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3 ways to prep for the ban on trans fats

Food retailers can prepare for the ban by taking a few necessary steps.

July 2, 2015

It can be a shock to food retailers and restaurants when they find out the ingredients they use for certain menu items actually contain trans fats. It's not they misread the label; trans fats under a certain percent do not have to be singled out on nutritional disclosures.

This is because trans fats, or partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs), do not have to be labeled if they contain less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving. This tends to mislead consumers and retailers because trans fats do actually exist in almost everything. In fact, according to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), 87 percent of products that contain PHOs list 0 trans fat on their labels.

The new federal ban on trans fats that passed June 6 is looking to address this issue and many more. The good news is the FDA has given food retailers three years to make the change in order to allow companies to reformulate the products that use these oils or to allow certain companies to petition the FDA to permit certain uses of them.

Naturally occurring trans fats can be found in small amounts in meat and dairy products, which is another reason why the three-year time span will be beneficial: it will give the industry time to look at where the naturally occurring trans fats are and where they are not.

The federal government is taking such a hard stand on the issue in effort to reduce coronary heart further prevent the high number of heart attacks that occur each year. This is because there is no health benefit to trans fats in any way. The main purpose of these PHOs is to increase a product’s shelf life and make certain foods easier to cook with.

Restaurants and food retailers can prepare for the ban by taking these few necessary steps:

• Find out what ingredients feature trans fats. Review menu items and look for labels that include the term 'partially hydrogenated oils. Make a list of those products and review the ones that need to be replaced with trans-fat free alternatives.
• Start sourcing alternate products. Ask suppliers about where you might find a sufficient substitute product at an attractive price point. Sometimes these alternative products come at a higher price so look for options that keep your food costs as low as possible without sacrificing quality and taste. Find alternatives such as products that contain soy oil and that work as well as the original, yet easy to replace.
• Make the right statement about the menu.

Keep in mind there is also going to be a whole lot of confusion over naturally occurring trans fats as compared to artificial trans fats. We have been dealing with customers who have believed menu items have been trans-fats free only for them to learn that these items do actually have a percent of PHOs. Part of our job now is to make sure what our clients are communicating on and about their menu is as accurate as possible.

New York was ahead of the curve when it enacted a trans fats ban in 2008; however, the ban falls short because there is no one in place to govern the ban or whether food service establishments are in compliance. I anticipate that this will change over the next three years, both at the federal and consumer level. There is no greater watchdog than consumers and they will not hesitate to call out a brand they feel is misleading the public.