Trust for America's Health Statement on the Food and Drug Administration Proposing Measures to Eliminate Artificial Trans Fat

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Nov 07, 2013, 02:30 ET

WASHINGTON, Nov. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is a statement from Jeffrey Levi, PhD, executive director of Trust for America's Health (TFAH), on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed notice to the Federal Register that partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs), which are the main source of artificial trans fat, are not "generally recognized as safe." When finalized, the notice makes PHOs subject to FDA approval, and, without FDA approval, foods containing PHOs could not be sold in the United States because they are deemed unsafe.

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"TFAH applauds the FDA for taking the steps to eliminate dangerous and deadly artificial trans fat from the nation's diet. For some time, we have known the grave health consequences of consuming trans fats and their relation to heart disease.

TFAH is encouraged by the FDA's action and hope that by the end of the comment period, artificial trans fats are quickly out of the nation's food supply.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this could save lives, improve the quality of life of thousands and reduce healthcare costs. Simply by reducing the consumption of trans fat, the CDC estimates 7,000 deaths each year from heart disease could be prevented.

Removing artificial trans fat from foods is a vital measure in the fight against heart disease and spiraling healthcare costs."

Trust for America's Health is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to saving lives by protecting the health of every community and working to make disease prevention a national priority. For more information, visit www.healthyamericans.org.

SOURCE Trust for America's Health