Hydrogenated Lard:

So, trans fats are out and good riddance to them:  right?  Well, maybe…not… quiet.  Before we go any further, what are trans fats?

Do they still exist?  Why did they ever come into existence, in the first place?

All of the above are very good questions and very easy to answer.

The first trans fats were created in 1901 by German chemist Wilhelm Normann. The first food product to contain trans fat was Crisco, a shortening introduced by Procter & Gamble in 1911.

Originally trans fat was intended for soap, but became a common food ingredient in the early 1900s.

Normann discovered that hydrogen gas passed through oils could turn liquid vegetable or fish oils into solid fats.

Procter & Gamble used this process to create Crisco, a cottonseed oil-based product that looked and tasted like lard.

Crisco was marketed as a healthier alternative to lard and butter.

Trans fat was used in shortening, margarine, and frying oils.

This fat was widely used in the food industry because it was cheaper, longer-lasting, and had a similar consistency to animal fats.

It was marketed as a heart healthy alternative to that “unhealthy saturated animal fat”. Later studies linked it to the very hazard it had been marketed to eradicate: heart disease. Some studies suggest that high consumption of trans fats may increase the risk of certain cancers, including prostate, colorectal, and ovarian cancer.  The FDA ruled that trans fat was not safe and could no longer be added to food after June 18, 2018.

However, that is not the WHOLE story:  Our government is so considerate of big business’ bottom line, they gave big food, until 2018 to get all trans fats off their shelves.  The first trans-fat ban in Europe was Denmark in 2003.  This was 18 years before the U.S.

When inventories in the U.S. showed still more on the shelves and the food company had not, yet, been able to develop another deadly replacement, instead of going back to the tried-and-true animal saturated fats, big food was given yet another deadline of January 1, 2021 to replace these deadly fats with, yet, another deadly product and the second deadline of January 1, 2021 saw those deadly food additives out and gone:  right?

Well maybe…not!

According to the National Institute of Health, trans fat has been replaced by seed oils.  Which are highly processed seed oils referred to as heart-healthy vegetable oils.  After all, who ever heard of an un healthy vegetable?  Right? Humm…

So, answer the question:  are there still any trans fats in our food supply?

Yes, there is:  look at the title of this article.  Want healthy fat to cook in?  Well, why didn’t you just ask.  Any up-to-date cook knows we have been told a lie at least from 1977 forward.

Saturated animal fat is healthy:  is it not?  Well…maybe.  It could or could not be.  Humm…will you make up my mind for me?  Ohhh…tell me!!!

Let’s do a little healthy disclaimer here.  If you render the lard from your very own farm raised hog:  yes, it is.

However, if you go to Walmart or some other store and buy the bacon grease or lard, read the label of ingredients:

It very well may include other things, like words you can’t pronounce or don’t know the meaning of.  Or, it may say:  “Hydrogenated Lard!  This means it has had hydrogen gas passed through it to make it even more “stable” or densely packed.  Which, extends the shelf life of the lard and the products made from it.  It also means it will take longer for it to melt.

But, the major question:  does it contain trans fats?

Yes, it does.

So, my question is:  why did our government give more credence to big business’ bottom line during those six years than to its citizens’ health and wellbeing.

In 2015, our government gave big food three years to get all trans fats out of our food supply.  When big food failed to comply, they were not fined or required to comply or go to jail; they, incredibly, were given another three years to comply.

In total, they were given six years to comply.  I can’t help but wonder how many of our American citizens suffered untold anguish, death, through heart attack and cancer, just so big food’s bottom line did not suffer.

Creating those good old trans fats in your very own frying pan.

We don’t have to depend on big food to put trans fats into our food.  We can do that quite nicely by just overheating those already deadly seed oils:  presto, you have dangerous processed seed oils and trans fats combined in your very own home cooked stir-fry.  Come-get-um before they get cold.

So, why did it take six years to get the trans fats out of our food supply?

Could it be there was and still is a conflict of interest within the ranks of our governmental officials and big business?  Just asking.