Catherine Saxelby's Foodwatch | Q. Is margarine high in trans fat?

Q. Is margarine high in trans fat?

 

THE QUESTION IN FULL

Q. I've read that margarine is bad for you as it is hydrogenated and so is high in trans fats. Is this correct?

A. These days, virtually all the margarines/spreads in Australia are now free of trans fats (which means less than 1 per cent), a situation different to the USA and UK. This move happened in the mid-1990s in response to research showing that trans fats behave in the body in a similar way to saturated fats and raise cholesterol.

The only exceptions are cooking margarine and a few of the cheaper or generic margarines which you would recognise as hard margarines with the spreadability of butter. Avoid these ones and go for the softer types and you'll be sure of not buying hydrogenated.

Your best way is to check this on the Nutrition Panel on the bottom of the tub - it should list Trans fat as < 0.1 g per 100g in the Per 100g column (note grams per 100 grams means the same as %).

Trans fats are mainly found in commercial or industrial fats. They get formed when liquid vegetable oils are hardened or hydrogenated (treated with hydrogen) to turn them into solid and semi-solid fats. Hydrogenation changes a fatty acid's molecular structure and turns a portion of the fat into a trans form.

For food companies, hydrogenated fats are very useful - they can be made from cheap vegetable oils; products made with them keep longer without refrigeration; they produce biscuits and crisps with an attractive hard bite and pastries with a nice flaky texture.

You'll find them in most fried fast food, potato crisps, corn chips and other salty snacks, doughnuts, pies, pastries, most biscuits, doughnuts and bought cakes.

 

 

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