Do food brands and restaurants use trans fats?

Trans fats are produced when you add hydrogen to oils - usually soy oil - to make partially hydrogenated oil (PHO) or vegetable shortening. I don't remember exactly when this process was developed, sometime in the early 20th century. read more

She is concerned that food packages and restaurant menus boasting "zero trans fats" may end up misleading consumers. "In the grocery store, read the labels; and in restaurants, ask a few questions to make sure the trans fats have not been replaced with unhealthy saturated fats," she says. read more

Last year, the Food and Drug Administration “declared war” on trans-fats, putting pressure on food manufacturers to phase out their use of the fat, and many are taking heed (for example, margarine and shortening used to be full of trans fats, but now the content is down to near-zero). read more

Food manufacturers found it easier and more economical to use solid shortening. PHO's were popular but for many baked goods palm and coconut oils were also used, especially in cookies. Then in the 60's and 70's there was some research that indicated that animal fats that contained cholesterol and saturated hard fats were contributing to the epidemic of heart disease. read more