The World Health Organization notes that nearly half of the world's population is currently protected by strict regulations restricting trans fats in food, urging lagging countries to catch up.
In 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a call for countries to eliminate industrially produced fatty acids from food globally by 2023, as there is evidence that industrially produced fatty acids cause 500,000 premature deaths each year. This goal has been postponed until 2025.
Fifty-three countries (46 per cent of the world's population) have now implemented policies to control this harmful substance, significantly improving the food environment for 3.7 billion people, a significant increase from 11 countries (6 per cent) in 2018. WHO estimates that these policies will save about 183,000 lives each year.
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement released on Monday (January 29): "Trans fats (trans fats) have no known health benefits, but there are significant health risks. ”
For the first time, the World Health Organization (WHO) has issued certificates to Denmark, Lithuania, Poland, Saudi Arabia and Thailand, recognizing the progress made by these five countries in eliminating industrially produced trans fatty acids. Each of these countries has demonstrated that they have effectively implemented best practice policies for the elimination of industrially produced trans fatty acids and have adequate monitoring and enforcement systems in place, the United Nations News Centre reported.
Tedros congratulated the five countries on their recognition. "It's one thing to make a policy; Implementing policies is another matter......They are at the forefront of the world in monitoring and implementing trans fat elimination policies. We urge other countries to follow their example. ”
WHO has also published the results of its "replace" initiative to eliminate industrial trans fats over the past five years. While the world has missed the WHO 2018 target of completely eliminating industrially produced trans fats from global food** by the end of 2023, significant progress has been made in all regions of the world. In 2023 alone, seven countries implemented new best practice policies: Egypt, Nigeria, Moldova, North Macedonia, Ukraine, the Philippines, and Mexico.
Trans fatty acids are semi-solid and solid fats and are of two main types**: industrially produced and naturally occurring. Intake of trans fatty acids increases the risk of heart attack and death from heart disease. There are no known health benefits of trans fatty acids, and industrially produced foods that are high in trans fatty acids are often also high in sugar, fat, and salt, such as fried foods, cakes, and ready-to-eat foods.
Tom Frieden, president and CEO of the non-profit health organization Resolve to S**e Lives, said: "Eliminating trans fats is economically, politically and technologically feasible, and lives can be saved at little to no cost to consumers." The presence of this harmful compound is unnecessary. When trans fat is gone, no one will miss it.
"We're winning the battle against trans fats, but countries that don't have regulations in place have the potential to be dumping grounds for trans fatty acid products," Friedon said. It is incumbent upon countries** and the food industry to ensure that this does not happen. ”