FDA Ruling would all but Eliminate Trans Fats

F.D.A. Ruling Would All but Eliminate Trans Fats

New York Times- November 7, 2013

1. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/08/health/fda-trans-fats.html?hp&_r=0 
2. Category of Problem/Issue identified in article: Health / Legislation
3. Level of problem/issue: National
4. The article is concerning a potential policy being considered to fix a problem/issue that individuals face
5. This problem affects individuals in two ways. It will help in decreasing major chronic diseases associated with trans-fat consumption, but it will also impact the food industry through changes in food production.
6. Considering my major is in Nutrition and Foods, you could say that I am extremely passionate about this potential policy. Artificial trans-fat consumption has been linked to an array of chronic diseases including Obesity, Coronary Heart Disease, Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes, and more. By regulating the use and consumption of it, the federal government would be able to decrease the number of individuals who fall victim to these diet-induced diseases. This topic has sparked quite a bit of controversy over the years though. Several states have banned or enforced regulations on the use of trans fats in restaurants and food service establishments in hopes of achieving the same goal that the FDA has set. Majority of the oppositions have to do with government interference. These people are so against any sort of government involvement that they would rather not have any regulations at all. Let’s think about this, if there were no FDA or CDC (both government run programs), there would be an exponential increase in the amount of diseases circulating the United States. The FDA’s goal is not to keep individuals from eating the foods they love, it is to keep the harmful fatty acids out of the food product if it is not necessary. In just about all of the foods consumed, the trans fats used can be replaced with saturated fats. Although saturated fats are not the most favorable fats to be consumed, they are still less harmful than trans fats and a step in the right direction. The other opposition to trans-fat regulation lies among the food manufacturers, themselves. By regulating the amount of trans fat in the food, these companies will have to change the way they produce food. This will cause an increase in labor as well as an increase financially seeing as how artificial trans-fats were originally produced for the low-cost, and highly stable characteristics it possesses. I am in extreme support of the FDA stepping in and creating a policy reducing (if not banning) the use of artificial trans- fat.