In July of this year, the United States Food and Drug Administration amended the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1994 to require the labeling of trans fatty acids. This ruling was made in part because of health concerns with regards to these compounds, which have been shown to increase the risk of heart disease. The industry has until January 1, 2006, to comply with the regulation.
Unfortunately, the nutritional databases and/or software packages that so many companies use to prepare their Nutrition Facts statements are not set up to calculate levels of trans fatty acids. Both the USDA and FDA have developed some data, but these data are not extensive. Databases that include trans fats need to be fully developed. In the interim, the industry must turn to chemistry to determine levels of trans fatty acids in foods.