The WHO says the dangerous, industrially produced trans fats are present in many formulations of margarine used as spread on bread.
The World Health Organization (WHO) this week recognised four countries for their efforts in eliminating industrially produced trans fats from their food supplies. Kenya was not among them.
While Kenya has Legal Notice No. 115 of 2015 under the Food, Drugs, and Chemical Substances Act (CAP 254), which addresses trans fat regulation, its enforcement remains a challenge due to the lack of specified limits on industrially produced trans fats (iTFAs).
The four
countries that were recognised have implemented best-practice policies alongside effective
monitoring and enforcement mechanisms to promote public health.
They are the Republic of Austria, the Kingdom of Norway, the Sultanate of Oman and the Republic of Singapore.
The WHO validation certificates were officially presented by WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus during the Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly. “Eliminating industrially produced trans fats is one of the most cost-effective strategies to reduce the global burden of cardiovascular diseases. Trans fats are a major contributor to preventable deaths each year, particularly due to their impact on heart health,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, in a statement. “These countries are not only protecting the health of their populations, but also setting an exemplary standard for other countries to follow.”
This recognition marks another significant milestone in the global effort to eliminate trans fats, reflecting not only policy commitments but also the concrete actions being taken to remove trans fat from the food supply.
Trans fat clogs arteries, increasing the risk of heart attacks and coronary heart disease – responsible for over 278 000 deaths each year globally. Trans fat, or trans-fatty acids (TFA), are unsaturated fatty acids that come from either artificial (industrial) or natural sources.
Industrially produced trans fats are often found in many baked goods such as biscuits, pies and fried foods, as well as margarine, vegetable shortening, Vanaspati ghee, among many others. Both industrially produced and naturally occurring trans fats are equally harmful.
Seven years ago, WHO called for the global elimination of industrially produced trans fats.
At that time, only 11 countries covering six per cent of the global population had best-practice trans-fat elimination policies in effect. Today, nearly 60 countries have best-practice policies in effect, covering 46 per cent of the global population.
The WHO validation programme for trans fat elimination recognizes countries that have gone beyond introducing best practice policies by ensuring that rigorous monitoring and enforcement systems in place. Monitoring and enforcing compliance with policies is critical to maximizing and sustaining health benefits.
The Nairobi-based International
Institute for Legislative Affairs (IILA) has been advocating for Kenya to implement mandatory
regulations to eliminate industrially produced trans fats (iTFAs) in foods.
“There is a need to reduce the burden of NCDs. We are advocating for the inclusion of specified limits in the legal notice. As it stands, without these limits, it is not implementable,” says Gideon Ogutu, Programme Officer for Health Governance at the IILA.
ILA is providing strategic support to national efforts in Kenya to implement robust regulatory frameworks on trans-fats, and if proposals by a technical committee are adopted, edible oil manufacturers will be required to limit their fatty acid levels to two grams per 100 grams of the total fat.
Replacing trans fats with healthier oils and fats is a low-cost intervention that yields high economic returns by improving population health, saving lives and reducing healthcare costs. Governments can eliminate the cause of 7% of cardiovascular disease globally with a low-cost investment aimed at reducing or eliminating trans fats from the food supply.
Celine Awuor, CEO of IILA, recently said the two best-practice policies for TFA elimination are mandatory national limit of 2g of industrially produced TFA per 100g of total fat in all foods or a mandatory national ban.
She said Kenya has a national policy commitment to eliminate trans-fatty acids.
“Under the key strategies in pillar two of the NCD strategic plan, Kenya commits to establish national regulatory and fiscal policies to promote healthy diets such as trans-fat regulation, regulation of marketing of unhealthy foods and non-alcoholic drinks to children, fiscal policies on sugar sweetened beverages and front of pack standards,” she said.
