The United States Food and Drug Administration's potential riddance of trans fat in food products could include those such as microwave popcorn WebProNews reported.
The FDA's news is the latest development in an effort to make food products americans eat healthier.
Popcorn brands such as Redenbacher have worked on making their products within the past few years however.
"We've mastered it, and I'm not going to tell you how we did it," Pamela Newell, senior director of product development at ConAgra, maker of the popcorn brand. "(It took) a lot of money (since many replacement oil blends limited or reduced the flavor of the popcorn."
Americans consume 16 billion containers of popcorn annually, and the ban would rescue 7,000 lives on a yearly basis because of popcorns large amounts of trans fats according to non-profit organization WebProNews reported. Over two-thirds of the snack item is consumed in houses.
"Food manufacturers have voluntarily decreased trans fat levels in many foods in recent years, but a substantial number of products still contain partially hydrogenated oils, which are the major source of trans fat in processed food," Michael Taylor, the FDA's deputy commissioner for foods and veterinary medicine told Yahoo News.
The amount of trans fats individuals have taken in has decreased to one gram a day last year from 4 .6 grams in 2003 because of the information being accessible on the product's nutrition facts.
"(Despite that decline, Americans) "current intake remains a significant public health concern," FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg told Yahoo News. "The FDA's action today is an important step toward protecting more Americans from the potential dangers of trans fat. Further reduction in the amount of trans fat in the American diet could prevent an additional 20,000 heart attacks and 7,000 deaths from heart disease each year -- a critical step in the protection of Americans' health."
2010 saw $985.7 million in sales for the food product in kernel form, a decrease of 2.2 five years prior.
