HCMC has taken trans fat off menu

For years, people have joked about what's in their hospital food. Now, they have one less thing to worry about at Hennepin County Medical Center.

For the first time, "trans fat" has been wiped off the hospital menu.

HCMC says it's the first hospital in the Twin Cities to go completely "trans-fat free" -- eliminating or replacing 130 items, from cookies to snacks to refried beans, from its cafeterias and room service.

Yet other hospitals, too, have joined the growing national movement to shun trans fats because of the link to heart disease and obesity.

Bill Marks, the food service manager at HCMC, said the hospital set out six months ago to rid itself of trans fats, which are widely used in fried foods, baked goods and other products to enhance taste and shelf life.

By Wednesday morning, everything from pastries to potato chips passed the test, Marks said.

HCMC may be on the leading edge of a trend, but it's not alone. A spokesman for the University of Minnesota Medical Center-Fairview says "we went trans-fat free two years ago." And Allina Hospitals & Clinics says its 11 hospitals eliminated most trans fat from its food service last year. It doesn't claim 100 percent success, says Allina spokeswoman Gloria O'Connell, "but we're pretty darn close."

For hospitals, though, it's becoming a matter of pride. If trans fats are so unhealthy, why would they still use them?

Trans fats are produced by adding hydrogen to liquid vegetable oil, to make them solid. But scientists have found that they contribute to heart disease and high cholesterol.

At HCMC, food managers began struggling with the problem last year, Marks said. Out of some 900 products, about 130 were made with trans fat -- fewer than they thought.

"About half of those products were very easy to eliminate," he said. "The real challenge we had was with our bakery." When the supplier wouldn't change, the hospital switched bakeries. The chefs also tweaked some recipes to compensate for the change. "Some of those products frankly are a little drier," Marks admits, so they use alternatives such as applesauce to add moisture. Some products also cost more, but only "pennies more," he added.

The last of the new foods debuted Wednesday morning.