Killer fats in your cupboard
June 21, 2007 12:00 AM
A North West Euro-MP is calling for a ban on the use in food of 'killer' fats that could do worse than put a few inches on your waistline.
Trans Fatty Acids (TFAs) are often used in biscuits, fried and snack foods as they are easier to cook with and help lengthen the shelf life of the product.
However, these artificially manufactured fats have raised concerns after being linked to high levels of cholesterol, asthma, increased chance of heart disease and even infertility.
Trans fats have been banned in Denmark and last year New York banned restaurants from using them.
MEPs from across Europe have joined forces to call for increased awareness of the dangers of TFAs by introducing a labelling system on foods. They also want to follow the lead of the Danish Government and move towards banning trans fats from food products.
Liberal Democrat MEP Chris Davies wants the European Commission to take action.
He said: "European laws already insist that manufacturers provide a range of information about foods. These need to be updated so that customers can decide for themselves whether to buy products that contain fats that present a real risk to health."
The amount of TFA found in foods varies widely between countries. A portion of french fries from McDonalds in the USA contained 23g compared to 16g in a UK restaurant and just 0.3g in a Chinese branch of the fast food chain.
Four British supermarkets - Tesco, Sainsbury's, the Co-op and Asda - have pledged to phase out trans fats from their own-label products. Marks and Spencer and Waitrose have already done so.
Trans fats have been used since the 1950s but the negative health effects have only been discovered quite recently.
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