Label Watch II: Nasty Food Additives

Okay, so now everyone knows, trans fats are really bad for you. New York recently banned restaurants from using trans fats in cooking, and a number of cities, both in America, and internationally, are considering following suit. This trend has not escaped the notice of food manufacturers, and many, including Frito Lay, Lipton, and KFC, are either lowering levels of trans fat in their products, or removing it all together. Great? Well, yes-but. Unfortunately, there's no such thing as a free lunch when it comes to global agribusiness.

One of the reasons trans fats are so bad for human consumption is because they last a really, really long time without breaking down. Products made with trans fat are more "shelf-stable," meaning they can sit on supermarket shelves for months and not go bad. This is also what they do in your arteries. Natural, healthy oils, like peanut oil or flaxseed oil, have an unfortunate tendency to go rancid more quickly, shrinking food manufacturers' profit margins. So what do they do? Consumers know trans fat is bad, so they have to use less shelf-stable oils. The solution: add something questionable to make them last longer.

Food manufacturers, forced to give up trans fat, have started adding an additive called tBHQ to the oils they're using to replace their old partially hydrogenated standbys. tBHQ, or tertiary butylhydroquinone, is an "antioxidant" - but not the good kind. It's a petroleum-based food additive that keeps oils from going rancid. This means companies can buy big, cheap batches of oil, and let them sit around unrefrigerated - another money saver. The problem is, multiple studies have linked tBHQ to bladder and kidney cancers - in fact, it's used to predictably induce tumors in test animals (It's in the same family as BHA and BHT, both of which have been banned in England, both of which have been proven carcinogenic, and both of which you should also avoid).

So the next time you're in the supermarket, and you see a beautiful, shiny box of crackers (or whatever) proudly proclaiming "Zero Grams Trans Fat," I suggest you do two things. First, check the ingredients for the words "hydrogenated" or "partially hydrogenated" (they're used interchangeably) anyway, because if there's less than .5 grams trans fat per serving, they're allowed to say "Zero," for reasons which are clearly not in the best interests of the American "consumer." Then, check around where the oils are listed for tBHQ - sometimes they will say "to protect freshness," - and if you see it, ditch the box.

Protect yourself, and protect your health. Check the nutrition facts label on everything you buy - a good guideline is, if the ingredients list is longer than your thumbnail, look for an alternative. Happy reading!For more information on food additives and their relative safety, go to www.feingold.org.