TRANSFAT

This is inexpensive and less likely to spoil, which provides a longer shelf life for food made with it. This is the reason transfat became part of the Food Industry. 

Hello readers!! As the boycott trend is going on for Bollywood I got an idea why not to boycott transfat from our food. This article is all about awareness of the food we consume and its ingredients.

Origin of transfat

Most transfats are formed through an industrial process, in which producers add hydrogen to vegetable oil which causes the oil to become solid at room temperature (Dalda is transfat). 

This partially hydrogenated oil is inexpensive and less likely to spoil, which provides a longer shelf life to food made with it. This is the reason transfat became part of the Food Industry. 

The first food product developed that contained transfat was Crisco vegetable shortening introduced in 1911 by the Proctor and Gamble company. 

The major use of transfat was evident in the production of margarine which was used in place of butter when the latter was rationed during World War 2. 

In the following decades, the use of hydrogen to stabilize the shelf life of food products grew rapidly. By 1980, many food manufacturers and restaurants started using transfat. 

Effects of transfat on health 

Transfat has an unhealthy effect on cholesterol levels. There are two main types of cholesterol:

1. Bad cholesterol which is also known as low-density lipoprotein (LDL), can build up in the walls of arteries making them hard and narrow. 

2. Good cholesterol is also known as high-density lipoprotein (HDL) which picks up excess cholesterol and takes it back to the liver. 

Transfat increases bad cholesterol and decreases good cholesterol. Increased LDL level results in the accumulation of fat in blood vessels which can lead to atherosclerosis, heart attack or stroke.

Challenges to eliminating transfat

• lack of awareness is a major challenge to eliminate transfats apart from lack of capacity of small and medium food producers to replace transfats. 

• Transfat intake data is limited, particularly in Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, and Eastern Mediterranean regions. 

• Heterogeneity of transfat intake data due to different Sampling and assessment method also make data comparison between countries and reasons challenging. 

Measures taken in India. 

Food safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has been created for laying down science-based standards for articles of food and to regulate their manufacture, storage, distribution, and import to ensure the availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption.

FSSAI is working for the elimination of industrially produced transfat in the food supply in India by the year 2022, the year ahead of the global target by the WHO for the complete elimination of trans-fat by 2023. 

To achieve the target the FSSAI launched 2 initiatives

1. Eat right movement: build on 2 broad pillars of "eat healthily" and "eat safe" it aims to cut down on salt, sugar, and oil consumption by 30% in 3 years by educating customers. 

2. Heart Attack rewind campaign: warn citizens about the health hazard of consuming transfats and offer strategies to avoid them through healthier alternatives. 

Measures taken globally

WHO launched a comprehensive plan to eliminate industrially-produced artificial transfats from the Global food supply by 2023 called REPLACE. 

As per Count down to 2023: Global transfats elimination 2020 report:

A.In September 2020, WHO released a progress report on trans fat elimination as per the reports 58 countries so far have introduced a law that will protect 3.2 billion people from harmful substances by the end of 2021.  

B.15 countries account for approximately two third of the worldwide deaths

• Of these 4 (Canada, Latvia, Slovenia, United States of America) have implemented WHO recommended best practice policies, either by setting mandatory limits for industrially produced transfats to 2% of oils and fats in all foods or banning partially hydrogenated oils. 

• But the remaining 11 countries (Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Ecuador, Egypt, India, Iran, Mexico, Nepal, Pakistan, Republic of Korea) still need to take urgent action. 

Way forward

• While making regulations regarding transfats we should take into account the concern of small and medium food producers, for example through proper transition periods, technical support and knowledge transfer. 

• Promote the development of supplies of more healthful alternatives of transfat, for example, natural unsaturated oil. 

• Civil society organisations and NGOs should play an important role in creating awareness and providing support in monitoring the implementation of regulations. 

-Bhavna Geed.