Food and Facilities Licensing
Environmental Health -
Trans Fat Regulation (County Council Resolution No. 16-134)
Beginning January 1,2008 restaurants and grocery stores that prepare food may not use partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, shortenings, or margarines for frying, pan frying, or grilling, or as a spread, unless you have product labels or other documents from the manufacturer showing that these ingredients contain less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving.
Beginning January 1, 2009 restaurants and grocery stores that prepare food may not use partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, shortenings, or margarines that contain more than 0.5 grams trans fat per serving. This will include oils and shortenings used for deep frying of yeast or cake batter.
Waivers will be granted for up to one year for foods containing artificial trans fat as described in subsection (g)(2)(B) of Resolution No. 16-134.
This regulation does not apply to food that is served directly to patrons in the manufacturer’s original, sealed packaging, such as a package of crackers or a bag of potato chips.
Check The Label
Step 1 – Look at the package label or ingredients list to see if "partially hydrogenated," "shortening," or "margarine" are listed. If none of these terms appear, you may use the product.
If any of these terms are listed, go to Step 2 to see if the product contains too much trans fat.
Step 2 – Check the Nutrition Facts panel for trans fat content. If the panel says the product has 0 grams of trans fat, or less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving, you may use the product.
If the Nutrition Facts panel says the product has 0.5 grams or more trans fat, you may not use the product.
If there is no Nutrition Facts panel on the product, go to Step 3.
Step 3 – If there is no Nutrition Facts panel, ask your supplier to provide a letter from the manufacturer listing the product's ingredients. If the ingredients list contains the words "partially hydrogenated,""shortening," or "margarine," the letter must also include information on the amount of trans fat in each serving.
As in Step 2, if the product has 0 grams of trans fat, or less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving, you may use it.
The letter should be on the manufacturer’s letterhead and show the manufacturer’s name and address. Keep the letter at your food service establishment, available for review by a Health Department inspector.
Visit the FDA Site for more information on product labels
Good Fats & Bad Fats
Good Fats
- Lower your risk of heart disease
- Lowers LDL
- Raises HDL
Type of Fat
Monounsaturated
Where It Is Usually Found
- Olives
- Olive and canola oils
- Cashews, almonds, peanuts, and most other nuts
- Avocados
Polyunsaturated
Where It Is Usually Found
- Corn, soybean, safflower, sunflower and cottonseed oils
- Fish and seafood
Bad Fats
- Increase your risk of heart disease
- Raises LDL
- Raises HDL
Type of Fat
Saturated
Where It Is Usually Found
- Whole milk, butter, cheese and ice cream
- Lard and suet
- Meat (beef, pork, bacon, sausage and
- deli meats have the most)
- Chicken and other poultry have less,
- especially with the skin removed
- Chocolate and cocoa butter
- Palm oil
- Coconut products, including milk and oil
Trans
- Partially hydrogenated vegetable oil
- Many margarines and shortenings
- Many deep-fried foods
- Many fast foods
- Many store-bought baked goods
Look for brands that use oils that are not “partially hydrogenated”
