The Food and Drug Administration is taking steps to further reduce trans fats in processed foods — a move that would require food companies to prove hydrogenated oils harmless before using them in products.
These days, most consumers consider this a good thing, but trans fats have historically been championed as a healthier alternative to butter and lard. It wasn’t until the 1990s that studies began to link trans fats to heart attacks and disease.
The Atlantic’s senior editor, Corby Kummer, joins Here & Now‘s Robin Young to discuss why it took the FDA so long to admit the risks of trans fats, and what it may deem unsafe next.
Guest
- Corby Kummer, senior editor for The Atlantic. He tweets @CKummer.
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