Is trans fat ban good move or overreaction? Your Say

Last week, the FDA announced that food manufacturers will be required to stop using partially hydrogenated oils, the primary source of trans fats, in products. Letter to the editor:

I cannot believe the overreaction to trans fats in food products.

I remember when eggs were taboo because of cholesterol. I was told don't eat butter because it has saturated fats, and you should eat only unsaturated fats. The do-gooders have tried to find something wrong with coffee for years. Over time, these assertions were contradicted.

Some snack cakes already taste as if they are past the expiration date, and some peanut butter does not spread as nicely or taste as good. Some snack foods leave an undesirable aftertaste. This will get worse with the complete removal of trans fats.

The legacy of President Obama and the FDA will be overreaction to changes in food science.

Richard Yuknavich; Airville, Pa.

Comments from Facebook are edited for clarity and grammar:

I'm a university professor specializing in cardiovascular health and fitness. For the past 30 years, I've told my students that trans fat should not be eaten. I've said: If trans fats were invented today, they would not be approved for human consumption. Finally, the Food and Drug Administration is fixing this problem.

— David Swain

It's fine for the government to suggest something is not healthful, but to ban it is a step too far.

— Sandra Chambly Estes

I have noticed on labels of some cookies that they already have no trans fats. That's a good thing. I think the elimination of trans fats will be a non-event in three years.

— James Butts