Trans fats are unsaturated fatty acids that occur naturally in ruminant meat and dairy and can also be made industrially. The industrial form is usually created by adding hydrogen to liquid oil, producing partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs). The World Health Organization (WHO) says trans fat has no known health benefits, that high intake raises cardiovascular risk, and that industrially produced trans fats should be avoided. For adults, WHO recommends keeping trans fat below 1% of total energy—less than 2.2 grams per day on a 2,000-calorie diet.
What are trans fats?
Trans fats, also called trans-fatty acids, are a type of unsaturated fatty acid. They are defined by their chemical structure, but the practical distinction for eating is how they are formed:
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- Industrial trans fats are commonly produced when manufacturers add hydrogen to liquid vegetable oil. The process creates partially hydrogenated oil (PHO), a more solid and shelf-stable fat.
- Naturally occurring trans fats are formed in the digestive systems of ruminant animals, such as cows, sheep and goats, and can therefore occur in their meat and milk.
WHO considers both sources harmful. Its strongest food-supply recommendation is to eliminate industrially produced trans fats, because PHOs can add substantial amounts to processed foods. High-temperature frying can create a modest increase in trans fat, but WHO says the amount is low compared with the quantities associated with PHOs.
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| Source | Where the fat forms | Where you may encounter it | WHO guidance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Industrial | Hydrogen is added to liquid oils, producing PHOs. | Some margarines, vegetable shortenings, Vanaspati ghee, baked goods, fried foods, and some restaurant or street foods. | Avoid industrially produced trans fats; governments should limit or ban PHOs. |
| Natural | Microbes in the digestive systems of ruminant animals produce them. | Meat and dairy from ruminant animals. | WHO says both natural and industrial trans fats are harmful, while its food-supply elimination target is industrial trans fat. |
A category is not proof that every current product contains trans fat. Recipes, manufacturing methods and national regulations differ, and formulations can change. A food described as a baked good or fried food may contain no industrial trans fat, while another version may still use a PHO where local rules permit it.
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What foods contain trans fats?
Foods historically associated with PHOs
WHO identifies several categories that may contain industrial trans fat:
- Some margarines and vegetable shortenings
- Vanaspati ghee
- Commercially fried foods
- Crackers, biscuits and pies
- Other baked goods made with shortening or PHO
- Some restaurant and street foods
These are possible sources, not a claim that every item in a category contains trans fat today. The ingredient list is more useful than the food category alone. In jurisdictions that require disclosure, look for “partially hydrogenated oil” or “partially hydrogenated vegetable oil.” If the label does not list ingredients or the food is sold loose, ask the manufacturer, restaurant or vendor what fat is used.
Natural sources in meat and dairy
Beef, lamb, goat meat and dairy from these animals can contain naturally occurring trans fats. WHO’s recommendation to remove industrial trans fat from the food supply does not remove these natural fats from ruminant foods. The two sources should therefore not be treated as interchangeable when interpreting a regulation or a package label.
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Frying and food preparation
Repeated or very high-temperature frying can lead to a modest increase in trans fat. WHO reports that this increase is low compared with the amount found in foods made with PHOs. Frying practices still affect overall diet quality, but the presence of a fried item alone does not establish how much trans fat it contains.
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Are trans fats bad for you?
Yes. WHO says trans fat has no known health benefits and associates high intake with coronary heart disease and higher mortality. The concern is cardiovascular: trans fat in the diet is linked with more coronary heart disease and deaths from that disease.
The WHO fact sheet dated 24 January 2024 reports these relative-risk associations for high trans-fat intake:
| Outcome | Relative increase reported by WHO | How to interpret it |
|---|---|---|
| Death from any cause | 34% | An association reported for high intake; it is not an estimate of an individual’s absolute risk. |
| Death from coronary heart disease | 28% | A population-level relative-risk figure, not a personal prognosis. |
| Coronary heart disease | 21% | An association reported by WHO for high intake. |
WHO also estimates that more than 278,000 deaths each year globally are attributable to industrially produced trans fat. That is a global estimate, not a count of deaths caused by one particular product or meal.
These figures do not mean that eating one item causes a predictable percentage change in your own risk. Personal risk depends on many factors, including total diet, smoking, blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, age, genetics and medical history. If you have cardiovascular disease or another condition requiring dietary limits, use advice from your clinician rather than converting the population statistics into a personal target.
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How much trans fat is too much?
WHO recommends that adults consume less than 1% of total energy from trans fat. On a 2,000-calorie diet, that is less than 2.2 grams per day. This is WHO’s population-level guidance, not an individualized safe threshold or a treatment plan.
Because WHO says trans fat has no known health benefits and specifically recommends avoiding industrially produced trans fats, the practical goal is to keep industrial trans fat as close to zero as possible. The 2.2-gram figure should not be used as a daily allowance to “spend” on PHO-containing foods. Natural trans fat in ruminant foods is a separate source, and national labeling rules may treat it differently.
Energy intake changes the numerical equivalent of 1%. Someone eating more or fewer than 2,000 calories would have a different gram equivalent, which is why the percentage and the example should be kept together.
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WHO lists oils rich in polyunsaturated fats and, next, oils rich in monounsaturated fats as alternatives to PHOs. Its examples include:
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- Polyunsaturated-fat-rich oils: sunflower, corn and soybean oils.
- Monounsaturated-fat-rich oils: canola, olive and peanut oils.
The suitable choice depends on availability, cost, the cooking method and the recipe. Olive oil can be used for cooking where it fits the dish and the required heat, but choosing any one oil does not guarantee that a packaged or restaurant food is free of trans fat. Manufacturers also need to reformulate products so that the replacement fat performs the required function without introducing another avoidable health problem.
A practical substitution checklist
- Check the ingredient list for partially hydrogenated oil before choosing a packaged food.
- When cooking from scratch, use a WHO-listed liquid vegetable oil suited to the recipe instead of shortening or a PHO-based fat.
- For restaurant or street food, ask which oil or shortening is used and whether it is reused extensively.
- Compare the nutrition panel and serving size, but remember that a low declared amount does not explain whether the product contains a PHO where labeling exemptions apply.
- Keep the rest of the diet in view: replacing PHO with an oil is a reformulation step, not a guarantee that the finished food is low in calories, sodium or saturated fat.
How to read a trans-fat label
Start with the ingredient list, not only the front of the package. The clearest warning sign is “partially hydrogenated oil.” A nutrition panel may show trans fat per serving, but serving sizes and national rounding rules differ. A product reporting zero grams per serving is not automatically proof that it contains no trans fat if local rules allow small amounts to be rounded down; the ingredient list and the applicable national labeling rule provide additional context.
For foods sold without a full label, the most reliable practical step is to ask the seller or manufacturer what fat is used. Do not infer the answer solely from a food’s being fried, baked, inexpensive or shelf-stable.
What are governments doing about trans fats?
WHO recommends two best-practice regulatory approaches:
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| Approach | Mechanism | What implementation requires |
|---|---|---|
| Numeric limit | Limit industrially produced trans fat to 2 grams per 100 grams of total fat in all foods. | Rules covering products, testing or documentation, inspections and enforcement. |
| PHO ingredient ban | Ban the production or use of partially hydrogenated oils as an ingredient in all foods. | Clear legal definitions, supply-chain compliance, monitoring and enforcement. |
The approaches are alternatives in WHO’s best-practice model. Neither one eliminates naturally occurring trans fat in ruminant meat and dairy, and a law on paper is not the same as effective enforcement.
Global progress, with dates attached
WHO’s milestone report published 21 June 2024, covering the situation through the end of 2023, said 53 countries had best-practice policies in force. Those policies covered about 3.7 billion people, or 46% of the world’s population. WHO estimated that the policies then in place could prevent about 66% of the deaths originally estimated to be caused by trans-fat intake—nearly 183,000 lives per year.
In a 19 May 2025 announcement, WHO said nearly 60 countries had best-practice policies in effect, still covering 46% of the global population. The announcement also said nine countries had been formally validated by WHO at that point: Austria, Norway, Oman and Singapore were newly recognized in 2025, joining Denmark, Lithuania, Poland, Saudi Arabia and Thailand. Policy coverage and formal validation are different measures; a country can have a policy without appearing on the validation list.
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What happened in the United States?
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) determined in 2015 that PHOs were no longer generally recognized as safe for use in human food. In the enforcement history reproduced by WHO, manufacturers could not add PHOs after 18 June 2018, although certain product transitions had later deadlines. This is a concise US regulatory history, not a global rule and not a substitute for checking the current law where you live.
Regulatory dates do not make every packaged or restaurant food identical. Products imported from another market, foods sold outside standard retail channels and older stock can have different formulations or labeling requirements. Check the actual ingredient list and local regulations.
What should you do today?
- Make avoiding industrially produced trans fat the priority, rather than trying to identify a “healthy” amount of PHO.
- Scan ingredient lists for partially hydrogenated oil when buying packaged foods.
- Use sunflower, corn, soybean, canola, olive or peanut oil as appropriate alternatives to PHO-based shortening.
- Ask restaurants and vendors what oil or shortening they use when the information is not displayed.
- Remember that naturally occurring trans fat remains in some ruminant meat and dairy; industrial-trans-fat rules do not remove it.
- Discuss individualized limits with a qualified health professional if you have heart disease, diabetes, abnormal cholesterol or another condition requiring tailored nutrition advice.
More than 278,000 deaths a year are attributed by WHO to industrially produced trans fat, yet replacement oils and policy tools are available. The clearest consumer decision is therefore straightforward: avoid products made with PHOs whenever you can, while interpreting labels and regulations in their regional and dated context.
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