Even more forward motion has been announced on the issue of trans-fat labeling. The Institute of Medicine, part of the National Academy of Sciences, released a report on Trans Fatty Acids yesterday (report in PDF format). The report lists funding from various U.S. and Canadian public service groups (e.g. FDA, NIH) and a “Dietary Intakes Corporate Donors’ Fund” which has contributors like Roche Vitamins and M&M; Mars. The finding of the report which has weighty bearing on the FDA’s plan to alter food labels is that there is no safe level of trans fats to recommend for people’s diets. You know how the nutrition labels have a “% Daily Value” column? Well, that doesn’t work when the RDA of trans fat is a big fat zero. Despite a suggestion to combine the saturated and trans fat amounts and keep an RDA, the FDA food labeling chief is currently maintaining that there will be a separate line. Will it be clear that no amount of trans fat is good for you? And how furiously will the food industry fight back against this new policy? Trans fat is everywhere in processed foods, and it is about to be brought out of hiding.