Trans fat: The invisible killer we must eliminate from world’s food supply

Al Jazeera
Jul 15, 2024

Trans fat: The invisible killer we must eliminate from world’s food supply


Cookies. Pizza. Cake. All are delicious – but potentially deadly. In addition to their often-high sugar, salt or fat content, these foods can also contain a toxic ingredient that kills almost 300,000 people from coronary heart disease each year: industrially produced trans fat.

Invented in the early 20th century as a substitute for butter and later used to increase the shelf life of food products, industrially produced trans fat is highly hazardous to human health. There is no safe level of consumption. Fortunately, this toxic food additive can be replaced easily with healthier alternatives – there is no difference to taste or manufacturing costs, and hundreds of thousands of lives a year can be saved.