The Food and Drug Administration’s preliminarily determination that partially hydrogenated oils aren’t “generally recognized as safe” for use in food has sparked some debate.
Phasing out partially hydrogenated oils, the primary dietary source of artificial trans fat in processed foods, is a big deal. The FDA estimates by doing so, it will prevent 20,000 heart attacks and 7,000 deaths a year.
According to the Grocery Manufacturers Association, consumers have been seeing a substantial reduction in trans fats in foods since around 2005, with food manufacturers voluntarily lowering the amounts in their food products by 43 percent. Some big dogs in the fast-food world, like McDonald's, Taco Bell and KFC, already dropped it from their french fries, nachos and chicken, while New York City, Philadelphia and the state of California already have banned trans fats from restaurant food.
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