Getting rid of the Trans fats has become an issue affecting the American citizens and manufacturing industries. Trans fats are a type of unsaturated fats that found its way in the market through manufacturing and processing natural fats. Trans fats acids are considered unnatural and harmful to the health of human beings. They come to existence from vegetables, fast foods, snack foods, and baked goods. Trans fats are associated with increasing risk of coronary and heart disease. Coronary heart disease is the leading number one killer.
Unsaturated fatty acids have trans isomerism opposed to trans configurations hence they lack the ability to saturate or dissolve after consumption. The issue of trans fats in America arose in food production process and regulations. Production of these fats in the United States of America involves the production of liquid unsaturated fats. These unsaturated fats such as vegetable oil produce fats when processed and hydrogenated. The resulting fats have desirable physical properties that could melt at 35 degrees Celsius. After consumption, fats should melt or dissolve to avoid blockage of blood vessels. However, further processing of saturated fats leads to the creation of trans fats that the U.S Food & Drug Administration actively opposes.
A cis double bond is converted to trans double bond by a reaction called partial hydrogenation of the unsaturated fats. Hydrogenation process ensures that the saturated fats are edible and easy for cooking. Although the fats are edible, they have side effects and could cause death and obesity. Trans fats increase the chances of suffering from coronary heart disease also known as IHD (ischemic heart disease). The IHD is a term used to group all the conditions caused by blood vessels complications. Coronary artery disease is among the major diseases caused by atherosclerosis in an artery. Other conditions that come as a result of consuming unsaturated fats include unstable and stable angina, myocardial infarction, and heart failure.
Even though the trans fats are considered unnatural, they might occur naturally in animal products such as meat and dairy products. Trans fats occurred in domestic animals and other remnants in the form of vaccenyl and conjugated linoleic also known as the CLA. However, artificial and natural trans fats differ in their chemical structure. Numerous research studies from Canada and America show that the natural trans fats found in meat and dairy products could benefit consumers in a healthy way. The natural trans fats that come from animal products contain vaccenic acid that helps the body defend itself from diseases and harmful bacteria.
On the other hand, hydrogenated vegetable could cause atherosclerosis in the blood vessels and the heart. Atherosclerosis raises the level of LDL and at the same time lowering levels of lipoprotein consequently increasing the synthetic inflation and triglycerides in the bloodstreams.
The U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed a ban on trans fats to the government. In the year 1950, the trans fats were introduced in the American food supply. Chips, snacks, and meat were cooked and baked with trans fats. After thirty years of using trans fats, scientists raised alarms on the dangers of consuming products containing the unsaturated fats. In 1980, scientists in America that the artificial fats are causing damages to internal organs in the human body and increases the chances of heart attack.
The U.S Food and Drug Administration move to ban trans fats products in U.S.A has given rise to many comments from the public, health sector, and other major players involved. The announcement of the Food and Drug Administration for banning the artificial fats could change the statistics of death caused by heart attacks. The FDA decision will ensure that manufacturers need to get rid of the processed food.
The primary intention of the Food and Drug Administration was to reduce significantly the coronary diseases. Also, the outcome of preventing and banning processed artificial fats will see a remarkable reduction in the thousands of fatal heart attacks. The government, particularly the Democratic Party, plays a significant role in the removal of artificial trans fats in processed foods.
The issue of artificial fats has reached the courtrooms with manufacturers of processed foods and fats opposing the steps and measures of the Food and Drug Association. The Weston Firm filed a trans-fat lawsuit that could see a long battle between the firm and the association in front of judges and court magistrates. Also, a legal article from the Washington Legal Foundation termed the Food and Drug associations’ trans-fat decision as “a gift to the litigation industry.”
Processed foods play a significant role in the lives of the American citizens. Many of the people in the country do not consume natural food due to busy schedules. Obesity and heart attacks have been the cause of many deaths in the United States. The Democratic Party has supported the step to ban the production of artificial fats and selling of processed foods. The major players in the saga include the government, the public, manufacturing companies, and the health sector.
The President of America, President Barack Obama, passed a three-year compliance period to get rid of the trans fats and processed foods. According to Patton on page 29, the Democratic Party provides a social-liberal platform that in turn supports a mixture of both social justices and the nation’s economy. Furthermore, the party supports a philosophy of modern liberalism that advocates all the social and economic equity and tries to balance them in the American social system. Also, the party supports the need equity among the citizens along with the welfare state. The Democratic Party tries to establish a mixed economy in the U.S.A by handling the government interventions and regulating the economy. Some of the great works of the Democratic Party include interventions such as universal health care, social programs, security, consumer protection, environmental conservation, workers unions, equality, and education prioritization (Nestle 387).
In the 1860’s, the party produced two candidates for the presidency in the election of 1860 because they did not settle for a successor to President James Buchanan. Around this time, the Democrats did have issues among themselves (Selfa 38). Therefore, the Republicans took advantage of the situation and gained ascendancy. In the 1900s, the Democrats won control of the August House to elect Woodrow Wilson as the President of the United States. In the modern era of the Democratic Party, Bill Clinton was elected as president of America. The party adopted an economy and social agenda (De Tocqueville 32, 38).
The Democratic Party firmly relates to the classical liberalism. Just like classical liberalism, the social liberalism touches on the market economy, civil rights, liberties, and political rights. However, the two differ in the sense that the social liberalism addresses more humanities than the classical liberalism. Some of these humanities include social and economic issues, poverty, education, and health care. The Democratic Party views the common good between persons in a society or citizens of the U.S.A. Therefore, the Democratic Party’s agenda is to demonstrate and fight for the citizens’ core and human rights in the society.
The Democratic Party of America has many goals that target the well-being of the American citizens. These objectives include security, prosperity, equality, liberty, and justice. Residents depend on the government for protection and safety. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the Democratic Government or party to provide citizens of America with national security. Some of the issues in the security sector include kidnapping, corruption, narco-trafficking, street crimes, gang crimes, conflict, and violence. The Democratic Party believes in security for the citizens because crime and other disorderly conducts reduce growth and development of a nation. However, security extends to the economy of the country.
Other actions favored by the Democratic Party regarding the economic issues include minimum wage, health care, education, the environment, energy and fossil fuel, and trade. The minimum wage policy favors the less fortunate Americans. The Democratic Party supports the action of rising minimum wages so that every American citizen can get a fair minimum wage. The Democratic Party indicated a $10.10 minimum wage per hour for its citizens. Also, the party insists that the minimum wage policy must regularly be updated.
The plan of the FDA received critics from the public. Most of the people in America consume processed food for lunch and dinner. Fast food is in demand in the United States because it is cheaper and convenient to persons under tight schedule (Paarlberg 89). The American Medical Association supports the fight against trans fats and other artificial fats in the food supply chain.
On the other hand, the American Public Health Association come up with a new statement in 2007 that focused on the trans fats health issues. The new policy declaration of the American Public Health Association was entitled as the Restricting Trans Fatty Acid in the Food Supply (RTFAFS). The RTFAFS proposed the use of nutrition facts labeling. The policy also urges the Federals, government, and states to get rid of companies that manufacture artificial fats.
In the case of Trans fats, the government (Democratic Party) is concerned about the health and well-being of its citizens. The government’s primary goal is to prevent heart diseases. Also, the Democratic Party advocates the historic win for public health in the country and worldwide (Fortin, 38). However, other attorneys use the ruling of the government to file lawsuits against food companies that continue to use trans fats. Due to the decision of the government, the manufacturers in the processed food industry have reduced the use of trans fats by 85 per cent.
Food joints and bakeries have started to adapt with the government ruling. Most frozen foods, baked foods, and snack do not contain the trans fats. In 2006, customers in the United States could not identify processed foods that contained unsaturated fats. Before FDA passes the request of banning artificial fats, the government of America did pass a law that ensured every manufacturer provided the ingredients list for every product (Shaw 114).
According to FDA, 2.6% of energy intake was consumed by an American in a single day. The 2.6% can equate to 6 grams of trans fats per day. In 2003, the Food and Drug Association issued a rule that required all manufacturers to indicate the quantity of trans fats on the Nutrition Facts Panel. Surprisingly, trans fats were used as components of popularly known supplements. The regulations of the trans-fat usage ensured that the manufacturers used less than 0.5 grams of partially hydrogenated fats per serving.
References
De Tocqueville, Alexis. “Democracy in America” Politics 1 (1863): 32-38. Print.
Fortin, Neal. Food Regulation: Law, Science, Policy, and Practice. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2009. Print.
Nestle, Marion. Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health. 387. Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2002. Print.
Paarlberg, Robert. Food Politics: What Everyone Need to Know. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013. Print.
Patton, Jacob. The Democratic Party: Its Political History and Influence. Canada: Scholar’s Choice, 1884. Print.
Selfa, Lance. The Democrats: A Critical History. Chicago: Haymarket Books, 2008. Print.
Shaw, Judith. Trans Fats. New York: Simon & Schuster, Inc., 2004. Print.
