Killer fats may be listed

Trish Allison with children Charis and Thomas and some of their week's supply of fruit and veg. Photo / Janna Dixon

Shoppers could soon get clearer information about which foods contain artery-clogging trans fats.

Health experts are meeting this month to decide whether manufacturers will be forced to list levels of the trans fatty acids on the packaging of all products sold in New Zealand and Australia.

The fats are common in pastries, biscuits and fried foods.

They are popular in commercially-baked goods because they are cheap, make food crispy and can extend a product's shelflife.

But nutritionists consider them the most dangerous type of fat in our food because they can raise the level of "bad" cholesterol and reduce "good" cholesterol - increasing the risk of heart disease, type two diabetes and stroke.

They have also been linked to infertility in women.

The review is being carried out an all-Australian panel of experts appointed by the Australia and New Zealand Food Regulation Ministerial Council. They are taking submissions ahead of issuing a final report in December.

Food experts in New Zealand are divided on whether labelling should be compulsory.

Professor Murray Skeaff, head of Otago University's human nutrition department, said food manufacturers should not be excused from labelling the trans fat content.

"I think trans fat is the sort of fat we should be avoiding. It's [currently] impossible for the consumer to control what sorts of fats they're eating."

However, Dave Monro, from the Heart Foundation, said intake of trans fats in New Zealand was "very low" and getting lower.

"The real risk is from saturated fats found in animal products and other rich, fatty meats, milk and milk products."

Food Safety Minister Kate Wilkinson said joint regulation between New Zealand and Australia had worked well for local consumers and producers.

"It is cost-effective, enhances trade and provides excellent consumer protection. The New Zealand Government does have the choice whether or not to opt in to a joint standard."

She said the review was initiated through the Council of Australian Governments, and the panel was appointed according to expertise, not geography.

Currently food labels in New Zealand have to state if vegetable oil is in the ingredients, but not if the oil has been homogenised - the process that determines if it is a trans fat.

Labelling is already required for saturated fats, the main cause of high blood cholesterol in this country.

Mum also wants to know origin

Like any concerned parent, Trish Allison wants clearer labelling on food sold in New Zealand.

The mother of Charis, 6, and Thomas, 2, makes most of her family's meals from scratch. In summer they eat plenty of fresh salads; in winter she likes to make one-pot casseroles with meat and vegetables.

Charis eats at least 10 pieces of fruit a week, and Thomas "eats basically all fresh fruit and vegetables".

But Allison would still prefer to be better-informed about what's in food - and where it comes from.

She says knowing the country of origin is just as important as the manufacturer's brand name.

On one trip to the supermarket "they were selling Italian kiwifruit, and I thought, 'that's a bit weird"'.