MPOC - Push to Declare Trans-Fat on Food Labels

PUSH TO DECLARE TRANS-FAT ON FOOD LABELS
Adapted from United States Department of Health Human Services.
News Release, July 9, 2003.

It has taken 100 years to recognize – and start undoing – the harm being caused by human consumption of transfatty acids (TFA), also known as trans fat, but beginning 2003 has become a
landmark year in global food manufacturing history. Canada imposed mandatory nutrition labelling of TFA in pre-packaged foods effective from 1 Jan, 2003. Health Canada which made the
decision, anticipates that the move will encourage consumers to make dietary changes to reduce TFA consumption. In March 2003, Denmark enacted regulations to limit the level of industrially-produced TFA, becoming the first country in Europe to do so.

The limits were extended to all foods from 1 June 2003 with laws being applicable to both domestically produced and imported items. Under the Danish regulations, oils and fats containing more than 2% TFA are prohibited from being sold. The authority has agreed to a transitional level of 5% TFA in oils and fats used as ingredients in manufactured food. However, by 31 Dec 2003 this will be reduced to 2%.

Earlier in March 2003, the World Health Organisation (WHO) had documented for the first time in its publication- “Diet, nutrition and the prevention of chronic diseases”, that TFA are in fact worse than the LDL-raising saturated fatty acids (SFA). It was recommended that the TFA in the diet should not be more than 1% of energy (about 2 to 3 grams TFA/ day).

On 9 July 2003, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that all food labels would have to state TFA levels by 1 Jan 2006. The push for this new FDA labelling requirement is therefore timely, particularly when it has been reported that Americans habitually consume about 2.5 % energy TFA daily (about 7 g/day)!

Malaysians may wish to know that in a recent amendment to the Malaysian Food Regulations gazetted on 31 March 2003, TFA need to be declared on product labels only if a nutrient content claim is made for TFA, saturated fatty acid (SFA), monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA), or polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA). However, there is an urgent need to have an official definition for TFA and both Codex and the national authority concerned are currently addressing this issue.