WHO Calls For Ban On Trans Fats

By Chad Bouchard

Posted May 18, 2018

Trans fats used in junk food, baked goods and fried items have been linked to hundreds of thousands of deaths around the globe, according to the WHO. In India, a product made from palm oil known as “vegetable ghee,” or vanaspati, is often used for frying street snacks. (Damien Naidoo/flickr)

The World Health Organization wants to cut back on fat. So it launched a campaign last Monday to get industrially-produced trans-fatty acids out of the global food supply by 2023.

The WHO said trans fats, often called partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, have contributed to half a million deaths a year from heart disease, with a large number of those in developing countries.

The food industry uses trans fats they produce from vegetable oils like soybean and cottonseed to harden foods like margarine, and increase the shelf life of baked goods.

Diets high in trans fats lead to increased risk of heart disease and death.

Industry group International Food and Beverage Alliance supported the WHO campaign. The Food and Beverage Alliance represents companies like General Mills, Kellogg's, Mars and McDonald's.

New York City banned industrially-produced trans fats ten years ago under Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

The WHO plan was developed with help from Vital Strategies, a global health advocacy group that Bloomberg's foundation supports.

Several countries have already curbed or banned trans fats, including Denmark, Switzerland, Canada and Britain. The WHO announcement comes as the US prepares for a complete ban on trans fats set to take effect next month.

Trans Fats Should be Eliminated Worldwide By 2023, W.H.O. Says (New York Times)

Trans Fats Should Be Eliminated From All Food Over the Next 5 Years:World Health Organization (TIME)

WHO Calls For Trans Fats To Be Eliminated Within Five Years (Reuters)