The US has been on the war path as it eliminates preservatives, artificial flavours, sweeteners and colourants from fast food lately, but the biggest nail to be hammered into the fatty, oily, fast food coffin is the new ban on trans-fats.
Made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (the same process that turns vegetable oil into margarine), it’s much cheaper than butter, has a much longer shelf life, and has made its way into practically everything fried and processed.
It’s also the number one baddie in heart disease and heart attacks. Even the World Health Organisation labels it ‘toxic’.
And though food suppliers have been required since 2006 to show trans-fat information on food labels, actually banning it is expected to drastically reduce the incidence of heart disease, and save thousands of lives and millions of dollars in healthcare.