The US Food and Drug Administration is pulling the "generally recognised as safe" – or GRAS – status from partially hydrogenated oils, the main source of artificial trans fat in food.
The widely expected announcement was made today (16 June) and is the culmination of a proposal the agency first put forward in 2013.
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Food manufacturers operating in the US have three years to comply. The FDA said the period would allow companies to reformulate or petition the agency for specific uses of the ingredient.
"This action is expected to reduce coronary heart disease and to prevent thousands of fatal heart attacks each year," the FDA said.
It estimates the consumption of trans fat decreased about 78% between 2003 and 2012, pointing to rules on labelling and industry reformulation. However, the FDA says intake "remains a public health concern".
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The announcement was met with praise from US consumer watchdog The Center for Science in the Public Interest.
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By GlobalDataCSPI executive director Michael Jacobson added: "The eventual elimination of artificial trans fat from the food supply will mean a healthier food supply, fewer heart attacks and heart disease deaths, and a major victory for public health. The final determination made today by the Food and Drug Administration gives companies more than enough time to eliminate the last of the partially hydrogenated oil that is still used in foods like microwave popcorn, biscuits, baked goods, frostings, and margarines."
