As I sat eating my toast yesterday morning while listening to the radio and scanning the paper, I was somewhat concerned by the stories being thrown around on food and health – one calling for a ban on butter and the other for a ban on trans fats. My concern was less about the science being reported to justify such bans and more about what I would be able to spread on my toast in future if we banned all foods that were perceived by some to be ‘mad, bad and dangerous to eat’!
And if we banned butter and trans fats (which occur naturally in animal products), on the same grounds it follows that we would also have to ban cheese… And why stop there, what about chocolate, pastries, cakes and biscuits?
But the truth is, there are very little trans fats in any of our foods these days, including our spreads, and while butter should be eaten sparingly, because it contains high amounts of saturated fat, the world would be a poorer place if it ceased to exist.
It’s not that we don’t take these issues seriously, but a ban’s not a practical solution. In 2007 SACN (the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition) conducted a full independent scientific review looking at the health impacts of trans fats and whether the UK should act to restrict their use. It concluded that levels of artificial trans fats in foods are now very low and the amounts we eat are below the limits set. This is because the food industry has voluntarily been reducing levels or removing them all together, including many fast-food restaurants changing cooking oils.
Consumer intakes of trans fat are now at very low levels – just 1% of food energy, which is half the recommended maximum intake. And, there’s currently no evidence to show that further reductions would result in a reduced risk of coronary heart disease in the UK.
And, although trans fats are talked about as evil chemicals lurking in our foods, it’s in fact sat fats that we should be taking more action on. As a nation we are all eating much more saturated fat than we need to, which is having a negative effect on our health – intakes are currently more than 13% of our food energy and above the current guidelines of less than 11%. This is precisely why the FSA is running campaigns to raise awareness of saturated fat and help people cut down – phase two launched yesterday promoting 1% fat milk.
So, rather than a ban, I’d encourage people to check out our campaign advice, take more responsibility for their choices and maybe cut back on the takeaways, cakes and biscuits.