Trans fat is the common name for a type of unsaturated fat with trans- isomer fatty acid. Trans fats may be monounsaturated or polyunsaturated. Most trans fats consumed today are industrially created by partially hydrogenating plant oils a process developed in the early 1900s and first commercialized as Crisco in 1911. The goal of partial hydrogenation is to add hydrogen atoms to unsaturated fats, making them more saturated. These more...
You're right.
I don't know that I've seen evidence this misleading labeling is at the companies' insistence, though; just thanks to the Food and Drug Administration's labeling decision (which...