Health officials launch ambitious plan to rid the world of trans fats

In an effort to save half a million lives each year, the World Health Organization on Monday urged developing nations to follow the lead of affluent countries and eliminate man-made trans fatty acids from their food supplies.

By taking six specific steps, officials from the United Nations' health agency said countries could reduce a tidal wave of heart disease and strokes that results in more than 500,000 deaths annually.

"Trans fat is an unnecessary toxic chemical that kills, and there's no reason people around the world should continue to be exposed" to it, said Dr. Tom