Taking Trans Fats Out of the Food Supply

There has been a mounting interest in the deleterious health effects of trans fatty acids in food supply among scientists as well as the consumers worldwide. Trans fatty acids are strongly associated with elevated risk of cardiovascular diseases which remain as the leading cause of deaths globally including in Sri Lanka. The dietary sources of trans fats mainly include foods produced using partially hydrogenated oils, fried snacks, and baked goods. Following evidences of adverse health effects of trans fats, many western countries implemented legislations aiming at reducing trans fats in the food supply. Identifying the risk associated with trans fats, the US Food and Drug Administration (US-FDA) brought tough legislations to cut down trans fats in the food supply in 2003. Subsequently, following the guidelines set forth by the US-FDA, some other countries also formulated their national legislations restricting the trans fat content in their food supply. However, in Sri Lanka, currently there are no legislations to regulate trans fat levels in foods. Moreover, the public awareness of trans fat in foods and its health consequences is unsatisfactory. This chapter reviews the literature on the chemistry of trans fats, their negative impact on health, the processes that generate them, and the possible means by which their presence can be mitigated.