Last week, Harvard Public Health NOW received a small box from the food company Frito-Lay packed with all sorts of salty snacks. The surprise delivery was not an attempt to lure HSPH staff to the dark side of eating–Frito-Lay was announcing its intention to eliminate unhealthy trans fat from Doritos, Tostitos and Cheetos and to introduce Lay’s Reduced Fat chips and Cheetos Reduced Fat snacks in the coming months.

Frito-Lay has said that the changes will not affect the taste of the snack. A thoroughly unscientific test by an Office of Communications staff member confirmed that the trans fat-free Cheetos indeed tasted just as snack foody as the traditional version.

	Frito-Lay says it will cut trans fat content in some of its snack foods.

HSPH researchers have warned about the health risks of eating trans fat found in hydrogenated oils for a decade. Although the fat occurs naturally in some foods at low levels, there is no known benefit to eating trans fat. In fact, the fat is thought to increase risk for both heart disease and for Type 2 diabetes and may prove to be unhealthier than eating saturated fats.

Eric Rimm, an associate professor in the Departments of Epidemiology and Nutrition, served on an Institute of Medicine (IOM) panel that issued a report on trans fat last July, saying that trans fatty acid consumption should be as low as possible.

Said Rimm about the Frito-Lay announcement: "I am delighted to hear that more companies are now taking action so quickly after the IOM report was released. Hopefully, this will trigger a flood of similar announcements by fast food restaurants and companies that make foods such as crackers, cookies, and cakes."

Walter Willett, chair of the Department of Nutrition, added: "Frito-Lay’s commitment to eliminate trans fat from their products will have an immediate beneficial impact on health and will help set a higher standard for the food industry as a whole. Consumed in moderation, corn chips prepared with a non-hydrogenated vegetable oil can actually help lower blood cholesterol and be part of a healthy diet."

Eventually, consumers will be better able to calculate how much trans fat is in what they eat. The Food and Drug Administration is going ahead with plans that would require food companies to list amounts of trans fatty acids on product labels.