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Trans fat and hydrogenated fats. . .are they the same?

The FDA requires trans-fats to be listed on Nutrition Facts labels of packaged foods. If the food product has less than 0.5 gram of trans-fat per serving, the label can state that the food is trans-fat free, even if partially hydrogenated oil is an ingredient. The key here is understanding serving size. For example, let's say you are looking at a bag of potato chips that claims to be trans-fat free, but still has partially hydrogenated oil listed as an ingredient. That might be technically true as long as you only eat one serving, but if you eat the whole bag of chips, you will be eating trans fats as well.
Trans-fats are known to raise LDL cholesterol and lower HDL cholesterol (the good kind) so it is a good idea to avoid them. Now that trans-fats are required information on Nutrition Facts Labels, food manufacturers and many restaurants have reformulated their products to reduce or eliminate oils or fats that contain trans-fats.
 
http://www.cspinet.org/new/pdf/trans_q_a.pdf