The History of Trans Fat

Years ago, animal fats such as lard, tallow, and butter were predominantly used in the food supply for baking and frying. However, when scientists determined that consuming saturated fat and cholesterol raised LDL ("bad") cholesterol, companies looked for alternatives to these fat and oil sources.

Partially hydrogenated oils were found to provide the same taste, texture, and stability in foods while being lower in saturated fat. At the time, scientific data did not indicate negative health effects from consuming trans fat.

Studies since then have shown that consuming too much of both saturated fat and trans fat raises the risk for coronary heart disease. Now, food companies – including Kellogg – are seeking alternatives that can help decrease or eliminate the trans fat in food.

 

What is Trans Fat?

Trans fats are formed when hydrogen is added to liquid vegetable oils to make them more solid at room temperature.

Hydrogenated oils can contain varying degrees of trans fats, depending on the degree to which they were hydrogenated. Generally the less hydrogenation, the less the trans fat.

When trans fat was not required to appear on the Nutrition Facts label, it was wise to look for the words "partially hydrogenated" in the ingredients list to infer that a product contains trans fat. Today, trans fats is included in the Nutrition Facts Panel – so you no longer have to rely on the words "partially hydrogenated" to guess if & how much trans fat is in the food.

 

What Foods Contain Trans Fats?

The main sources of trans fat are processed foods that contain some types of shortening or partially hydrogenated oils, including:

• Fried foods
• French fries
• Cookies
• Crackers
• Potato chips

Other sources of trans fats also occur naturally in small quantities in some animal products, such as:

• Butter
• Milk
• Cheese
• Meats

 

Kellogg Has Worked to Reduce or Remove Trans Fats?

We have invested significant resources in research and development to find suitable ingredient replacements for trans fats without affecting the taste, texture and freshness of our food. The majority of our products do not contain trans fats and our team of food scientists remains dedicated to this goal in developing new products.