US moves to ban trans fats in foods

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US food safety officials have taken steps to ban the use of trans fats, saying they are a threat to health.

Partially hydrogenated oils, the source of most trans fat, are no longer "generally recognised as safe", said the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The regulator said a ban could prevent 7,000 deaths and 20,000 heart attacks in the US each year.

The FDA is opening a two-month consultation period on the proposal.

It would require the food industry to gradually phase out trans fats.

"While consumption of potentially harmful artificial trans fat has declined over the last two decades in the United States, current intake remains a significant public health concern," FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburgsaid in a statement.

"The FDA's action today is an important step toward protecting more Americans from the potential dangers of trans fat."

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Artificial trans fats are used both in processed food and in restaurants as a way to improve the shelf life or flavour of foods. The fats are created when hydrogen is added to vegetable oil, making it a solid.

Foods containing trans fat

• Some baked goods such as cakes, cookies and pies
• Microwave popcorn, frozen pizza, some fast food
• Margarine and other spreads, coffee creamer
• Refrigerator dough products like cinnamon rolls

Source: US Food and Drug Administration

Nutritionists have long criticised their use, saying they contribute to heart disease more than saturated fat.

Some food companies have already phased out the heart-clogging oils, prompted by new nutritional labels in 2006 requiring trans fat amounts to be listed on foods.

Local governments, including New York City, have also banned it.

But trans fats persist primarily in processed foods - including some microwave popcorns and frozen pizzas - and in restaurants that use the oils for frying.

According to FDA, trans fat intake among Americans declined from 4.6 grams per day in 2003 to around one gram per day in 2012.