Are you ready to take the Trans Fat Challenge? Dunkin' Donuts representatives recently drew a lot of attention with their announcement that the food chain is going non-trans-fat. Dallas Morning News: "Dunkin' Donuts Cutting Trans Fats from Menu Items" Boston Business Journal: "Dunkin' Donuts to bid Farewell to Trans Fats" Farewell? Not even close. Read a few paragraphs down in most of these reports and you'll find the truth: DD executives are putting to use the very generous (and outrageously deceptive) FDA loophole that allows food producers to claim "zero trans fats" if a product contains less than half a gram of trans fats per serving Less than half a gram - it's the new zero! For the past year and a half, FDA regulations have required all food manufacturers to list trans fat amounts on nutrition panels that appear on food packaging. But I've been checking those panels when I go to the store, and I still can't find a single product that lists more than zero grams of trans fats. So I'm issuing a Trans Fat Challenge to e-Alert readers. Check nutrition panels in your cupboards and on the shelves at stores and let me know if you find a product that lists anything other than zero grams of trans fats. This isn't a contest - there's nothing to win - but I will include your e-mail in an upcoming e-Alert if you're able to come up with even one single product that lists an actual number before the "grams". Check those panels and let me know what you find! |