Why did restaurants replace lard and tallow with trans-fat-based products in the 1980s?

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Trans fat Commercially manufactured foods, including cookies, doughnuts, and muffins, often contain trans fats.

In the 1980s, restaurants and food manufacturers shifted from using tallow and lard to trans-fat-based products primarily because these alternatives were perceived to be healthier.1

During that period, a strong scientific consensus emerged linking the high intake of saturated fat—which is abundant in animal fats like lard and tallow—to an increased risk of heart disease. Consequently, the industry moved toward trans-fat-based products, which offered similar smoke points and performance characteristics while being marketed and viewed as a more heart-healthy option at the time.1

It was only in the 1990s that subsequent research revealed trans fats actually posed a higher risk for cardiovascular disease than the saturated fats they had replaced.1