'Dangerous' ingredient lurking in food on Aussie supermarket shelves, according to research

Researchers are calling for a ban on "dangerous" ingredient lurking in thousands of food products available at Australian supermarkets.

And consumers have no way of knowing.

New research has revealed industrial trans fats in food could be putting Australians at increased risk of heart disease.

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Industrial trans fats are created by turning liquid vegetable oils into solid fats.

They're commonly found in cheap, fried and ultra-processed foods and can significantly raise the risk of heart attack, stroke, and premature death, even in small amounts.

Researchers at The George Institute for Global Health analysed 28,000 packaged foods and drinks from major supermarket chains including Woolworths, Coles, Aldi, IGA, and Harris Farm.

They found that only four products explicitly listed partially hydrogenated oils, which are the main source of industrial trans fats.

More than 4200 products included ingredients like vegetable oils without disclosing the inclusion of industrial trans fats.

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More than 500 products potentially contained industrial trans fats and voluntarily reported trans fat content.

But 181 of those exceeded the World Health Organisation's (WHO) recommended limit of total fat to reduce the risk of heart disease.

More than 30 per cent of the products that only contained potential industrial trans fats also exceeded the limit.

"This study shows that dangerous trans fats are still lurking in our food supply – and consumers have no way of knowing," lead author and Research Fellow at The George Institute Dr Damian Maganja said.

"Australian labelling laws don't require companies to state whether oils are partially hydrogenated or list trans fat content – making it almost impossible to assess how widespread the issue really is."

Cardiovascular disease is already the leading cause of death in Australia and hidden industrial trans fats could be making the issue worse.

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Nations around the world have started limiting industrial trans fats in food settings, including Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Sweden, and the UK.

The EU also introduced a mandatory 2 per cent limit on trans fats in food products.

But Australia doesn't currently have any mandatory regulation limiting industrial trans fats in food.

Researchers are now calling on federal and state governments to ban industrial trans fats for the good of the nation.

"Without regulation, Australia risks becoming a dumping ground for unhealthy products that increasingly can't be sold elsewhere," said Dr Maganja.

"To truly protect public health, we need mandatory regulation."

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