Here is some of the e-mail that we have received after we filed the Oreo lawsuit in May 2003

to whom it may concern

i tell you, i'm shaking right now!!!!!!

i suffered my first heart attack at age 30, a coronary bypass surgery as well in 1985. since.............i have been eating triscuits by the box full along with wheat thins, in the sincerest belief that i was doing myself good.

until this minute, i continued with that belief.

in january, i had my second bypass.

god i just can't believe it.

i really want to cry.

From X in Indiana:

This is a good thing you have done. I only more people (especially
attorneys) had your attitude, the world would be a better place.

Thank you.
I read the lawsuit over the Oreo cookies and I thought "Hey these are my cookies and he has no right to ban them."
Instead I decided to look into this a bit further and what I saw I was shocked. I did not know is more like it and I was really shocked to see that all this time I have been putting trans fat into my family and grandkids. Oreo's are our favorite cookies and it is nothing for me to buy a bag or two a week. Not knowing that I have been poisoning my family and myself.
Thanks for bring this into the light better and now I am more alert in this and other foods to look out for.

Hi! I am 6 years old girl. Thanks for telling me about Trans Fat. Now I know about it and I won’t eat it. I am doing current events to tell my classmates. But how did you know about Trans Fat? Please e-mail me back about it.

You have me reading labels! I picked up only two out of many boxes of children’s cereal’s yesterday in the grocery store, and two of them contained partially hydrogenated soybean oil – also saw it in Cool Whip and Nestles instant hot chocolate. My God there’s a monster out there. My husband came home with a package of Chips Ahoy “Light” cookies, and I grabbed them and read the label. You guessed it – they have partially hydro oils!

I have been towing the line on this to friends, family, and co-workers for months now. They all know what they are and how it affects them. I'm so glad that someone has finally taken the lead in getting this issue into the media. THANK YOU for standing up for us.

Ok. I did not know about TransFats and thank you for educating me. What I am in a quandary about is the FDA knew the dangers and did nothing about it???????? Why? What is their purpose if the are not going to protect the live of the American Public. Sounds like a mixture of Martha Stewart and the Chinese government. What the heck
are we paying taxes for? This is really scary!!

A friend of mine told me about Trans-fats about six months ago. Up until then I was stupid like the rest, not knowing what I was eating, POISON. You have done a service to this world that only ONE is able to quantify. Thank you very much!

Dear Sir:
I've been a nurse for 10 years, and I didn't know just how bad trans fats are for our health. ( I'm embarrassed I didn't know!!) I took an inventory of my pantry and was disgusted at the number of items that have hydrogenated oils in them. I'm NOT going to buy these products again and I intend to let every company who makes products with this oil know that they will not get another cent from me. I'm ANGRY that I have been feeding this to my kids in such great quantities.

DON'T STOP WITH NABISCO AND OREO'S.......
ITS ON EVERY SHELF OF THE GROCERY STORE.

PLEASE make a list on your website of the products, and the companies who make them, that DO NOT contain hydrogenated oils. I believe if you ask visitors to your website to contribute to this list, they would do so. This would be most helpful to consumers like myself who will be making a conscience decisions not to add hydrogenated oils in my diet. I'll be spending more time in the grocery isle.

THANK YOU for your time and efforts to enlighten us.

I was ignorant about transfats for many years. I started using Coffeemate, LOTS of Coffeemate in my coffee thinking I was doing myself a favor by getting away from saturated fats in half and half creamer. I now have a coronary blockage that causes great pain whenever I try to exercise. I blame my demise directly on the Coffeemate, which is almost ALL partially hydrogenated oils. I never had a problem before then, always eating well and taking care of myself. This stuff is a killer! It's there only to increase shelf life and boost corporate profits.

Thank you for your lawsuit, and resulting newspaper articles. We posted one of the articles at our preschool to raise awareness!

Thank you Mr. Joseph

I cannot thank you enough for helping humanity. We all need to pitch in and care..
If greedy companies that put out a death trip for humanity and just worry about profits should be put out of business. The FDA should look more closely at ingredients that are deadly for humans and not just accept them because they don't know to much about them.

Whenever I go out shopping I look at labels and ingredients. Many people have died due to the negligence of ignorant companies. I do a lot of organic foods and even then you have to look at labels.

Mr. Joseph could you please send me some literature on the different fats and what is being done about them. I am always helping people become aware of what they are eating and will continue too.

I would like to teach adults, children and teenagers about they different foods that they eat. Today many people eat junk foods and don't even read the labels. Our fast food places don't even enlighten the people about the ingredients that they use for the food we eat.

I hear the legal people are not happy about what you did. It's just too bad for them maybe they learned something from this that will help their lives. You get crucified if you’re a whistle blower about truth and I am against that. I'd rather go down dying, but tell the truth it makes us free souls.

I will pass this e-mail address on to other souls. Also let me know about any legal hearings they may have on this matter. I'd like to buy some t-shirts also.

To whom it may concern,

I have just found out about Hydrogenated Oils, Trans-Fats, two months ago, and let me tell you my diet totally changed. I boycott products that contain those harmful oils and I have sent email after email to our legislators and food industries to ban the product. I have posted papers about these products at work, I just thank-god I am not alone. We need to educate people on this substance and get it out of our grocery stores and homes. Hopefully we can all make a difference.

I think it's positive--it's really more like shock. What people don't realize is that most products on the grocery store shelves contain trans fats. Our friends are just beginning to read labels looking for the word "hydrogenated" and are really bewildered that it is in everything. For example, Flinstones vitamins for children contain hydrogenated oil--how ridiculous is that! Because I have been checking for months, I'm beginning to tell my friends which products don't have the "poison" to make it easier on them to transition to as much of a trans-free diet as possible....

Dear Mr. Joseph:

1. Congratulations on your fight against transfats. I also have been
doing some campaigning on this. Ironically, I just sent a letter to Kraft
commending them for not putting transfats in their saltines.
2. I must have been hiding under a rock because today is the first time I
heard of your suit. I read about it in the Los Angeles Times. Happy to
see that you are taking it to Washington.

THANK YOU for being a leader in trying to get the word out. I stopped eating and buying alot of food from the market because almost ALL of it contains Transfat. I now shop mostly at health food grocery stores and read all labels. My 8 years old looks for it in everything we buy and eat. Is is in BUBBLE GUM of all things.

I have also tried to warn family and friends who DONT listen. Hopefully when they see and hear you on the television they will listen. When I saw the suit against OREO and MCDONALDS I said FINALLY its about time someone takes an naitonal stand to protect our children who eat this stuff from the lunches they buy at birthday parties, for snacks after sport events. They eat this stuff all the time. It is also in some DRYERS ICE CREAM!!!!!

Thank you for getting the word out on TransFats!!! I have high cholesterol and read several years ago how bad hydrogenated foods were. I too read labels on everything we put in our cart. I have a jar of Simply Jif peanut butter and on the back label it states "contains less than 2% or less of partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (soybean), fully hydrogenated vegetable oils". Is this still a suitable choice for peanut butter? My kids do not like the texture of natural peanut butter.

Thanks again for getting the ball rolling.

My husband and I have been aware of trans fats for a little while, but about 8 months ago we began actively removing them from out diet as much as possible. I read labels on everything I buy, and do not buy anything with hydrogenated oil in the label. This has caused me to change nearly everything I buy, and most things are more expensive, but it's worth it. We've told some friends about trans fats and how to figure out what has them and what does not, but nobody seemed to take us very seriously. So, we just wanted to say thanks for getting the info. out there. Now our friends are coming back to us going "did you know. . ." and we say "yes, we did know, but nobody would believe us." Lawsuit or no lawsuit, now people know about a substance that we call "poison," and hopefully food makers will be forced to change the ingredients they use.

I can't tell you enough how proud I am of your act of protest, and the amount of good you have done is immeasurable. You have helped lend legitimacy to those of us who have been preaching from our anti-hydrogenated soapboxes, and already friends and family have told me they have been more diligent in monitoring their intake of the stuff since reading of your efforts.

I just wanted to tell you what a great job you did with this problem of partially hydrogenated oils. I myself try to warn people on sites about it, and tho they don't seem to care..i do get through to some and i will continue to do it. I'm glad you made more people aware through this. I don't know why the FDA doesn't force companies to stop putting the oil in foods...they obviously don't care about people's health. But i just wanted to email you to say thank you and you're my hero on this one :) And don't listen to people who will complain...surprisingly there are a lot of them, but they are in denial so don't listen to them. I will make a contribution when i can...i want one of those t-shirts to wear around...hopefully you will distribute them all over. Thank you again!

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. I saw your message on the news the other morning and called my girlfriend to say "We are winning this one!" She and I have been on and off trying to ban trans fats in our own homes for years but got really serious about 6 months ago. To the point that our husbands and kids are reading labels looking for hydrogenated oils (even though they whine about the foods they can't have :) ) What do you know about other chemicals being put in foods? My motto is pick the foods with the shortest ingredient list. Thanks for your very logical approach to this problem. Maybe we will now have more choices of snack foods for our kids.

Hi,
I just wanted to take a minute to say hello and express my thanks for what
you're doing.
Hopefully the awareness that you are raising on the issue of trans-fat will
continue and people
will demand that the government have food companies put the info on the
label, sooner rather than later.

I've been trying to eat healthier lately and started working out. To my
surprise, I've found that trans
fat is contained in many of the protein shakes and bars that I've been
eating. Foods that I assumed
were healthy, the stuff is almost everything!

Now that the Oreo issue has been resolved, is your organization going to
continue on and keep spreading
the word? I do hope so.

Thank you for your time.

Why not spend some money and publicity in getting trans fat numbers on food labels. How can consumers avoid it if the food manufacturers don't have to tell us when it's in their products. I have called manufacturers to ask, and they say "we have no information about that kind of fat". They legally don't have to tell us right now. This is where the change needs to be made. But thanks for making all that fuss!

I sent out an email earlier and it may be possible that you have not received it or maybe too busy to read it at the present moment. I am from [foreign country] and first heard of trans fatty acid at the end of last year. After visiting your website, I have written a letter to the [government health departments]. I am also preparing a letter to be sent to the Consumer Council. Unlike the US, no one here has heard of trans fatty acid. I'm just wondering if there are any tactics to warn the public and to make the government take some sort of action. For your information, Oreo still has a big market outside the US where the majority has never heard of trans fat. Thank you for taking the time to read my email.

I am ------ and I am seven years old. I already
knew about partially hydrogenated oils. I like to
know that other people care about it too. My friend
and I are trying to stop it.... I would like one of your T-shirts, but I do not
have $35. I only have about $8.

I just wanted to write to thank you for making me aware of trans fat. I never realized how much of it I consumed in a day. I always check labels, and try to eat low fat, but they don't even tell us that there is trans fat in a product.

I know I will still eat items with trans fat in it, because I just can't seem to find much that doesn't have it in it. But I am aware of what I am eating now. And I hope the FDA requires trans fat to be listed on nutritional labels, because I certainly want to know how much I am consuming in a day. I think the public has a right to know what is going into their body.


Again, thank you very much for making this such a public issue, so that I, as well as many many others, are aware of this problem.

I'm sure if it hadn't been for your lawsuit & the subsequent publicity, Kraft
wouldn't be trying to address this issue!

No need to write back but:

THANK YOU FOR YOUR EFFORTS!

Just wanted to add to the chorus of thank yous. I had not been aware of trans fats and started examining the labels of snack foods I serve to my kids. I have always tried to provide healthy foods for them to eat, but now I will make even more of an effort to avoid these convenience items.

Thanks for shocking me into looking more closely at what I (and my children) eat!

I just wanted to thank you for bringing this problem to the attention of the masses. It is truly amazing how many products contain trans fats! I had no idea.

Mr. Joseph,
My immense thanks to you. I have long opposed hydrogenated oils and have attempted to educate those around me to the point where coworkers would hide their lunches from me..hee hee, which always greatly amused me. How happy I was to see you on the news holding up the bag of Neuman's Oreos. Hopefully people will now think twice before they buy products with that poison in it.
Good luck,
and thank you for taking the bold step.

Congratulations on making at least one consumer more aware of trans-fatty acids. When news your lawsuit was announced, I headed directly for the internet and learned enough about the adverse health effects of trans-fats that I have resolved to substantially reduce them from my diet. I expect my reaction was exactly the sort of thing you had hoped for, so I thought you'd like to know that you achieved at least one part of your goal.

I look forward to government-mandated labeling that will inform consumers of the presence of these fats in processed foods.

It is appreciated and it is amazing what a difference this will make on everyone's health!! GOOOD JOB!!

Hi

I just want to say that what you are doing is excellent.

Hello and thanks!

I was unaware of trans fats myself. I have always been a label reader but never knew to look for hydro oils as a substance to avoid.

It is scary to think how long I have been consuming trans fat against my will. I hope that the FDA's new labeling gets the support it needs to become a law. It will be interesting to see how many food products that list themselves as 'healthy' or low-fat' will have to change their claims once they are forced to report the trans fat their products contain.

Just a note to thank you for getting the lawsuit going. This is such a great cause you are making. I am sure I'll buy a T-shirt. I cannot stand them being in everything and I avoid it too. I didn't learn till last year when Cal Academy came out with that study. I hate that all the foods I associate with memories of growing up have them. I can't eat what I've grown to eat and have to pay double for an organic chip or cracker. Even Table Water Crackers have them and they are supposed to be fancy. Ugh! We are all so lucky you came along.

Hi, I can't thank you enough. I thought I had a "healthy" vegetarian diet and now I see I have lots of room for improvement. I was shocked to find p.h.oil in my GRAHAM CRACKERS! I have (hopefully) ridded my kitchen cupboards and am onboard to tell friends and family to do the same. Can't wait to wear my t-shirt! THANK YOU! I had no idea....

From a young girl:

I read a bout trans fats on msn today. I thank you for warning me about them. I love Oreos but I see your point. they should cut out trans fat. I may be only fourteen but I feel I can make a difference by telling people in the small town I live in about trans fats. I never have heard of them until today, May 14,2003. I wish you good luck on your law suit and see your purpose.. Thank you, and Good Luck!!!

Hey!

Good job!

I know you took some heat....

Thanks for doing it......

You definately, definately, definately raised public awareness -- bigtime....!

Cheers to you!

Hi there!

A thousand thanks for taking on this HUGE task! I myself have stayed away from partially hydrogenated oils for about 5 years--knowing how horrible they are for you. Because I am a student, I don't have much money... But, I would love to put a "DON'T PARTIALLY HYDROGENATE ME" Bumper Sticker on my car. Is there any way you could afford to send me one? I would greatly appreciate it!

GO, GO, GO!!! We're behind you! Finally, someone who cares and isn't
afraid to take on the food giants.

Why do we have to get sick and even die before we're allowed to know what
we're eating?

Why is information always at such a premium?

It is my right to what I'm eating, breathing, drinking and absorbing from the
ground around me...isn't it?

Make pins too!

I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR SOMEONE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS FOR YEARS! HOW CAN I HELP? I WANT TO MAKE PEOPLE MORE AWARE OF IT.

BRAVO!

Thank God someone is alterting the public! I am so grateful for your work!

I have no money, but I DO HAVE VIBES! And I am sending lots of them to you! GO GO GO! This is one of the best things I've seen in the media in a long time. We can't have a Democracy without being informed enough to actually make decent choices.
THANK YOU!

Thank you for your work! It is not a baseless lawsuit, and I appreciate your efforts to pursue something to improve on the health and well being of others, while the corporations obvious resistance is about cash money! Follow the money, I was always told! Thank you again for your efforts.

I also found out about 3 years ago from my sister what trans fats are and what this nonfood item is doing to our bodies! Since then, I have tried to completely eliminate transfats from my diet, however, it is in so much! When you start reading every label you are shocked by the products they use it in. I tell everyone I know not to purchase these types of products.

Thank you for bringing this info to the masses. If a lawsuit is the only way, then it is the only way to get these companies to stop putting this nonfood in food!

Gentlemen/Ladies:

What a wonderful thing you are doing. Indeed, children would never know what to eat and what not to eat. They go by taste, not ingredients.

I don't have the price for your T-shirt, though I would love to have one, especially for my two 11 year old twin boys. That may be the thing to get them [and their classmates] to pay attention.

I resent the fact ALSO that I've been eating things bad for me [over 60 yrs] and had no idea that they were deleterious to my health or what hydrogenated meant in terms of its bad-for-you qualities. I knew it meant adding hydrogen, that's all.

I am in your corner and wish you success in your endeavor to rid the market of such foods.

my husband and I are with you all the way. did you know that girl scouts is the largest cookies manufacturer and their stuff is full of trans fats. I ... have e-mailed the head office but of course received no reply. I would like to see a list of products we can support and purchase. Thanks for spearheading this worthwhile effort. we need to get the word out!

Thanks so much for getting this issue the attention it deserves. I returned
from Europe recently apalled by how disgusting (not to mention unhealthy)
our prepackaged food is compared to theirs -- largely, I believe, due to all
the trans fats and preservatives in our food. The effort and money I must
put into purchasing foods without these ingredients is disturbing.

Keep up the good work!

The US culture has become one in which the government won't protect its citizens from clearly unhealthy foods (due to special interests) and someone is then forced to sue to combat the government's shirking of its responsibility (with our culture exhibiting a knee-jerk distaste for anything lawyerly -- unless it directly increases one's own bank account). This is a sad state of affairs. But, what you are doing is right and its important.

And, good for you for pointing out in your website that Newman O's contain no trans fat (and good for Newman's, as well).

Good work!

It's about time someone has had the courage to step forward and speak out about the use of hydrogenated oils.

I'm extremely happy to see someone with a legal background stand up against big business, it is quite refreshing.

I hope that this will not be the last stand. I think this country is out of control with special interest politics brought about by the financial clout of big business and their interested parties.

Lets roll up our sleeves and put the word "democracy" back into our constitution.

Right now replace the words freedom and liberty with defraud where ever you see it written concerning our rights in this country.

Hooray for you!!!! I am so happy to see this getting so much "press" thanks to your lawsuit. I have been preaching
this to my grown family for a couple of years, maybe now they will listen.
Good luck and keep up the great work!

I heard about your group yesterday morning in the car on a local radio station. Even though the DJ’s were sort of cavalier about the issue, you got your message across-people heard you-I heard you and it sparked great concern in me. I suggest you do every radio interview possible. It also sparked a conversation in our carpool ... that will plant the seed for future health awareness. I went home and checked out my shelves…oy! Almost every “convenience” food had some partially hydrogenated oils-and I considered myself very conscientious.

Thank you so much for your pioneering efforts! I have been complaining about these ingredients for a few years now. If you read the labels in a lot of foods, you will find those ingredients. I have a hard time shopping for foods without those ingredients! I have a two year old child and she consumes fruit snacks (rollups, etc.) and small amounts of sugary cereals made by Kellogg's and other brands which also contain those ingredients. No wonder people in America are becoming more and more obese. To purchase foods not containing these ingredients, one needs to really invest research time and spend more money. It's not fair. Again, thank you for your efforts...I hope this will bring about many changes in the food industry.

As I continue to review your site and send the link to friends...I began to think of something else that is bothering me...the use of trans fats in public school food programs. Is your organization doing anything to promote awareness within the public school system?

From a doctor:

hi,
i just want you to know that i am THRILLED with your work. i've been trying to wake people up for many many years about the trans fat issue. your OREO cookie suit is doing an excellent job! keep up the good work.

I think your campaign and lawsuit is great. As a mom of toddler twins, we avoid partially hydrogenated oils as much as possible.

Way to GO!!!! boy, am i glad that someone is paying more attention to this!!! now, if we can just get our govt. to pay attention to labeling meat and produce, we might have a chance of health.

I appreciate the information provided to me, us, about trans fat, and for the effort. I disagree with many of the marketing schemes used by a plethora of corporations in order to sell a product, or sell a good "image." Nabisco is one of those corporations; those little subtle technicalities will from now on be ignored in my household. Again, thank you. Good luck.

It's about time somebody took the food industry to task on this issue. Good on ya!

After years of hunting down healthy alternatives to products containing trans-fats, someone in the legal business is FINALLY doing it for me!!! Making people aware of the danger is the first step. Your Oreo suit should help. Thank you, thank you.

Hurray!!!!!!! I am so thrilled to see that someone has begun the fight against hydrogenated oils! As a breast cancer survivor, I was apalled to see that the hydrogenated margarine and many other hydrogenated foods I'd been eating most of my adult life have been strongly linked to breast cancer. I can't tell you how pleased I am about the wonderful publicity the "oreo lawsuit" will generate. I stopped buying hydrogenated products two years ago and agree that consumer education will eventually drive product improvements. God bless Mr. Joseph for fighting the good fight. Please don't give up. I'm going to send this site to as many of my friends as possible.

Thanks for the heads up! Just wanted to say that you have at least made a difference with this consumer.

Keep up the good work.

Thank you for the information. I am one of the people who simply had no idea!

Thank you so much for doing this! It is so important to have caring individuals take a stand against corporate giants that keep endangering our health!

Dear Stephen:

Bravo you are one of the first to get attention to the deadly hydrogenation, trans fatty acid fraud. I had tried to bring this up with some of the Kraft people years ago and they said in these things were too political....

I just wanted to say that Im glad you are doing this. My Uncle just died from Plaque in the coronary arteries.... It was a shock to my whole family he was only 47 years old. If someone would have known about this years ago he might be alive today. I have never heard of Trans fat nor has my family thank you so much. Best of luck! You have just saved a few lives. I will never feed my kids that junk again.

I wondered when someone was going to take on the food companies to get the hydrogenated food off the shelves or at least change the ingredients. I think you are doing a great service. I'd like to see all hydrogenated food off the shelves. I will certainly donate what I can. It won't be a lot, since I'm am due to get laid off this year.

Thank you SO MUCH for the information you are supplying hundreds of thousands of people about! I used to LOVE Oreos! NO MORE OREOS! (actually would make a great T-Shirt itself...or at LEAST a good chant at the State House!)! I had NO idea what was happening with those oils and hydrogenated fats until I read your site...God bless you for having the balls to take on the BIGGGGG guys...if I had it, I'd send you everything...

I want to congratulate you and wish you the best of luck. It's almost impossible to avoid transfatty acids. Anything you can accomplish
(eliminate) will be all to the good.

I'm sending your site to everyone I care about.

Thank you so much for the lawsuit.

I usually don't like such lawsuits, but this one hit the nail right on.
I knew about hydrogenated fats in the early 90's and made a decision not to eat any.
What I found out was that it is used everywhere food is processed (even 95% of bread! )
It is a daily struggle for me to read labels and the fine prints. I became an expert of spotting "partially hydrogenated fat" in a long list of ingredients almost instantly, and when I do, I say: not over my dead body.
Keep on the good work and please don't limit yourselves to Oreo. Sue others, please! Can you sue the FDA for allowing this to happen over years and years? Someone has to be held responsible!

One more thing: it appears that food manufacturers add partially hydrogenated oils to enhance flavor!!! Is that a reason to kill us??? (discretely). (When did my grandmother's cookies taste bad???)

You made my day.

Read the article about your lawsuit against Kraft Foods and I support your
case. You are doing the right thing by exposing this health hazard.

Dear BanTransFats.com:

It's about time somebody stands up to the food manufacturing companies who use these life-threatening ingredients. It's a shame the FDA is so lax in protecting consumer health when the research clearly supports the danger in eating these foods.

Glad somebody cares enough to do something about it!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!! – FOR BRINGING THIS TO PUBLIC ATTENTION.

I have a heart condition and it is so difficult to find products that DO NOT contain partially hydrogenated oils.

What you are doing is GREAT! I've been waiting for something to be done about Trans-fats!

Thank you!

We were copied on an e-mail to Kraft:

Dear Kraft,

I Just thought I'd take a moment and encourage you to follow suit with other responsible companies such as Frito Lay and McDonalds and stop using partially hydrogrenated oils in your foods. I recently learned about the health risks of this ingredient at http://bantransfats.com/. There is an undeniable consensus that partially hydrogrenated oils are dangerous to our health so I hope you will do the right thing and simply stop using them. Untill then, I won't be buying many of your products and I'm encouraging others to do the same. Thank you for your time.

Hi,
I want to say I support you guys 100%. I was a health science major in college in 1980 and learned back then about partially hydrogenated fats. I have heard it in the news every so often, but until you came along, I don't think anyone was really trying to do something serious about it. You are saving people's lives, and I applaud your effort. More people need to become educated and the food industry needs to stop sacrificing people's health for their profit.

I am a 41 year-old female who has only begun to learn about proper eating. A product of my generation, I was raised on junk food. Recently I began checking for cholesterol content on labels, and when I checked my Coffee-mate label I was relived that is said zero. After finding a link to your website from CNN, I spent a couple of hours educating myself. I had no idea. None whatsoever. Common sense dictates that you don't eat real butter or too many eggs, but this is the first I've heard about transfats. I am very angry right now because I just checked the Coffee-mate label; I use a large container per week in my coffee that I drink regularly. The first two ingredients are as follows: Corn Syrup Solids, Vegetable Oil (Partially hydrogenated coconut or palm kernel, canola, hydrogenated palm, soybean, cottonseed, or safflower). If I'm understanding the new information correctly, I am pouring an exceedingly abundant supply of "the bad stuff" into my body. And then I followed some of your links. My entire diet is filled with the foods that are full of transfats, even though I was led to believe that they are low in fats and low in cholesterol. I am shocked. I am angry. I will stand by you in your fight.

P.S. Oreos will no longer be a staple in my home.

I just wanted to say thank you. It is very honorable of you to stand up for such a worthy cause. The world will be a better place because of your efforts. If nothing else, you have opened many eyes.

Dear Mr. Joseph:

I just wanted to write and thank you for filing suit in the public interest on this issue and to let you know that until your lawsuit received the publicity it did, I had not been aware of the danger posed by consuming trans fats. I've spent the morning reading the Harvard report and other health reports on TFAs and, like you, I resent the fact that I've been eating this stuff my whole life without knowing the danger it posed to my health. If you had not brought this lawsuit I would probably have continued to eat foods containing partially hydrogenated oils, and even though I exercise and eat what I thought was a healthy balanced diet, I would never have realized the damage I was doing to my body. It's disappointing (but unfortunately not surprising) that the FDA has known of the danger since at least 1993 and allowed itself to be lobbied into submission on the labeling issue. Hopefully your lawsuit will force Kraft and others to eliminate partially hydrogenated oils from their products. THANK YOU for doing this. You are truly saving lives. Keep up the good fight.

I saw headlines about the Oreo lawsuit, and initially thought the lawsuit to be baseless. However, as one who has seen my ancestors die from heart disease, and as one who also suffers from high LDL and low HDL, I think you are on the right track to put pressure on food processors to eliminate trans fat from food products. It seems that we are at a point with trans fat, and understanding of health risks, regulations, etc. that the tobacco companies were at in the early 60's. If government and private research shows a statistical link between the consumption of trans fat and increased probability of negative health risks, how is that any different from research showing the link between tobacco smoke and negative health risks?

While I do not generally agree with the large awards in tobacco lawsuits, since I believe individuals must make responsible, informed decisions, in the case of trans fat consumption I do not believe adequate information has been dispensed to allow informed decisions. While the Oreo lawsuit may not succeed in directly eliminating trans fat from Oreos, it may be an effective tactic, and may not be the only such lawsuit. If the fear of repeated lawsuits and possible successful suits eliminates trans fats from processed foods, then the goal will be achieved.

Thank you for protecting the health of Americans. We support your suit.

Dear Mr. Joseph,

Thank you for your efforts. I don’t know if anyone will actually read this, but I need to vent anyway. About 3 years ago, my wife and I first learned about how the foods we most liked to eat were full of hydrogenated vegetable oils. With how bad it is for you and how much it has permeated our processed food industry, we were angry that nobody had warned us and that we had been filling our bodies with that stuff our whole lives. It made us even angrier that the hydrogenated oil problem does not stop with oreo cookies, but that it is in so much of what you see on the shelf at the grocery store- even hamburger buns and bread!! EVERYTHING has this stuff in it nowadays as companies like Kraft compete for the lowest cost way of making a product that lasts the longest for our ever more mobile society, sacrificing consumer health in the quest for market domination. It made us angry that we could find no low cost alternatives to products permeated with hydrogenated oils.

Mr. Joseph,

Thankyou very much for bringing this out. I have been eating tons of Oreo cookies for as long as I can remember and I am now 43 years old. My cholesterol is just about 300 and I am sure part of that is due to this trans fat you talk about. I exersise a few days per week and I will now eliminate this Trans fat from my diet and see how much of an impact to my cholesterol it will have.

Good Luck in your quest to eliminate this killer.

Hello,

I was just forwarded the article on MSN about your lawsuit. I pray to god you win. I am on a personal campaign to educate whoever will listen about the dangers of hydrogenated oil.

I was so disgusted by Kraft's retort that, “You can make a cookie without trans fat but what you’re trading off is the unique taste and texture that people have come to expect.” I personally don't think anything that contains hydrogenated oil tastes good or natural and it makes the eater's breath really stink.

I believe that hydrogenation causes constipation and can lead to blockage of arteries much quicker than other fats. My mother recently died of a heart attack. When we cleaned out her kitchen, every product we found was processed with hydrogenated oil. I had told her years ago to stop eating these products, but like other consumers I guess she assumed if it was on the shelf then it was safe. Men like my grandfather are healthy at 80 after eating bacon and eggs every morning for breakfast only because they don't eat processed foods. Do mothers realize when they give their kids Lunchables or "American" cheese slices most times the cheese isn't even cheese, but solidified yellow trans fat?

Dear Sir/Maddam , Hello

I use to eat alteast three to four oreo cookie packets a day, then today i came across your website and i immediatly researched your data and the results shocked the living day lights out of me. Upon further investigation i came across the fact that i was literally poisoing myself through those cookies.

I'd like to thank you guys for bringing the trans-fats to the public attention.

Up to this point, I was under the impression that the hydrogenated soybean oil fell under the "saturated fat" list, so I'm irked that these people have done nothing more than played a shady nutritional game.

I'm also mortified to think how much long-term harm I may have done to myself over the years, indulging in wheat thins and the like.

Hello,
Good for you guys!! I hope your efforts to force reductions in these dangerous substances is successful. Raiaing awareness of this issue is a real public service. I will never again buy Oreos until the trans-fats come out of them.

Congratulations on starting this site! I totally support and commend you. I too ate my share of trans fats for years, before realizing the danger, and am also very resentful. About two years ago, I also have cut almost all out of my diet (it's hard to get it ALL out). So I wish you guyz the best of luck! Thank you for advocating for public health. I'm a student, but will try to make a small contribution because I feel it's so important!

I got your site name from an article that was sent to me over the internet by my brother in law, who knows that for years I've been pontificating to everyone and anyone about the perils of trans fats and hydrogenated vegetable oils. I was very excited to read about your law suit against Kraft (all the more so because I'm a law clerk by profession), and hope that you are successful in your attempts to bring this corporate behemoth to its knees. Too often we throw up our hands when faced with such daunting opponents, and so you are to be congratulated for your efforts.

As a natural health practicioner and nutrition consultant for the past 15+ years I have been well aware of the many dangers of trans fats and their nearly universal presence in processed foods. It is a cheap ingredient with the primary purpose to extend the product's shelf life (it will not turn rancid) while reducing the human life span. I have believed and taught that it is the single most dangerouse ingredient in our food supply.
Check out the cookies and crackers in a health food store. You will find they contain real butter (not dangerous as we've been lead to believe) or non-hydrogenated oils. They taste so good they don't NEED a longer shelf life.
So trans fats serve the greed of the large food processors, nothing more. About 10 years ago the government said it was going to require labeling of trans fats in all foods. Who squelched that?

I am someone not impressed by lawsuits but YOU GO on this one!!!!!! at 31 I went to nursing school and was HORRIFIED after the transfat lecture in A & P. "what do you mean our body doesn't know how to digest it or expel it?"
And its in EVERYTHING.

I developed an eating problem after that. It took an educated person a long time to redesign an eatable diet. Much less those that "don't even know this stuff exists"

Take this one to the top….all the way…..its super important………health and life over capitalism and greed.

If I had money….I'd send it. If I had corporate power to get monies……I'd try to get you millions, you deserve it.

I have neither but send the good will and the strength of encouragement as this is the best attainable goal I've heard of in YEARS.

Thanks for caring about everyone's health.

Allow me to say congratulations for the work you are doing! It is a
well known fact among anyone who opens their eyes to our lifestyle, that the
North American diet is killing us. As a Christian Minister, I try to
emphasize temperance and moderation in all areas of lifestyle, especially
diet. You have effectively exposed the truth that the bottom line is of far
more importance to large food manufacturers than is basic human health.
Keep up the good work, and if you ever need a spokesman, drop me a note. I
would enjoy employing my oratory skills in educating the public about the
money they are paying these companies to diminish our quality and duration
of life.

Hey guys. I love the concept. Transfats ARE terrible. I've got a 65-year old physically fit runner for a father, who just had 4-bypass heart surgery last year as a result of blockage. Docs are pretty sure that transfats are the culprit, not eggs and fatty fishes and peanuts, the stuff we've heard about the previous 15 years as being the "problems."

Anyway, as a bit of fitness freak myself and very careful about what I eat, I appreciate the efforts you guys are making. However, I do question lawsuits if there is monetary gain to be had. To get Kraft to get their sh*t together and stop using transfats when there are safer alternatives is a noble effort. To create a precedent in courts to win money against big corps will lead to complete havoc in our economy. Fat people will be coming out of the woodwork to stake their claim because they claim that fast food and such are repsonsible for their health problems, when in reality, it's lifestyle that's responsible. Most Americans eat too much and don't exercise. No one is responsible for this except the individuals who sloth around with this lifestyle!! So, show me you're not about defending that sort of crap and that you're really about just educating Americans & trying to get corporations to get with the program, and I'm with you guys 100%!!

it's about time that someone sued these huge companies for poisoning people all over america. Trans-fats/hydrogenated oils are apparently banned in many european countries because it is widely known over there about the consequences of such poison.

It is practically impossible to find food in grocery stores that does not contain hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils. It's such a huge industry. And it's all beacuse of shelf-life. Food manufacturers know that this oil is poisonous, but they use it beacuse it increases shelf life, thus profits.

I hope you win.
Good luck,

Hello!
I heard you on the radio this morning. I then visited your website. I was shocked! I had no idea that trans fat was so bad for you, or what it was! I love Oreo's, but I will not eat any untill they get rid of the trans fat. That is just disgusting that they would feed something that dangerous to children. I will be telling my friends and family to
stay away from kraft for sure! I would like to get a couple of bumper
stickers, how do I do that? Thanks in advance for the info!

I have to tell you that I was just eating a box a cheddar triscuits when I saw this article and looked at the ingredients. I dumped the box out! The first thing listed in ingredients is "hydrogenated soybean oil". It is scary what they put out there. I consider myself to be an intelligent person and yet I eat these ingredients unknowingly almost every day.

Thanks for the info!

Thank you so much Mr. Joseph for speaking out against trans fats on GMA this morning and bringing this issue up in the media. Just a couple of weeks ago I contacted the FDA about my concerns about transfats, touted as the "silent killer" by some. I was told that the FDA is proposing to have manufacturers label their products if they contain these transfats. That alone will not help much in my opinion since most most people (as you said also) don't even know about the dangers of transfats. I too was mainly concerned about children especially the very young. Many children now adays seem to be snacking on cookies and crackers all day long, and most of these goods are loaded with transfats.
Again, THANKS and for mentioning www.bantransfat.com website. I signed up for their mailing list.

Good job!! My family and I whole heartedly support your efforts!
The company Orowheat,who is a large supplier of bread is now putting TFA's in ALL their breads. It is not necessary except in making a less expensive bread.

It is about time these companies start becoming accountable to producing quality food, and not just a profitable product.

It's about time somebody is doing something about trans fats! I discovered about 3 years ago just how bad they are for people and have boycotted them ever since. I also have my family reading labels now to make sure we don't buy a product that contains any hydrogenated or partially-hydrogenated oils. I may have ignorantly harmed my family in the past, but I don't have to do it any more. It has also amazed me that something so bad is in almost every product available in the grocery store, and yet there is never any information being given to the public about the dangers of this food. I was really glad to hear someone speak out about this subject this morning on Good Morning America. Good luck to your organization with the law suit. I hope it makes a difference in the food industry. I will pass your website on the others.

I saw Mr. Joseph on CNN last night. I completely agree with your cause. I have been waiting for this for a long time. It is an outrage that food processors are allowed to mislead the American public in the name of producing lower cost foods.

I consider myself a staunch Republican who hates regulations, government intervention, and frivulous lawsuits. This case, however, is different. Unsafe is unsafe. I compare trans fats to asbestos.

I do think you faltered in the CNN interview. The anchorman was clearly skeptical and was demeaning at times. The attitude he projected was that this was the same as the McDonald's lawsuit and that you were suing because Oreo's will make you fat. To the person that understands trans fats, you defended your case well. However, to a grossly underinformed public, I am afraid that you might not have made yourself clear. I think you should have concentrated on the fact that this is not about suing because a product has a high calorie content or even fat content. This is about a product that has been altered on a molecular level that is unsafe. If Kraft would use butter instead of PH oils, then everything would be good. Still fatty, but wholesome, indeed.

Keep up the good work. Regardless of the outcome, I think that you have set the wheels in motion for the backlash against trans fats and partially hydrogenated oils. Information is king.

...I would like to thank you for your courageous effort to inform the American consumer. I've 'heard' for many years that trans fat is horrible for your body, but nobody has ever taken the stand to really drive the point home, as you are doing. Your efforts are sure to save thousands of Americans from avoidable health issues. Like you, I hope that the food industry will do the right thing and resolve this problem on their own. I agree with your boycott of Kraft, considering the selfish position that they have taken. I will not be buying any Kraft products until they make a significant move to make healthier food for the people who have made their company so successful.

If you haven't heard it from anyone else, I would be honored to be the first...

Thank you for your efforts!!!

would like to think of myself as an intelligent consumer and I like being informed about food ingredients.

I appreciate your efforts to educate people about Trans fats. Yes, I have heard that “Partially Hydrogenated Oils are not good for you.”

But sometimes we consumers do not realize just how BAD this stuff is for us and may continue to purchase these out of ignorance.

I would like to thank you and applaud you on in your efforts!

Even if all you are able to accomplish is to INFORM consumers, you have already done a good thing unlike the FDA.

Thank you!

PS. Good for Paul Newman for his ingredients and actually caring about his consumers!

i am a 49 yr old male heart patient. i learned of my blocked coronary arteries last month and had angioplasty with 2 stents. i have avoided a high fat diet and have not consumed any dairy products in over 20 years. since my diagnoses, i am on a heart disease reversal diet which limits my total fat per day to 25gr. or less. in learning of the reversal diet, i learned about the serious dangers of trans fats. it is very deceiving when a box of nabisco wheat thins is advertised as "reduced fat" when it contains trans fats which are worse than saturated fats. i am certain that trans fats are the cause of my heart disease and i am mad about being deceived. who can i sue? is there anyway i can help your cause? by the way, at the time of my diagnoses, my weight was 168, i am 5'10" and exercise regularly. my total cholesterol was 180, hdl 44, ldl 120, tri's 80. blood pressure 118/80. everyone who knows me is shocked, including myself.

Whoah!

I was SO jazzed to read the article about your lawsuit on page 3 of the SF

Chronicle this morning! You are my heroes! I am a registered nurse at ----

General and have been reading all the bad publicity about trans fat for a

little over a year and have trained my two children to scan all packages for

the dreaded ingredient.

Keep up the good work! I just wrote this to Fox News, I think you came out looking good despite Neil Cavuto being such an ass.

“Neil Cavuto, Thumbs down with your spot on trans fat, shame on you, you were just trying ‘create’ a confrontation adding ‘made up facts or statements’ and could care less about the truth as you tried to put word in the gentleman’s month. You should be reporting this thing on Trans Fat, instead of some web site having to tell us what is going on. Why aren’t you supporting this effort instead of beating up some guy trying to do some good for us all. I didn’t know it, I am 46 and I read labels. I try to pick the ‘better junk foods’ when I have to choose and missed this in Oreos. Just report, don’t add or sensationalize it.”

Hi!

I just wanted to say BRAVO for your work. When I think of all the Oreo's I've eated in my life I get sick. What Nabisco is doing is taking advantage of people who don't know any better.

I read in this morning's paper that he has dropped the Oreo lawsuit. I have discussed the case with several friends,and we were unaware of trans fat danger and believe it should be labeled... so please tell Steve "Bravo!" because he succeeded in bringing this to consumers' attention!

Hello
Before discovering your Web Site I was aware of the Trans Fats in Foods. But it was only in the last year that I became aware of it. After learning about Trans Fats I began reading almost every label in the grocery store. To my amazement I found Partially Hydrogenated Oils in 90% of the products whose labels I read. What A Shock!!

But I want you to educate consumers about fried foods in Restaurants. Almost all restaurants use a Fry Oil that has been partially hydrogenated. So when a consumer eats fried foods out, there is a very good possibility the food has been fried with on oil that has been partially hydrogenated. I know this because I was a Wholesale Food Service Sales Rep for 16 years. Tell people to demand restaurants to use corn or cottonseed oil to fry with. It will cost the restaurant more money because these oils are more expensive and don't have as long a fry life as a partially hydrogenated oil. But if consumers demand it, restaurants will change.

As for the FDA, all I can say is will they ever get their act together?

Thank You

Great job on getting the word out nation wide. I am a jr. college health teacher and we have been educating our students on trans fats for the past ten years. We teach them to read the ingredients list because as you know it is a hidden fat that the manufacturers do not want us to know about. I am so excited this has become a hot topic of discussion. I am ordering my t-shirt and can't wait to wear it in class. We have changed a lot of students lives on this topic. I guess we needed to sue Nabisco to really get the word out.

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