Zero Plus Zero Equals Four…or Don’t Trust Trans Fat Labelling
December 8th, 2006
Canadian Law allows up to 2g of Trans fat per serving to be labeled as Zero Trans Fat
Do you ever wonder who creates these food laws and how they get written up? They end up being so confusing that most consumers would never be able to figure them out. One law refers to the second condition in paragraph 3 of another law, which applies when a third law is not in effect…it’s a nightmare of double-speak that appears to be designed with confusion as its principal goal.
Take the Canadian regulations on declarations of Trans fat. It is now law in Canada that food packagers list the Trans fats contained in a product under the Fats heading in the nutritional value table on their labels.
Good idea, you say? Well it would be if the definition of zero were obvious (last I checked, zero meant nothing or zilch). But it turns out that labels can claim zero Trans fat if:
- the product contains less than 1/2 gram of Trans fat per serving, or…
- the sum of Trans fats and all other saturated fats combined is 2 grams or less.
Wait a minute! What’s that second option all about? It means that if there are no saturated fats in the product, then the product can have up to 2 grams of Trans fat and still qualify as a “zero trans fat” food.
Now lets look at the real world and how this works out. A “serving size” of butter or margarine is generally one tablespoon, which is 14 grams. If margarine makers substitute all of their saturated fats for Trans fat, then they can have up to 2 grams of Trans fat per serving, or 2g in every 14g of margarine. That makes the product as much as 14% Trans fat…a far cry from zero in anyone’s book.
A serving of Ritz crackers is five crackers. That’s 16 grams, or a potential of 12.5% Trans fat in their “zero trans fat” product.
It’s clear that when laws are drawn up to protect consumers, the lawmakers are adept at turning any good idea into a benefit for the large food and drug manufacturers. The bottom line? Don’t trust the labels. If you see a product with partially hydrogenated oils, do your arteries a favor…steer clear.
Read More On: bad foods, health, sensible health
