An end to trans fats?
A proposal issued today by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, if finalized, would effectively make trans fat in the food supply a thing of the past. The Gazette asked Professor Walter Willett, chair of the Department of Nutrition at the School of Public Health, to discuss the potential impact of the ruling, in policy and health. GAZETTE: What exactly has the FDA done today? Is there a chance the ban could be derailed during public comment? WILLETT: The FDA announced a determination that partially hydrogenated fats are no longer “generally regarded as safe” (GRAS). This requires a comment period before implementation, but I don’t think any reasonable person could now claim that they are regarded as safe because every major organization that has looked at this issue has concluded that trans fats (produced by partial hydrogenation) are harmful. Implementation of this determination will effectively eliminate trans fats due to partial...