WHO Asks Governments to Remain Focused on Eliminating Trans Fats from the Food Supply

WHO wants the world to be trans fats free by 2023 and calls on governments around the world to stay focused in efforts to eliminate trans fats.  Covid-19 should not be allowed to overshadow action on trans fats, WHO argues. Two years into this effort, the WHO’s second progress report revealed substantial progress has been made to remove trans fats from the food supply.

WHO said, a total 58 countries have introduced laws that will protect more than 3 billion people from industrially produced trans fats by end of 2021. However, more than 100 countries have not taken action to eliminate trans fats from the national food supplies. Consumption of industrially produced trans fats has been linked to around 500,000 deaths per year due to coronary heart disease. WHO recommends trans fats intake be limited to less than 1% of total energy intake which translates to less than 2.2 g/day with a 2,000-calorie diet.   

To achieve world free trans fats by 2023,  WHO recommends that countries: (1) develop and implement best-practice policies to set mandatory limits for industrially produced trans fats to 2% of oils and fats in all foods or ban partially hydrogenated oils (PHO), (2) invest in monitoring  mechanisms, e.g. lab capacity to measure and monitor trans fats in foods, and (3) advocate for regional or sub-regional regulations to expand the benefits of trans fats policies.