Dr Kaye said: "Up to 2,000 Australians die needlessly each year because of exposure to trans fats in their diet.
 
"Denmark has banned the artificially produced fat, and California and Canada are moving towards restrictions that will lead to eradication.
 
"Kogarah and Gosford Councils have effectively banned its use in new food outlets.
 
"For years the Iemma government has ignored international trends and exposed the community to needless increases in the risk of heart disease.
 
"Australian consumers are being left to the mercy of the food corporations. Community health is being sacrificed to prop up the dogma of self regulation, while heart disease claims thousands of unsuspecting victims each year.
 
"The Greens have introduced a Food Amendment (Trans Fatty Acids Eradication) Bill 2008.
 
"The Bill would require labelling of all packaged foods containing tans fats, leading to a subsequent ban in NSW. It also compels Food Minister Ian Macdonald and Health Minister Reba Meagher to work through Food Safety Authority of Australian and New Zealand to ban trans fats throughout the nation.
 
"Trans fats have no nutritional value. They massively increase the incidence of coronary heart disease and yet there are healthy substitutes. There is no safe level of consumption.
 
"A 2007 University of Oxford study found that a 2 percent increase in energy intake from trans fatty acids leads to a 23 percent increase in coronary heart disease.
 
"It is time for public health imperatives to overcome the power of the restaurant and fats food lobbies," Dr Kaye said.
 
Trans fats are manufactured by heating oils under pressure. They are used in some supermarket baked goods, fast food frying and confectionary lines.
 
For more information: John Kaye 0407 195 455