Chicago Tribune | Trans-fat rules spur race for new foods

By Lorene Yue
Tribune staff reporter
Published July 10, 2003

New labeling requirements for trans-fat content are expected to spur foodmakers to aggressively develop and market healthier offerings.

Giants such as Kraft Foods and Frito-Lay have already taken steps to trim the fat, reported to cause heart disease, given rising consumer interest in healthier foods. The new requirements, announced Wednesday by the Food and Drug Administration, will only accelerate those changes, observers said.

"You are going to have companies that will want to take advantage of having no trans fats," said Rhona Applebaum, executive vice president of the National Food Processors Association in Washington, D.C. "They've done a lot of innovative things to stay ahead of the power pack."

Trans fats are primarily found in processed foods and are formed when vegetable oils are processed into a solid or more stable liquid form. Trans fats are reported to raise cholesterol levels and clog arteries.

Many doctors consider trans fats to be worse than saturated fats, which are already listed on food labels.

Foodmakers have until January 2006 to include trans-fat content on product labels. Many are expected to update labels much sooner to try to tout the nutritional makeup of their products.

Frito-Lay, for instance, already discloses the trans-fat content of its snack foods. The company says the trans-fat content is zero for its Ruffles and Lay's potato chips, Rold Gold pretzel snacks and Fritos corn chips.

Last September the unit of PepsiCo. Inc. switched to corn oil for cooking its Doritos, Cheetos and Tostitos snacks to eliminate trans fats from them.

While some Frito-Lay items have trans fats, roughly 90 percent of the company's retail sales come from products that are void of trans fats, said Charles Nicolas, a Frito-Lay spokesman.

Northfield-based Kraft Foods Inc. supports the FDA's push to label products with trans fats, said spokeswoman Kris Charles.

The company, which makes Oreo cookies and Cheese Nips, feels "that information can only be helpful to consumers," she said. "You always have to read labels and make an educated decision on what you are going to consume."

Kraft said last week it would embark on a three-year program aimed at reducing portion sizes of some foods, creating new nutritional standards and possibly expanding nutritional information on package labels.

Kraft said the initiative, set to start in 2004, would help combat rising obesity rates in the U.S.

Perhaps the biggest challenge facing food manufacturers is finding a trans-fat substitute that does not compromise what consumers are accustomed to eating.

"It is important to develop an alternate ingredient that has the same taste, texture and quality," Charles said.

Fiber Gel Technologies Inc. of Mundelein may have one solution that could be available by the end of the year.

The company is using technology licensed from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to process grain hulls into a gel or powder that may be used as a substitute for trans fat and saturated fat. Fiber Gel's high-fiber, low-calorie product would have properties similar to fat.

"This FDA action has got to help our efforts in launching a new product that can address the health and obesity problems facing our country," said Edward Halpern, a Fiber Gel spokesman.

Food industry experts do not expect consumers to pay more for food due to costs associated to create the new labels.

Wednesday's ruling is the first modification to the mandatory nutritional fact panel since it began appearing on food packaging in 1993.

Despite efforts of the FDA and food manufacturers, many consumers disregard food labels.

"This decision isn't going to shift consumer purchasing habits," said Stephanie Childs, a spokeswoman for the Grocery Manufacturers of America in Washington, D.C.

"Consumers will still base their food on taste first. The whole point is to give them better information about the food they choose."

Tribune staff reporter Jon Van contributed to this report.

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