If you''re a food-label reader, you may have already noticed two new additions to the information listed on your favorite box of cookies or crackers. Since Jan. 1, food manufacturers have been required by law to list the amount of trans fat in their products and whether they contain any one of eight ingredients that might trigger a food allergy.

Trans-fat information was added because it''s been found to raise LDL, or bad cholesterol, which can lead to an increased risk of heart disease.

Trans fat is created when a liquid oil is changed into a solid fat. It makes food taste good and extends its shelf life, so trans fat is often found in cookies, crackers, baked goods and frozen dinners.

Experts have no specific recommendation regarding how much trans fat can safely be consumed each day. But on a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet, nutritionists recommend limiting your fat to 30 percent of calories consumed. That''s about 600 calories from fat a day.

Natalie Allen is a registered dietitian at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. She has a warning about food labels that now proclaim themselves to be "trans-fat free."

"People think that if it says trans-fat free it''s an eat-as-much-as-you-want kind of thing, and that''s not necessarily the case. So that''s a myth we want to make sure to help people realize: You need to look at all of the fats," Allen said.

As for the information on food allergies, the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act says any food product that contains milk, egg, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy or wheat must now carry a specific warning on the label.

Keep in mind not all foods carry labels. Raw vegetables and many meat and poultry products are exempt; so is anything you buy that''s placed in a wrapper or container, including what you may purchase at the deli counter. And restaurants are not required to conform to the law.