Crisco launches trans fat free shortening - don't be fooled!

Bonnie - good timing on our part? Our previous blog entry covered the trans fat alternatives coming to market. Low and behold...Crisco comes out with trans fat-free All-Vegtable Shortening. For healthier choices, access my blog entry, Trans Fats - Are they Healthier?

Ingredients:

SOYBEAN OIL, FULLY HYDROGENATED COTTONSEED OIL, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED COTTONSEED AND SOYBEAN OILS, MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES, TBHQ AND CITRIC ACID (ANTIOXIDANTS).

I can tell you that this is not an improvement. These two ingredients that warrant further investigation:

Fully hydrogenated cottonseed oil - this is produced by interesterification (a chemical process); a study that appeared in January's Nutrition and Metabolism showed that in 30 subjects, interesterified fat siginifcantly elevated both LDL/HDL ratio and raised glucose levels by 20%. You can access the study here.

Partially Hydrogenated Cottonseed and Soybean Oils - these are trans fats. How can Crisco get away with putting zero trans fats on the label and market it as such? The USDA/FDA allows it if the product has less than .05% trans fat.

Do not pay attention to the marketing! Read the fine print on the label.