Nationwide product reformulations to reduce trans fatty acids in Canada: when trans fat goes out, what goes in?

Abstract

The impact of recent efforts to reduce the content of industrially produced trans fatty acids (TFA) in foods has not been systematically assessed in any country. Concerns exist that food manufacturers/restaurants may replace TFA with saturated fat acids (SFA), rather than cis unsaturated fats, or increase the total fat content. We present findings from a national systematic assessment of grocery and restaurant foods likely to contain TFA in Canada in 2005–2007. Of the total of 221 assessed products, 92 (42%) contained TFA (⩾5% of fatty acids) on initial assessment. Of an unselected sample assessed more than once, 72% were reformulated during 2005–2007: mean±s.d. TFA levels decreased from 26±13 to 2±4%. Following reformulation, one product had similar TFA+SFA content; all others had decreased TFA+SFA and increased cis unsaturated fat content. The total fat content was generally unaffected. The findings suggest that manufacturers/restaurants generally take advantage of costs and efforts of reformulation to not only reduce TFA but also increase the content of cis unsaturated fats.