U.S. authorities have set a deadline for eliminating man-made trans fat in all food products manufactured in the country.
The move has prompted countries like Korea to follow suit.
Kim Ji-yeon reports.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given food manufacturers three years to remove all artificial trans fats from their products.
Trans fat is formed when hydrogen is added to liquid oils to make solid fats, like shortening and margarine... used to enhance flavor and shelf life.
The agency expects the move will help reduce cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in the United States.
"It's time to address and really phase out the remaining uses of trans fat in the diet so we can reduce the incidence of heart diseases and deaths resulting from heart attacks."
The FDA categorizes partially hydrogenated oils, the primary source of artificial trans fat, as "not generally recognized as safe."
In 2006 the agency began requiring manufacturers to label the trans fat content on packaged foods.
Other countries including Denmark, Austria, Iceland and Switzerland have already banned trans fats over health concerns... and Korea is following suit.
A study on trans fat by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety... shows a significant drop in trans fat in local snacks in recent years.
The amount of trans fat in the 147 snacks surveyed was zero-point-zero-five grams per serving, a 93-percent drop during the seven-year period from 2005 to 2012.
Kim Ji-yeon, Arirang News.
