DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
P.O.
SUPTS. MEMO NO. 185
August 15, 2008
INFORMATIONAL
|
TO: |
Division
Superintendents |
|
FROM: |
Billy K.
Cannaday, Jr. Superintendent
of Public Instruction |
|
SUBJECT: |
Efforts to
Identify and Reduce Trans Fats in
Foods Available at School |
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (Guidelines) provide key dietary recommendations
for the general population to promote health and reduce the risk of major
chronic diseases. These dietary recommendations encourage the increased
consumption of specific foods groups such as fruits and vegetables, whole
grains, and low-fat or fat-free milk, while limiting dietary intake of certain
other foods that are known to contribute to chronic diseases. Trans fats were identified as a nutrient of
concern in the 2005 edition of the Guidelines. Trans fats are fats that have been artificially created through a
process involving the hydrogenation of oils.
Specifically, the Guidelines
make the following recommendations with regard to trans fats:
Consume
less than 10 percent of calories from saturated fatty acids and less than 300mg.
per day of cholesterol, and keep trans fatty acid consumption as low as possible.
Limit
intake of fats and oils high in saturated and or trans fatty acids, and
choose products low in such fats and oils.
Processed foods and oils
provide approximately 80 percent of trans fats in the diet, compared to
20 percent that occur naturally from animal sources. The major dietary sources
of trans fats, according to the Guidelines, are, in decreasing order:
cakes, cookies, crackers, pies, bread, animal products, margarine, fried
potatoes, potato chips, corn chips, popcorn, and shortening. Since January 2006, manufacturers have been
required to identify trans fats
on the Nutrition Facts label.
This memo encourages school
divisions to continue their efforts to identify and reduce the amount of trans fats in food purchased for the
school nutrition programs, as well as other foods provided or sold to students
during the school day, with the intent of eventually eliminating products that
contain trans fatty acids produced in the partial hydrogenation of vegetable
oils.
To assist school divisions in
working toward this goal, the Department of Education, Office of School
Nutrition Programs, identifies the following resources:
Dietary Guidelines for
Americans, 2005, Key Recommendations and Chapter 6, Fats: http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/document/html/chapter6.htm.
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/qatrans2.html#s3q3.
http://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/Resources/DGfactsheet_transfat.pdf.
American Heart Association, Face the Fats Restaurant Resources:
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3050593.
If you have questions or
need additional information, please contact the school nutrition program specialist
assigned to the division, or Lynne A. Fellin, associate director of school
nutrition programs and coordinator of Healthy Virginians initiatives, at (804)
225-2717 or by e-mail at lynne.fellin@doe.virginia.gov.
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