthier alternatives. But I think many people don´t know enough or they don´t care a lot.

 

[queenislam]

Thanks for sharing. Yes I agree; people should be more careful what they eat and demand also healthier alternatives. But I think many people don´t know enough or they don´t care a lot.

most welcome
and i totally agree with you sister.
There's a saying too like;
'you are what you eat'
so if one doesn't even care what they stuff into their own stomach
who does
then when something gone wrong later ,
blaming who caused it... could be
too late .

~May Allah swt help,protect and guide all muslims~Amin!
take care,
~Wassalam

 

[Hassan]

I am a bit surprised the US is ahead of Canada on this, the Canadians are usually very clued in when it comes to public safety I thought. Maybe the US has a larger scale problem so needed to move faster. Who knows, the world is an odd place these days. Allahumma alim.

Jazakallah khairan for sharing