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Margarine producers haven't adequately lowered their high levels of artery-clogging trans fats, according to a Health Canada task force.

The task force, a partnership between Health Canada and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, said that while numerous fast-food restaurants have cut trans fats sharply, many margarine producers have resisted change.

The figures come from the task force's second round of testing of leading-brand prepackaged foods such as cookies, fries and frozen pizzas, as well as foods from selected restaurants. The goal is for companies to eliminate trans fats in foods by the end of the two-year monitoring period. If levels are not brought to acceptable standards, the government has indicated it will bring in more stringent regulations.

“We've made some progress at the halfway point,” said Dr. Marco Di Buono, director of research for the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario. “But there's still a long way to go in a lot of areas.”

The testing shows that many soft margarine producers haven't lowered the level of trans fats. Hard margarines, used as a substitute for lard in baking, continue to remain an issue across all brands, Dr. Di Buono said.

Trans fats, which are typically cheaper than other oils, have become a dominant ingredient for many restaurants and food manufacturers in recent decades because they provide a rich texture and long shelf life. Health organizations and advocacy groups have led a major campaign against trans fats, which have been linked to elevated unhealthy cholesterol levels and increased risks of coronary heart disease.

In 2006, the federal task force recommended that trans fats make up no more than 5 per cent of total fat content in all foods, including restaurant servings. A two-per-cent limit applied to edible oils and spreadable margarines.

But the amount of trans fat in some soft margarine brands remains well above the recommended two per cent of total fat content. Golden Gate Soya Oil margarine, for instance, contains 15.1 per cent trans fat. Chefmaster margarine, made by Innovative Foods, contains 14.8 per cent, a reduction of only 4 per cent from the last study in March 2005. Loblaws' No Name margarine contains 17.8 per cent trans fat.

Most other margarines that decreased their trans fat levels increased the per cent of saturated fats in their total fat content, which is only a slightly better alternative, Dr. Di Buono said.

“Switching to saturated fats is fine as an interim solution,” Dr. Di Buono said. “But we'd like to see other alternatives used.”

Reducing the amount of trans fat in margarine is a simple process, said Sean McPhee, the president of the Vegetable Oil Industry of Canada. Instead of creating margarine through hydrogenation, an industrial process in which liquid oils are turned into semi-solid fats, margarine producers have to introduce a small quantity of another oil, such as palm oil, that will give the required solidity but better health properties.

“There's just no excuse for this,” said Mr. McPhee. “The tools are there for the industry to go trans fat free but some producers just haven't taken that next step.”

But the process of switching to non-trans fat margarine takes time, said Michel Lafortune, president of Golden Gate Margarine. He said his company has plans to switch over all their margarines in the fall.

“The population was used to the taste of trans fats for many years,” he said. “These changes can't happen over night.”

The federal study also showed that many popular fast food chains have reduced the amount of trans fats in their foods. Last year, Burger King gained the dubious distinction of having the highest levels of trans fats in its French fries, chicken nuggets and other meals compared with its fast-food peers.

In the new results, Burger King made huge cuts to trans fats in many categories after they eliminated trans fat in their cooking oil. Burger King's French fries, for instance, used to contain 22-per-cent fat, of which more than one-third was trans fat. Now, they contain 12 per cent fat with less than one-quarter of that made up of trans fat.

The baked goods sector and doughnut-makers remain a challenge, with only a few pastry manufacturers making strides to reduce trans fat in their products, Dr. Di Buono said. Dunkin' Donuts chocolate glazed doughnut, for instance, still contains 56 per cent trans fat.

“We will decide by next year, when the final results are in, if adequate progress is being made,” he said. “Then we'll decide whether we have to lobby for more stringent measures.”