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HANCOCK -- Originally promoted for its flavor and preservative nature, trans fat has become notoriously linked to a number of health problems.

Last year the Michigan Health and Hospital Association began a voluntary initiative to eliminate trans fats in hospitals by January 2010.

Portage Health in Hancock is one of 83 hospitals statewide--and one of the first the in the U.P.--to commit to the project.

You might think french fries would be full of trans fats, but as it turns out, it's the microwavable popcorn and the corn beef hash that you want to watch out for.

Even Chef Paul Skinner, the hospital's Director of Nutrition Services, was surprised by the things he learned from studying nutrition labels...a lot of nutrition labels.  From the vending machines to the cafeteria and kitchen, Skinner had to check every single food product for the hospital's trans fat-free transition.

"The common person probably couldn't tell if there was trans fat in a product,” said Skinner.  "That’s why it's important that you look at nutritional information."

When Portage began the process last year, they asked business students from Michigan Tech to help with cost analysis.

"We looked at the different suppliers and how they might be able to meet the trans fat reduction and looked at the dietary aspect and also looked at what change would be needed in the kitchen as well as inventory management," said Associate Professor Dana Johnson.

While Skinner said getting rid of trans fats is more expensive, the hospital was more than willing to spend extra money on healthier food.

"Some of the products we basically just eliminated if we couldn't find a substitute from a manufacturer,” Skinner said.  “We just completely eliminated it and then we made it ourselves."

According to the FDA, ingredients with less than a half gram of trans fat are consider trans fat-free.