The World Health Organization (WHO) released a new status report that revealed that five billion people globally remain unprotected from harmful trans fat, increasing their risk of heart disease and death.
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“Since WHO first called for the global elimination of industrially produced trans fat in 2018 — with an elimination target set for 2023 — population coverage of best-practice policies has increased almost six-fold. Forty three countries have now implemented best-practice policies for tackling trans fat in food, with 2.8 billion people protected globally.
"Despite substantial progress, however, this still leaves 5 billion worldwide at risk from trans fat’s devastating health impacts with the global goal for its total elimination in 2023 remaining unattainable at this time,†the global health agency stated.
Industrially produced trans fat is commonly found in packaged foods, baked goods, cooking oils and spreads. According to WHO, trans fat intake is responsible for up to 500 000 premature deaths from coronary heart disease each year around the world.
“Trans fat has no known benefit, and huge health risks that incur huge costs for health systems. By contrast, eliminating trans fat is cost effective and has enormous benefits for health.
"Put simply, trans fat is a toxic chemical that kills, and should have no place in food. It’s time to get rid of it once and for all,†said WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a statement.
Currently, 9 of the 16 countries with the highest estimated proportion of coronary heart disease deaths caused by trans fat intake do not have a best-practice policy. They are Australia, Azerbaijan, Bhutan, Ecuador, Egypt, Iran, Nepal, Pakistan and Republic of Korea.
Best-practices in trans fat elimination policies follow specific criteria established by WHO and limit industrially produced trans fat in all settings
There are two best-practice policy alternatives: A mandatory national limit of 2 grams of industrially produced trans fat per 100 grams of total fat in all foods; and mandatory national ban on the production or use of partially hydrogenated oils (a major source of trans fat) as an ingredient in all foods.
While most trans fat elimination policies to date have been implemented in higher-income countries (largely in the Americas and in Europe), an increasing number of middle-income countries are implementing or adopting these policies, including Argentina, Bangladesh, India, Paraguay, the Philippines and Ukraine, WHO found.
Best-practice policies are also being considered in Mexico, Nigeria and Sri Lanka in 2023. If passed, Nigeria would be the second and most populous country in Africa to put a best-practice trans fat elimination policy in place.
No low-income countries have yet adopted a best-practice policy to eliminate trans fat.
In 2023, WHO recommends that countries focus on these four areas: adopting best-practice policy, monitoring and surveillance, healthy oil replacements and advocacy. WHO guidance has been developed to help countries make rapid advances in these areas.
Major suppliers of oils and fats are asked to remove industrially produced trans fat from the products sold to food manufacturers globally, the global health agency revealed. ■