Though beloved for their flavor, enticing foods like cookies, pizza, and cake harbor a hidden danger: industrially produced transfats. Beyond their high sugar, salt, and fat content, these foods contribute to nearly 300,000 deaths annually from coronary heart disease worldwide due to these deadly additives. Originally developed as a butter substitute in the early 20th century and later used to extend food shelf life, industrially produced transfats pose serious health risks with no safe consumption level. Fortunately, healthier alternatives exist that do not compromise taste or increase production costs, presenting a significant opportunity to save lives.
WHO’s Transfat Elimination Efforts Protect
Six years ago, the WHO urged countries and the food industry to eliminate transfat. Back then, fewer than one in 10 people worldwide were protected. Today, covering nearly four billion people worldwide, 53 Countries have adopted WHO-recommended policies, shielding almost half of the global population from this health hazard.
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Countries like Denmark, Lithuania, Poland, Saudi Arabia, and Thailand have been praised by the WHO for achieving transfat-free status through robust monitoring and enforcement. These efforts promise lasting health benefits.
Exemplary Countries recognized for achieving trans-fat-free status:
- Denmark,
- Lithuania,
- Poland,
- Saudi Arabia, and
- Thailand
However, over four billion people still lack protection against transfat. Most deaths linked to this toxic substance occur in eight countries, mainly in Africa and the Asia Pacific. Implementing best-practice policies in these regions could prevent up to 90% of global transfat-related deaths.
As global restrictions tighten, banned products might flood markets with weaker regulations, underscoring the need for universal stringent policies. Regardless of economic status, all countries can safeguard their populations by implementing robust transfat regulations. Studies from Argentina, Kenya, Nigeria, the UK, the US, and the EU show that industrially produced transfats can be replaced with healthier alternatives without affecting food cost, taste, or availability.
A Major Risk for Heart Disease
Countries that have successfully implemented best-practice transfat policies can be pivotal in guiding others through knowledge sharing and technical assistance. It is incumbent upon food manufacturers, particularly national and global conglomerates that have long benefited from transfat-laden products, to prioritize investments in healthier alternatives for consumer safety.
Three critical actions are essential to achieving a transfat-free world:
Firstly, governments worldwide must enact policies aligning with WHO guidelines, including setting a national limit of 2 grams of industrially produced transfat per 100 grams of total fat in all food products, and mandating a national prohibition on the use of partially hydrogenated oils—an eminent source of artificial transfat—in food production.
Secondly, governments must ensure rigorous monitoring and enforcement of these limits and bans. To bolster these efforts, WHO has introduced the Transfat-Free Validation Program, akin to validating countries for eliminating diseases like malaria or neglected tropical diseases.
Thirdly, the food industry must comply with WHO directives by replacing transfat with healthier alternatives and minimizing other fats linked to cardiovascular risks, such as saturated fats. Companies should refrain from selling transfat containing products in markets lacking adequate regulatory frameworks. Several major food manufacturers and ingredient producers have taken positive steps in this direction, setting an example for others to follow.
The global drive to eliminate industrially produced transfat represents an unprecedented effort to eliminate a significant dietary risk factor for heart disease. With clear knowledge of what needs to be done, how it can be achieved, and evidence of its efficacy, the world has made substantial strides forward.
Points to know MUST!
- 53 Countries adopted WHO policies
- Who Policy to protect nearly 4 billion people (46% of global population).
- Over 4 billion lack protection against trans fats;
- Most deaths in 8 countries.
- Best-practice policies could prevent up to 90% of global trans fat deaths.
- Highest burdens in WHO’s African and Western Pacific Regions.
Over Four Billion Still at Risk from Industrially Produced Transfats
A groundbreaking report from the UN World Health Organization reveals that as of last year, 53 countries have successfully implemented best-practice policies to combat industrial transfats in food, significantly improving the food safety landscape for 3.7 billion people—equating to 46% of the global population. This marks a substantial leap from the mere 6% coverage, representing less than half a billion people, recorded in 2018 when WHO first set the ambitious target to eradicate transfats from the global food supply by 2023.
Transfats, scientifically known as trans-fatty acids, are notorious for clogging arteries and significantly increasing the risk of heart attacks and fatalities. Cardiovascular diseases stand as the foremost cause of global mortality, attributing over 278,000 deaths annually to the consumption of industrially produced transfats.
The recent advancements are projected to potentially save around 183,000 lives each year. However, disparities persist, with the highest burden remaining concentrated in WHO’s African and Western Pacific Regions. The report outlines national efforts to ban this hazardous chemical and offers strategic recommendations to expedite global transfat elimination.
In 2023 alone, seven countries—Egypt, Mexico, Nigeria, North Macedonia, the Philippines, the Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine—implemented new best-practice policies.
Countries that Implemented new best-practice policies:
- Egypt,
- Mexico,
- Nigeria,
- North Macedonia,
- Philippines,
- Republic of Moldova, and
- Ukraine.
Despite these promising developments, progress remains uneven. More than four billion individuals worldwide remain vulnerable to this toxic chemical, primarily in WHO’s African and Western Pacific Regions.
No Safe Level of Transfat, WHO Warns
Implementing WHO’s best-practice policies in just eight additional countries could eradicate 90% of global deaths attributed to this hazardous ingredient. This initiative has effectively removed a significant health risk for at least 3.7 billion people, encompassing 46% of the world’s population.
These policies are projected to save 183,000 lives annually. Five years ago, only 6% of the global population benefited from similar protective measures against this toxic additive. Transfats, formed by hydrogenating vegetable oils to solidify them at room temperature, pose severe health risks.
With nearly half of the global population now safeguarded, it is anticipated that millions of deaths will be averted in the coming decades. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic causing disruptions and extending the original 2023 deadline to 2025 for global transfat elimination, significant progress is evident.
According to published estimates, global elimination could prevent about 17.5 million deaths over 25 years. Highlighting the urgency and efficacy of the initiative, health officials stress that no amount of transfat is safe, citing its association with a 34% higher risk of death from any cause and a 28% increased risk of coronary heart disease.
