In keeping with the WHO plan to eliminate industrially-produced trans fat from the global food supply by 2023, India on Friday launched "Heart Attack Rewind" campaign aiming to do away with the 'bad cholesterol' from the food supply by 2022, a year ahead of the global target.
The current permitted level of industrially-produced trans fat is 5 per cent in India which has to be cut down to 2 per cent by weight to make the country trans-fat free. Trans fats are known to increase the risk of coronary artery heart disease and stroke.
"We are in discussions with the industry to persuade them to reduce the amount of trans fatty acids in edible oil," said Pawan Kumar Agarwal, chief executive officer of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India.
He said, the food regulator will reducing the industrially produced trans fatty acids to less than 2 per cent by the year 2022 in a phased manner. We hope that our media campaign will educate consumers about the harmful effects and its link to cardiovascular diseases.
"Heart Attack Rewind" warns citizens about the health hazards of consuming trans fat and offers strategies to avoid them through healthier alternatives. The campaign was developed by experts at Vital Strategies.
According to health experts, regular consumption of TFAs, even in small amounts, can be risky to one's health. In particular, the unsaturated fatty acids have a unique cardio metabolic imprint that is linked to insulin-resistance and metabolic-syndrome pathways.
Dr. Nandita Murukutla from Vital Strategies said, "Trans fats have no known health benefits, and put Indians at risk for cardiovascular disease and other health issues. Healthier alternatives can be used without changing the taste or cost of food. Regulatory measures paired with strategic, large-scale mass media campaigns can help reduce the growing menace of trans fat in India."
Globally, trans fat intake leads to more than 500,000 deaths of people from cardiovascular disease every. Trans fat are made by adding hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils to make them more solid, and to increase the shelf life of foods. There are largely present in Vanaspati, margarine and bakery shortenings, and can be found in baked and fried foods.
In May 2018, WHO launched a comprehensive plan to eliminate industrially-produced trans fat from the global food supply by 2023. It provides a roadmap about how countries can remove and replace all trans fat from their food supplies with the intention to eradicate it from the globe.