If companies that disregard consumer preferences are unlikely to prosper, the irony is that government helped to introduce trans fats into the U.S. food supply. The mania over saturated fats in the 1980s was stoked by a series of studies out of the FDA and the National Academy of Sciences that linked those lipids to heart disease. Pressure groups like the Center for Science in the Public Interest then targeted food manufacturers for “poisoning Americans” and promoted partially hydrogenated oils as healthier alternatives to lard, butter and coconut oil.
The “low fat” products that resulted often contained more salt and sugar—and trans fats—and thus were probably worse for eaters. The lesson, as always, is to beware government dietary advice other than moderation.
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