Government Trans Fat Ban Highlights Previous Harvard, Cambridge Efforts

Recent government-proposed action to ban trans fats has highlighted over a decade of work by the Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard University Dining Services, and the City of Cambridge to promote community well-being through early elimination of the ingredient.

The Food and Drug Administration announced a policy change last Thursday that would require all American food makers to eliminate artificial trans fats from their products.This policy, if approved after a 60-day period of comment, would bring an end to the use of partially hydrogenated oils, the main source of artificial trans fats in American diets.

Such fats, commonly found in popcorn, crackers, cookies, and other snacks, have long been known to cause heart disease and premature death. The FDA estimates that the ban could save 7,000 lives a year while preventing 20,000 heart attacks, according to its official statement.

“More attention in this direction brings more recognition to the Department of Nutrition as being a leader in this area—of trying to make changes for the better,” said Guy A. Crosby of the School of Public Health, who teaches Nutrition 209: “Food Science and Technology.”

According to Crosby, Harvard has been a long-time leader in advocating for healthier foods. Crosby attributed some of the research advances in the food science arena to Walter C. Willett, the chair of the School of Public Health’s Department of Nutrition.

Crosby pointed to Willett as one of the leaders of the campaign to disclose the safety issues of using trans fats in various foods.

Over the last decade, many food makers have begun to phase out trans fats from their products. Cities including New York, San Francisco, and Boston banned trans fats from restaurants, and Cambridge followed suit in 2006.

HUDS worked with the School of Public Health to begin understanding and removing trans fats from their menus in the early 2000s, said Crista Martin, HUDS Director of Marketing and Communications.

“The School of Public Health has this phenomenal Department of Nutrition, and we use their healthy eating plate, their healthy eating pyramid, and their overall recommendations to help guide our menu planning,” Martin said.

In 2003, the FDA issued a final ruling requiring that Nutrition Facts labels contain trans fats listings on food products. The policy took effect in 2006, but many consumers had already changed their dietary preferences, according to the official statement.

“In 2006, there was a lot of resistance saying that the industry didn’t have alternatives, food prices would become more expensive and saturated fat intake would go up,” said Dariush Mozaffarian, associate Professor in the Department of Epidemiology.

As a vehicle for promoting public health, the FDA’s decisions reflect scientific discoveries and trends in the American diet. FDA determinations often affect entire industries, from large foodstuff corporations to the dining halls at Harvard.

“Ultimately, you as the person who’s eating has to decide what you put in your mouth and should have that choice from us in terms of a range of options,” Martin said. “With trans fats, it’s not a question of preference. For us, it was a no brainer to take it out.”