How do you know if zero trans fats means zero?

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PHOENIX -- One trip to the grocery store and it's easy to find products that say zero trans fats.

But even with zero on the bag, you'll find ingredients like partially hydrogenated soybean oil. That is a trans fat.

A week after our story aired, Congressman Steve Israel of New York sponsored a bill called, Trans Fat Truth in Labeling Act of 2009.

Right now, measurements on a nutrition label can be off by 20%.

Here's a hypothetical example. Let's say there is .6g of trans fat per serving. Manufacturers can get away with saying it is .48g.

And if that new total is less than .5g, they are allowed to write 'zero'!

Israel's bill specifically addresses that issue. It states, if the food is less than point five grams then it should say so instead of zero.

And experts say that's not good for you. Trans fats provide a double whammy... They raise bad cholesterol and lower good cholesterol.
Studies show that just five grams of trans fat a day could increase your risk of heart disease by 25%.

For the original investigation, we asked the 18 companies in our story for comment.

Five told us they are in compliance with FDA guidelines and two told us it’s only in their seasoning, but still fall under guidelines.

But they won't be if Congressman Israel gets his way. Manufacturers will have 18 months to change their labels or simply get rid of their trans fats.

Trans Fat Truth in Labeling Act of 2009

HR 3317 IH

111th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 3317
To direct the Commissioner of Food and Drugs to revise the Federal regulations applicable to the declaration of the trans fat content of a food on the label and in the labeling of the food when such content is less than 0.5 gram.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

July 23, 2009
Mr. ISRAEL introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce
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A BILL
To direct the Commissioner of Food and Drugs to revise the Federal regulations applicable to the declaration of the trans fat content of a food on the label and in the labeling of the food when such content is less than 0.5 gram.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Trans Fat Truth in Labeling Act of 2009'.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

The Congress finds as follows:

(1) The Institute of Medicine of the National Academies advises the United States Government on nutritional science for use in public policy and product labeling programs.

(2) In 2002, the Institute of Medicine issued dietary reference intakes for energy, carbohydrate, fiber, fat, fatty acids, cholesterol, protein, and amino acids and made recommendations regarding consumption of trans fat.

(3) These recommendations included a statement that `trans fatty acids are not essential and provide no known benefit to human health'.

(4) The Institute of Medicine concluded that both saturated and trans fats increase levels of LDL cholesterol and trans fats may also lower levels of HDL cholesterol.

(5) A 2006 New England Journal of Medicine scientific review stated that `from a nutritional standpoint, the consumption of trans fatty acids results in considerable potential harm but no apparent benefit'.

SEC. 3. DECLARATION OF TRANS FAT CONTENT OF LESS THAN 0.5 GRAM PER SERVING ON THE LABEL OR IN THE LABELING OF FOOD.

(a) Requirement- Not later than 6 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Commissioner of Food and Drugs shall promulgate a final regulation revising section 101.9(c)(2)(ii), and such other provisions as may be necessary, of the Code of Federal Regulations to require that--

(1) if the trans fat content of a serving of a food is less than 0.5 gram, and

(2) if the trans fat content of a serving of the food is declared in the nutrition information on the label or in the labeling of the food,

the trans fat content of a serving of the food shall be expressed through the use of an asterisk or other notation stating that the trans fat content of a serving is less than 0.5 gram (instead of expressing the trans fat content as zero).

(b) Effective Date- The regulation promulgated under subsection (a) shall take effect on the date that is 18 months after the date of the enactment of this Act.