Trans fats: They threaten 5 billion people worldwide

A new report by the World Health Organization states that 5 billion people worldwide remain at risk of cardiovascular disease and death due to unprotected exposure to trans fatty acids. In 2018, the WHO called for a global restriction of processed trans fats in foods with the goal of eliminating them by 2023. Since then, efforts to reduce trans fats in food have increased, with 43 countries now enforcing best practice policies to reduce trans fats, protecting 2.8 billion people worldwide. Despite this progress, the goal of eliminating trans fats by 2023 remains unattainable for the time being for the remaining 5 billion people at risk.

Industrially produced trans fats, also known as trans fatty acids, are commonly found in packaged foods, pastries, cooking oils, and spreads. These fats have been linked to up to 500,000 premature deaths from coronary heart disease globally each year. WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus states, “Trans fats have no known benefit and pose significant health risks, incurring large costs for health systems. Eliminating trans fats is cost-effective and provides significant health benefits. They are a toxic chemical with no place in food and it’s time to get rid of them permanently.”

Currently, nine of the sixteen countries with the highest rates of cardiac deaths attributed to trans fatty acid intake do not have policies in place to reduce them. These countries are Australia, Azerbaijan, Bhutan, Ecuador, Egypt, Iran, Nepal, Pakistan, and South Korea. To reduce trans fats, best practice policies, as set by the WHO, limit industrially produced trans fats. There are two main best practice policies: (1) a mandatory national limit of 2 grams of industrially produced trans fats per 100 grams of total fat in all foods, and (2) a mandatory national ban on the production or use of partially hydrogenated oils, which is the main source of trans fats, as an ingredient in all foods.

“Progress in eliminating trans fats is lagging behind, and these fats are still killing people,” said Dr. Tom Frieden, President and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives, adding, “Every government can stop these preventable deaths by now adopting a policy of best practices. The days when trans fats kill people are numbered — but governments must act to end this avoidable tragedy.”

Currently, policies to reduce trans fats in food are primarily implemented in higher-income countries such as North America and Europe. However, an increasing number of middle-income countries, such as Argentina, Bangladesh, India, Paraguay, the Philippines, and Ukraine, are also implementing these practices.

In 2023, the WHO has recommended that countries prioritize four key areas: implementing best practice policies, tracking and monitoring progress, replacing trans fats with healthy oils, and promoting their use. The WHO is also urging food manufacturers to eliminate industrially produced trans fats from their products, in line with the pledge made by the International Food and Beverage Alliance (IFBA). Major oil and fat suppliers are being urged to remove industrially produced trans fats from the products they sell to food manufacturers globally.

The WHO report, Countdown to 2023 – WHO report on global trans fat elimination 2022 (Countdown to 2023 – WHO Report on the Global Elimination of Trans Fats 2022), is published annually by the WHO in collaboration with Resolve to Save Lives, to monitor progress towards the goal of eliminating trans fats from the diet.