The trans fat scam continues as Americans fall for the FDA lie

Pure scam.

Why won’t they just call it what it is? Pure, 100 percent, grade-A scam.

On a recent morning, on my way into work, I had NPR’s Morning Edition on the radio and was pleased to hear they were reporting on the FDA’s deceptive trans fat loophole.

Longtime e-Alert readers know about this one: The FDA allows food manufacturers to promote any product as having “zero trans fats” if the product contains less than 0.5 percent of trans fat per serving.

In other words, it’s a lie. Sure, it’s a lie OK’d by the FDA, but it’s still a lie. Ask any child who’s finished first-grade math: zero = nothing.

Of course, the mainstream media has mostly ignored this food industry-friendly loophole, so I appreciate NPR for getting the word out. But when the reporter referred to this dishonest loophole as a “simple explanation,” I thought: uh oh.

Granted, the NPR report pointed out just how easy it is to pick up several grams of trans fat every day (a cumulative effect that’s very dangerous for the heart). But “the good news” (we’re told) is that the trans fat content of U.S. processed foods has dropped by 50 percent in the past few years.

Okay. But if you cut your poison intake in half, you’re still getting poisoned.

Michael Jacobson of the Center for Science in the Public Interest told NPR: “I think it’s fair to give the whole food production system a pat on the back.”

A pat on the back!? For what!? For telling FDA-sanctioned lies on product packaging while still including plenty of dangerous junk in processed foods?

Sorry, but I’ll hold off on the back patting until the day when zero = zero again.