I was shopping around in Michigan a few weeks ago when I stumbled upon this product proudly made by the
Velvet Peanut Butter Company. I was appalled when I read that it's made from
Fully Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, while the trans-fat count is at zero grams - a very misleading claim.
This product is literally poisonous for human consumption, yet it is prepared for young children and people of lower socioeconomic status, given its low price tag. Hydrogenated oil is scientifically known to increase LDL 'bad' cholesterol and lower HDL 'good' cholesterol, thereby leading to heart disease and cancer. It should be against the law to feed it to kids.
In the United States, labelling a product trans-fat free doesn't necessarily mean it doesn't contain trans-fat. That's because laws implemented by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration allow foods with less than 0.5 grams of trans-fats per serving to claim "zero" grams of trans-fats on their food labels. Therefore, always read the ingredients - if it contains hydrogenated fat, but the nutrition label states a total of 0g of trans-fat, then it's a lie.
