Trans fat began as an Industrial Age breakthrough but evolved into a modern-day menace, offering a history in miniature of the food industry.

反式脂肪最初曾是工业时代的一项突破性发明创造，但后来逐渐演变为现代社会中的一大威胁，反式脂肪可以说是食品行业历史的一个缩影。

When created in the early 1900s, trans fat was the first man-made fat to join America's food supply, according to the American Heart Association. Procter & Gamble Co. took advantage of the cheaper alternative to animal fat, introducing Crisco vegetable shortening. Others soon followed.

反式脂肪是上世纪初被创造出来的，据美国心脏协会(American Heart Association)说，它是种进入美国食品供应的人造脂肪。保洁公司(Procter & Gamble Co.)利用这种更廉价的动物脂肪替代品，推出了Crisco蔬菜起酥油。其他公司很快争相效仿。

The invention gave rise to the popularity of margarine, which got a boost from butter rationing during World War II. A few decades later, concern rose about saturated fat in animal products such as beef and butter. Margarine was promoted as a healthier alternative, and food makers switched to partially hydrogenated vegetable oil containing trans fat.

反式脂肪的发明使人造黄油风行起来，二战期间黄油配给制度推动了人造黄油的使用。几十年后，人们开始担心牛肉和黄油等动物产品中的饱和脂肪。人造黄油被宣传为一种更加健康的替代品，食品生产商们纷纷改用含有反式脂肪的部分氢化蔬菜油。

But the tide turned with a surgeon general's report in 1990 that publicized the harmful effects of trans fat. It was a classic case of food-advice whiplash, as the previously demonized butter turned out to be not so bad by comparison.

但1990年美国一位卫生局局长的报告公布了反式脂肪的害处，反式脂肪的命运随之逆转。这是食品建议给产品造成打击的一个典型案例，后来发现这种之前被妖魔化的黄油相比之下其实并不是那么有害。

From that time on, trans fat was on a downward slope, but some food makers found it difficult to wean themselves from it without sacrificing taste or shelf life.

从那时起，反式脂肪就走上了下坡路，但一些食品生产商发现很难戒除反式脂肪，因为若不使用反式脂肪，食品的口味或保质期就会打折扣。

When McDonald's Corp. announced in 2002 it would try to reduce the trans fat in its fries, people flooded its customer-service line with complaints about how the fries tasted -- even though nothing had yet changed. So when the company later began testing new oils, it didn't tell consumers.

2002年麦当劳(McDonald's Corp.)宣布将尝试减少薯条中反式脂肪的使用，当时顾客把麦当劳的客服电话都打爆了，大家纷纷抱怨薯条味道大不如前──尽管当时薯条的炸制用油还未发生任何变化。有了这样的前车之鉴，麦当劳后来开始试用新油时，没有告知消费者。

Some noticed nonetheless. After testing a new oil in Los Angeles, McDonald's received complaints that its fries were coming out covered in a milky residue and turned soggy quickly. The fast-food giant did more testing before arriving at an oil that produced crispy, golden fries. The company didn't announce that its fries nationwide were free of trans fat until well after they already were in restaurants.

不过仍有人注意到了。麦当劳在洛杉矶试用了一种新油，之后就接到了投诉，有人说薯条包裹着一层乳白色的残留物，很快就变得软趴趴。这家快餐巨头进行了更多的尝试，之后终于找到了一种能炸制出脆脆的金黄色薯条的油。直到麦当劳餐厅使用新油炸制薯条后很久，该公司才宣布其在全美各地提供的薯条不含反式脂肪。

Kraft Foods likewise was stealthy when it rolled out trans fat-free Oreos in 2006. The reformulated cookies quietly hit store shelves with no indication beyond the required disclosure on the Nutrition Facts label.

同样，2006年卡夫食品(Kraft Foods)推出不含反式脂肪的奥利奥饼干时，也没有声张。配方经过调整的奥利奥饼干悄然上市，除按要求在标签的营养成分表中注明成分外，并没有额外的标注。

By the mid-2000s, consumer concern had risen enough that any use of trans fat risked a corporation's image, said Harry Balzer, a food analyst with NPD Group.

NPD Group食品分析师鲍尔泽(Harry Balzer)说，2005年前，消费者的担忧上升到了相当严重的程度，任何使用反式脂肪的做法都可能令企业的形象受损。

The Center for Science in the Public Interest took advantage of public opinion in July after discovering high levels of trans fat in food at some Long John Silver's restaurants. The chain's 'Big Catch' meal -- fish, hush puppies and onion rings, all fried -- contained 33 grams of trans fat, the center said, based on the chain's own nutrition disclosures.

公共利益科学中心(Center for Science in the Public)发现Long John Silver部分餐厅提供的食品中反式脂肪含量很高，之后在今年7月利用了舆论的力量。该中心说，根据该连锁餐厅披露的营养成分信息，其“Big Catch”套餐──由鱼、油炸玉米饼和洋葱圈组成，全部都是油炸的──含有33克反式脂肪。

The center issued a news release calling it the worst restaurant meal in America. Long John Silver's said it would get rid of trans fat in all of its U.S. restaurants by the end of the year.

该中心发布了一份新闻稿，称这是美国最糟糕的餐厅套餐。Long John Silver说，其在美国的全部餐厅将在年底前停止使用反式脂肪。