Tyson removes trans fatty acids
to cave into consumer pressure to cut the trans fat content in
foods announcing it will remove the artery-clogging ingredient from
a range of packaged foods.
Due to be phased in over the next three months the company said it will take out trans fatty acids from its fully-cooked retail and 'child nutrition' school food service products like chicken nuggets and patties.
'We know today's consumers are more health- conscious than ever before, with increasing awareness of the nutritionalcomposition of the food they eat,' said Tysons's chief marketing officer Bob Corscadden.
Linked to raised blood cholesterol levels and heart disease in animal fats, trans fats are created by a chemical process called hydrogenation, which gives products a longer shelf life. They have come under fire from consumer organisations keen to see manufacturers remove the ingredient from food products to improve consumer's dietary regimes.
Pressure on the food makers increased last year when the US Food and Drug Administration(FDA) ruled that by 2006 all manufacturers will have to clearly label the levels of these fats in their foods. A move opposed to by slices of the industry that rejected the creation of a nutrition label footnote on trans fat.
"Informing is not educating," said Dr. Rhona Applebaum, executive vice president of the US food industry body the National Food Processors Association.
"It appears FDA's assumption is that one of the primary purposes of a footnote is to educate consumers. We respectfully disagree with this premise. Consumers must be educated about the need to restrict their intake of trans fats using tools more effective than a label footnote," she added.
By contrast, Alison Kretser, director of scientific and nutrition policy at the industry body Grocery Manufacturers of America, voiced support saying last year that "the GMA fully supports quantitative labelling of trans fat that gives consumers clear and concise information about the content of trans fat in their foods".
Chicken, beef and pork are naturally low in trans fat, but the substance can be found in certain added ingredients, such as breading and cooking oils, Tyson said on Monday.
The meat giant joins a host of other manufacturers seeking to remove trans fatty acids that include Swiss company Nestle, US fast food giant McDonalds and Frito-Lay North America, a division of PepsiCo. McDonalds said last year it would cook all French fries in oil with 48 per cent less trans fatty acids - although according to US consumer groups has since quietly reneged on its pledge - while Frito-Lay said it would remove trans fatty acids from its salty snacks, including Doritos, Tostitos and Cheetos.
Governments - eyeing their rising health bills - are turning increasingly to food as a means to prevent disease and cut costs. In the US, nearly 13 million Americans suffer from coronary heart disease, and more than 500,000 die each year from causes related to coronary heart disease.
Hit by a loss in export sales as a result of the recent BSE case in the US that saw leading US beef importers closing their barriers - including number one buyer Japan - Tyson reported job cuts earlier this month.
