MORE: The Hidden Allergen In Your Gluten-Free Foods To reach this conclusion, researchers analyzed 4,340 popular packaged foods, including baked goods, snacks, and frozen foods, and then compared the list of actual ingredients to the nutrition label. The scientists found that a whopping 84% of packaged foods labeled as trans-fat free contained some trans fat. How? The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allows companies to sell a food as having 0 grams on its nutrition label if it contains less than 0.5 grams per serving. Half a gram may not sound like a big deal, but it adds up fast. According to Jennifer McDaniel, a spokesperson for the The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, add just a few tablespoons of “trans-fat free” creamer to your coffee and have two “trans-fat free” cookies, and you’ll be over the organization’s recommended limit, or less than 1% of your total daily calories. “For someone eating 2,000 calories a day, that would mean taking in less than 2.2 grams of trans fat a day,” McDaniel says. MORE: 10 Packaged Foods You Should Always Buy Organic What this means for you: When you’re buying foods that traditionally have contained trans fats, including baked goods, buttery spreads, frostings, and creamy foods like ice cream and pudding, check the label to make sure that food isn’t made with “partially hydrogenated oils.” Eventually, you may not have to worry about unintentionally ingesting these fats—the FDA is currently reviewing over 1,500 public comments to determine if they should be banned from packaged foods altogether—but per an FDA spokesperson, there’s no timeline for when this might happen. Until then, keep reading labels religiously. MORE: The Natural Ingredient 2 Food Brands Are Now Dropping
