0 Grams Trans versus Trans Fat-Free

As of 2006, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) established trans fat labeling regulations for retail food products. All nutrition labels must indicate the content of trans fat immediately under saturated fat on the Nutrition Facts panel. The push for restaurants and foodservice to disclose this information also continues.

 

Foods containing under 0.5g (500mg) of trans fat per serving can be listed as zero (0) grams on the Nutrition Facts panel. Thus, if the trans fat per serving is 0.49g, for example, it can be listed as zero, and the food product can also be called trans fat-free.

This can be confusing because the ingredient list may still have "shortening" or "partially hydrogenated” noted. But, if zero grams are listed on the label it means the food contains very small amounts (less than 0.5 g) of trans fat per serving.

The FDA rule on trans fat labeling also established the importance of looking at saturated and trans fat content together as the inclusion of trans fat restrictions impacted various nutrient content claims.