Why does it have to be a choice between either using palm oil or keeping trans-fat in food?
Deforestation and the use of palm oil can be addressed on its own. And, maybe pre-made pie crusts are just going to have a shorter self-life and are going to cost 80 cents more.
The science is in on trans-fat. It causes heart disease. The Harvard School of Public Health says this could prevent 1 in 5 heart attack deaths in America. That is a no-brainer. You make the change and then you deal with the follow-on effects in a responsible way.
Yes, ideally we would do without both trans fats and unsustainably sourced palm oil, but policy needs to be done in the real world where we are far from this. Positing that maybe we'll deal with the disastrous effects of our policies if we get around to it isn't good enough. If we were to ban trans fats in a reasonable way, it would be done in concert with conservation measures and over a time frame that would allow for a transition to sustainable products. Does the FDA consider at all the ecological impacts of their regulation upon the nation's food supply?
Exactly. We can't fix the problem with trans fats while worsening the problem of deforestation. It doesn't have to be an "either or" thing.
