Obama administration cracking down on trans fats, tells food industry to phase them out

The Obama administration is cracking down on artificial trans fats, calling them a threat to public health.

The Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday that it will require food companies to phase them out almost entirely. Consumers aren't likely to notice much of a difference in their favorite foods, but the administration says the move will prevent thousands of fatal heart attacks every year.

To phase the fats out, the FDA is determining that artificial trans fats no longer fall in the agency's "generally recognized as safe" category. That means companies would have to petition the agency to add trans fats to foods.

Companies will have three years to phase out the fats or petition the FDA to use them. Many companies have already gotten rid of them.