Call for trans-fat-free food regulations getting louder

Different organisations and safe food activists have urged the authorities concerned to formulate regulations for trans-fat free safe food with a view to reducing deaths from trans-fat related coronary heart diseases.

They came up with the call at a virtual human chain on Saturday, marking the World Food Day 2021, a press release said.

PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress), National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh, and Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) staged the human chain, in association with Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI), urging to immediately finalise the “Limiting Trans Fatty Acid in Food Stuffs Regulations 2021”.

Participants, including civil society organisations - Bangladesh Society for Safe Food (BSSF), Bangladesh Public Health Nutrition Association (BDPHNA), Food Organization, Bangladesh (FOB) as well as multi-sectoral professionals, public health and safe food activists, and people of all ages, took the social networking site Facebook to showcase pictures of them holding placards, festoons and posters in support of the demand.

Presence of industrially produced trans-fat in food causes increased risks of heart diseases and related premature deaths, read the release.

Almost half a million people die globally from trans-fat-induced coronary heart diseases each year.

Bangladesh ranks among the 15 countries with the highest burden of coronary heart disease deaths related to trans-fat.

The World Health Organization has set the target of eliminating trans-fat from the global food supply chain by 2023 and the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority is putting up efforts to formulate regulations to meet that target.

Participating in the human chain, Dr Sohel Reza Chowdhury, professor at the Department of Epidemiology and Research, National Heart Foundation Hospital and Research Institute, said, “There is an increased prevalence of cardiovascular diseases among youths. Intake of trans-fat-laden food is a major factor behind it.

“As so, in order to reduce risks of cardiovascular diseases, there is no alternative to eliminating trans-fat from food.”

PROGGA Executive Director ABM Zubair said, “We have come to know that the regulation on limiting trans-fat has completed its required vetting procedure and is waiting to be finalised.