Trans Fat - Also Known As Trans Fatty Acids

Q. What is trans fat?
A. Trans fat is a type of fat found in certain foods.   Trans fat is found naturally in some foods and is also found in certain ingredients used in baking, frying or cooking, such as lard and oils. 

Q. What is the role or function of trans fat in food?
A. Trans fat give foods the texture people expect and help foods stay fresh longer than alternative ingredients.   Developing alternative ingredients with the same taste, texture and freshness characteristics as trans fats but with better nutrition has been a challenge throughout the food industry.

Q. Is trans fat bad for you?
A. The only comprehensive studies into trans fat have been undertaken in the United States, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) concluded that trans fat raises LDL blood cholesterol (so-called bad cholesterol) which is directly linked to increased risk of coronary heart disease.

However, the NAS study also recognises that trans fats are unavoidable in ordinary diets.   It also recommends that trans fat consumption be as low as possible while consuming a nutritionally adequate diet.

Q. What is Kraft doing to eliminate trans fat?
A. As part of Kraft’s overall Health and Wellness initiatives, we are working to improve the nutrition profile of our product portfolio. This includes a major effort to reduce or, wherever possible, eliminate trans fat from our products, while continuing to meet expectations for taste and quality. We are doing this without increasing the combined amount of saturated fat plus trans fat where possible in our products.