title: Overview of local, state, and national government legislation restricting trans fats.
abstract: Trans fats, also known as partially hydrogenated oils, have long been associated with cardiovascular disease. In 2003, the Food and Drug Administration mandated that trans fat content of ≥0.5 g be listed on food labeling; the next year, the World Health Organization released a recommended daily limit on trans fat intake. During the following decade, legislatures in different municipal and state governments moved trans fat regulation forward, whereas many food companies decided to independently phase out trans fat in their products. The advancement of these parallel processes suggests an emerging best practices phenomenon, integrating public health, law, and the food industry. With both legislation and markets seemingly favoring a limitation on trans fat content in foods, attention has once again shifted to the Food and Drug Administration for a ruling on the safety of trans fats.
authors.affiliation: Medical Student, MD/MPH Program, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida. Electronic address: rrassaf@med.miami.edu.
authors.forename: Raymen R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Assaf
mesh_terms: D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000009:adverse effects; D005060:Europe; D005502:Food; D019649:Food Industry; D005515:Food Labeling / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006076:Government; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D006865:Hydrogenation; D007881:Legislation, Food / Q000266:history*; D010938:Plant Oils; D013020:South America; D044242:Trans Fatty Acids / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D014481:United States; D014486:United States Food and Drug Administration; D014944:World Health Organization
chemical_list: D004041:Dietary Fats; D010938:Plant Oils; D044242:Trans Fatty Acids
keywords: Food and Drug Administration food labeling; trans fat ban; trans fat regulation