Processed foods and Trans fats Flashcards
Describe the presence of trans fat
Crisco was one of the first trans fat products
2006 US FDA required trans fat labels on food
2015 it was no longer “generally recognised as safe” - essentially disappears
Define what a processed food is
A convenience food - food that is prepared for ease of consumption later
Describe the origins of Convenience foods
Thousands of years ago
Bread - portable calories
Wine
Cheese kept longer than milk
State two properties of processed foods
Make a lot of money - cheap and tastes good
Ultra processed foods increase cardiovascular risk due to higher total fat content, added sugars etc
State a characteristic of monounsaturated fatty acids
One double bond with two carbon atoms either side of hydrogen
State a characteristic of Cis saturated fats
Two hydrogen atoms side by side
Describe the history of trans fat
Won the Nobel prize in 1912
But then data about it’s bad health effects came out, no longer used
Describe why trans fats were so prevalent/popular
Stable at high heats for frying
Stable so foods had long storage times
Cheap to make
Made tasty food
Describe the start of the Downfall of Trans fats
Data came out that trans fat had many hazard effects to health
Links to atherosclerosis and inflammation
Epidemiology suggested that elimating it could prevent 20k heart attackas and 7k heart related deaths
What actions, and who took these actions, to start the end of Trans fats
Fred Kummerow
Sued FDA for not banning them
Economic pressures from publicity of health effects, 78% sale drop from 2003 and 2012
Banned in 2015
How good was the US with its policies concerning Trans fats
Not as good or fast as other countries such as Denmark
Food labels were only implemented in 2006 - plus restaurants don’t use them
NYC first banned trans fats in restaurants
Only 43% of the world is trans fat free
