Ingredient Index
Are trans fats (PHOs) banned in Europe?
Functionally yes, on both sides: the EU capped industrial trans fats at 2 g per 100 g of fat in 2021, and the US had already eliminated PHOs by revoking their GRAS status in 2015; this is one regulatory gap that has closed.
What the EU does
Capped to the point of elimination. Commission Regulation (EU) 2019/649 limits industrial trans fatty acids to 2 grams per 100 grams of fat in food for the final consumer, effective April 2021. That is technically a restriction rather than a prohibition, but no partially hydrogenated oil can meet it (PHOs typically run 25 to 45 percent trans fat), so the cap functions as a ban on the ingredient.
Naturally occurring trans fats in dairy and meat (from ruminant digestion) are exempt; the rule targets the industrial kind, the one the cardiovascular literature condemned.
Citation Commission Regulation (EU) 2019/649 (max 2 g iTFA per 100 g fat, from April 2021)
What the US does
Banned, and here the US genuinely led. The FDA determined in 2015 that partially hydrogenated oils are no longer Generally Recognized as Safe, removing the legal basis for their use, with compliance deadlines in 2018 and final market sell-through ending in 2020. WHO estimates this class of regulation, now spreading globally, prevents hundreds of thousands of cardiac deaths per year.
One residual US quirk: "0 g trans fat" on a label legally means under 0.5 g per serving, so trace amounts from fully-hydrogenated processing can still hide behind a zero. Check for "hydrogenated" anywhere in the ingredient list.
Citation FDA final determination on PHOs (2015), 80 FR 34650; compliance complete 2020
Products that commonly contain it
PHOs are gone from both food supplies, but their former homes explain the fuss:
- Stick margarine and shortening (pre-2018 formulations)
- Packaged baked goods, pie crusts, and frosting
- Microwave popcorn (older formulations)
- Frozen pizza and fried fast food (older supply chains)
- Coffee creamers (older formulations)
What to look for on a label
What still deserves a glance, post-ban:
- "Partially hydrogenated [oil]" in any ingredient list is a red flag, and now illegal in both markets
- "Fully hydrogenated oil" is a different, trans-fat-free ingredient; the word "fully" matters
- "0 g trans fat" on US labels means <0.5 g per serving, not zero
- Imported shelf-stable bakery from outside the EU/US can still carry PHOs
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Frequently asked questions
Are trans fats banned in Europe?
Industrial trans fats are capped at 2 g per 100 g of fat under Regulation (EU) 2019/649, a limit no partially hydrogenated oil can meet, so PHOs are effectively banned. Natural ruminant trans fats are exempt.
Are trans fats banned in the United States?
Yes. The FDA revoked PHOs' GRAS status in 2015, with compliance complete by 2020. The US acted before the EU on this one.
Can a "0 g trans fat" label still hide trans fat?
In the US, yes: anything under 0.5 g per serving rounds to zero. With PHOs banned the amounts are now trivial, but "partially hydrogenated" in an ingredient list would still be the tell.
Why were trans fats banned at all?
Industrial trans fat raises LDL cholesterol while lowering HDL, with an unusually direct link to coronary heart disease. It is one of the clearest harm cases in nutrition science, which is why both regulators acted.
Related ingredients
Related reading
Primary sources
- Commission Regulation (EU) 2019/649, trans fat limit (EUR-Lex)
- FDA: Trans fat (partially hydrogenated oils) overview
Last reviewed June 10, 2026 · How we assign statuses