TUESDAY, June 16, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- In a move that it says is designed to protect the heart health of Americans, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday that food manufacturers have three years to remove artificial trans fats from the nation's food supply.
The FDA ruled that partially hydrogenated oils -- the major source of trans fats in the American diet -- are no longer "generally recognized as safe," the designation that for decades has allowed companies to use the oils in a wide variety of food products. The FDA has estimated that removing partially hydrogenated oils from food could prevent as many as 20,000 heart attacks and 7,000 deaths from heart disease every year.
Companies have until June 18, 2018, to either reformulate their products and remove all partially hydrogenated oils or petition the FDA to permit specific uses of the oils, the agency said Tuesday.
"Following the compliance period, no partially hydrogenated oils can be added to human food unless they are otherwise approved by the FDA," the agency said in a news release.
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