FSSAI’s Effective Policy to Decrease Trans Fats Consumption

S.P. Singh Baghel, the Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, highlighted that the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has adopted a best-practice policy recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). This policy aims to progressively decrease trans fats consumption in India.

Indian Government’s Response to Trans Fats Elimination

The Minister said this in a written reply in Lok Sabha in response to a query whether the government has implemented the best practices/policies to eliminate trans fats in the country following specific criteria established by WHO to limit industrially produced trans fats.”FSSAI has notified the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Second Amendment Regulations, 2021 on February 2,2020 and Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Tenth Amendment Regulations, 2020 on December 29, 2020 to reduce the maximum limit of industrial trans fatty acids to not more than two percent by weight in edible oils, fats and food products in which edible oils and fats are used as an ingredient.

Approximately 540,000 deaths each year are estimated to be attributed to intake of industrially produced trans-fatty acids.”High trans fat intake may increase the risk of death from any cause by 34 percent, coronary heart disease deaths by 28 percent,” the Minister said.According to the WHO, 4.6 percent of coronary heart disease deaths in India may be related to trans fatty acid intake, he said.

Source: IANS