Seven & I to remove trans fat foods from shelves

Monday 27th December, 07:38 AM JST

TOKYO —

Seven & I Holdings Co, a major Japanese retail conglomerate, has decided against selling trans fat food products deemed to cause heart and other diseases as much as possible and is hoping to eliminate them altogether from its shelves, company sources said Sunday.

The group, which has Seven-Eleven convenience stores, Ito-Yokado supermarkets, Sogo and Seibu department stores under its wings, is joining other major companies such as McDonald’s Holdings Co (Japan) Ltd in their attempts to reduce food items with trans fatty acids.

Seven & I will accelerate its efforts at removing trans fat from house brand products as much as possible and will also call on food suppliers to do the same, the sources said.

The retailer group has been proactively promoting food products with reduced trans fat contents. Trans fats, an oil contained in food items, are cited as a factor for increasing risks for heart diseases and hardening of the arteries by increasing so-called bad cholesterol.

In 2006, the city of New York decided to basically ban high trans fat content foods from being served in the city’s restaurants.

Japan’s Consumer Affairs Agency is considering requiring that food items carry labels showing trans fat contents. In a guideline on food labeling published in October, manufacturers of margarine and other products are required to voluntarily indicate trans fat contents.