Some food kills

The Independent carries this story of profits before people once again.

Hydrogenated vegetable oil, otherwise known as trans fat was declared toxic in 2009 the World Health Organisation (WHO). Trans fats have been banned in Denmark, Switzerland, Iceland, Sweden, Austria, New York City, Seattle, and the state of California. But not in the UK. Dr Dariush Mozaffarian, researching at Harvard University, suggested that industrial trans fats are killing about 7,000 Britons a year and said "There's amazing government complacency in the UK". It doesn't even have to appear clearly on ingredients labels. Perhaps it is called 'shortening'. There's no regulated terminology.

The process of hydrogenation, in use since about 1900, works miracles: it hardens up liquid oil, making it last much longer, so that it increases shelf-life; it's significantly cheaper than using butter or non-industrialised ingredients; and it willingly transforms according to what a particular food might need – it can make a doughnut glaze more velvety, increase the bulk of a pastry, or add bite to something crunchy. When it's ingested, our bodies don't know what to do with it. It's toxic, so it clogs up arteries, raises 'bad' cholesterol, and reduces 'good' cholesterol. Its nutritional values are zero. Experts have compared it to eating candle wax.

Last year, the NHS watchdog NICE published recommendations that the Government completely eliminate industrialised trans fats from processed food and takeaways. Paul Lincoln, Guidance Developer and Chief Executive of the National Heart Forum, who was on the board, said at the time that, among other things, the recommendations were to "help to promote and protect the health of children and young people, especially the most vulnerable and disadvantaged. We have the public health evidence on how to virtually eliminate these conditions [heart disease and stroke], so it's vital to take action now to save lives." The Royal College of Physicians, Professor Sir Ian Gilmore to support the NICE findings, said that "profits of private firms ought not to take precedence when compared with the health of the more than four million people at risk in this country". Dr Pelham Barton, writing in the BMJ called for a national policy to "protect all susceptible populations including children and socio-economically disadvantaged sub-groups".

Waitrose, Marks & Spencer, and the Co-operative are now completely free of trans fats in their own brands. Asda, Pizza Hut, Burger King, Tesco, Unilever and United Biscuits are some of 73 businesses who have agreed to voluntary remove artificial trans fats by the end of the year. But many health professionals are not happy with the voluntary nature of the deal. Dr Mozaffarian said "The influence of industry lobbying is the only plausible reason not to institute a ban. There is no reason to have industrially-produced trans fats in the food supply." There are pockets of ethnic minorities, young people and those in deprived areas who will be consistently eating food with higher levels of trans fats. Their intake, when lumped in with the whole country, may produce an average that is apparently low, but that doesn't mean it's representative of what's happening on the ground. The problem with the little takeaways and local chicken shops is that often the oil they use to fry their food contains trans fats. And the more the oil is heated and reheated, the more trans fats increase. Simon Capewell, Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at the University of Liverpool, was on the NICE body that recommended a ban explains "Young folk think they'll live forever," says Capewell. "They have limited money and limited information from government; junk food is cheap and convenient. This is also increasing the inequality between rich and poor."

Dr Alex Richardson at Oxford University. A senior research fellow, and founder director of the charity, Food and Behaviour Research asks "How...the abundant evidence of physical health problems continue to be ignored, when there's literally no benefit to trans fats, apart from to the food industry profits?" She adds "The problem is the industrialisation of food, when food is turned into a commodity. Good foods make bad commodities; good commodities make bad foods."