What the Food Label Doesn't Tell You

If a label says zero trans fats, don't take that literally -- or lightly. FDA rules let a manufacturer market a food as having no trans fats if it contains less than half a gram per serving. To find the truth read the ingredients list.

If it includes "partially hydrogenated vegetable oil," the food has a small amount of trans fat even if the label says zero. The higher up on the list the mention occurs, the more trans fat it has. (Remember, too, that "one serving" can be very small; the amount you actually eat will likely rack up even more fat.)

Sometime the ingredients label hides trans fats by using words that mask the truth. Here's how to find them anyway:

If the label mentions...
• Partially hydrogenated oil, it has trans fats
• Fully hydrogenated oil, it does not have trans fats
• Shortening, it likely has trans fats (may contain partially hydrogenated oil) Hydrogenated oil, it possibly has trans fats (it could be the partially hydrogenated type.