The mainland is considering regulating widely used trans-fats in its food industry after it emerged that the cheap ingredients are casting a shadow on the health of tens of millions of citizens every year. Chen Lianfang , senior analyst of the dairy industry at Beijing Orient Agribusiness Consultant, talks about the partially hydrogenated oils that can be found at everyone's dining table.
Are trans-fats widely used in the food industry?
You can find trans-fats everywhere, in margarine, doughnuts, cakes, ice cream, biscuits, instant noodles, hamburgers, French fries, milkshakes, coffee and milk tea and in almost every Chinese restaurant. Trans-fats are a legal ingredient. More than 70 per cent of food products available on the mainland contain them. As far as I know, only very expensive products and luxury five-star hotels use butter rather than hydrogenated vegetable oil, which contains trans-fats, in cooking.
Trans-fats are formed when vegetable oil is partially hydrogenated [has hydrogen added to it] and becomes semi-solid. They have been widely used in the food industry worldwide for more than 100 years, but scientists have proven that consuming trans-fatty acids brings risks to human health.
The mainland is estimated to consume 30 to 40 tonnes of trans-fats every year. In the latest survey conducted by the General Hospital of the People's Liberation Army, 95 per cent of the best-selling fast food and baked products, 90 per cent of ice cream and 71 per cent of biscuits contained trans-fats.
Why does the food sector use trans-fats so much?