FAST-food chains in Australia have voluntarily agreed to reduce the amount of harmful trans fats in their products, averting the possibility of government intervention.
At an industry forum in Sydney today, the companies agreed to meet again by September to formulate a plan to minimise the use of trans fats in their cooking.
The federal Government last month summoned the companies to the Quick Serve Restaurant Industry Trans Fat Roundtable in a bid to pressure them to reduce trans fats.
Assistant Health Minister Christopher Pyne said while the Government could impose compulsory food labelling and limits on the amount of trans fats in foods, he was pleased the companies had agreed to deal with the issue voluntarily.
He said some companies, including McDonald's and Nestle, already had taken steps toward cutting their use of trans fats.
"This (the meeting) is a very positive first step forward, it means consumers will be consuming less trans fats and less saturated fats in the future," he said.
"Some industry leaders are already moving in that direction."
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends the consumption of trans fats be no more than 1 per cent of a person's daily kilojoule intake.
Mr Pyne said Australians consumed 0.6 per cent of their daily kilojoules as trans fats.
"While we are doing well, I would still like to get that level down further and the reliance on saturated fats down also," he said.
"It is important when we reduce trans fats in our food supply that we do it in the context of a balanced diet.
"We don't wish to decrease trans fats by returning to the use of saturated fats such as palm oil, tallow and lard."
Heart Foundation communications manager Monique Blunden said dealing with the use of trans fats was important because of the amount of people who ate fast-food every day.
"While we are certainly thrilled with the initiative Christopher Pyne has taken, we want to make sure that saturated fats are lowered as well," she said.
"There are healthy alternative oils out there, I would encourage the industry to seek them out." Trans fats are produced by partial hydrogenation of liquid vegetable oils to produce oils which have better physical properties for food processing, such as increased shelf life.
Manufacturers use trans fats because they stop food turning rancid and improve its texture, but they also increase the amount of "bad" cholesterol in the body and have been linked to a greater risk of coronary heart disease.
Companies including McDonald's, KFC, Krispy Kreme, Pizza Hut, Subway and Hungry Jack's attended the roundtable.
