NUTRITION

Healthy food. On October 4, member countries of the Panamerican Health Organization (PAHO) agreed, through a document approved by its Council of Directors, to eliminate trans fats in industrial food production by 2025. The aim is to reduce noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) associated with poor nutrition, such as cardiovascular disease. It is expected that in the coming months, the countries that signed the document will begin to implement measures to establish progressive reduction thresholds. 

The report highlights the importance of adopting food labelling policies to support the control of industrial trans-fatty acid (iTFA) reduction compliance. Such tools, it argues, “facilitate the interpretation by consumers of the iTFA content” since they allow for quick and simple analysis. In turn, this helps informed decision making and consumer protection. 

It also proposes other complementary regulatory measures to reduce iTFA, among them the prohibition of the use of partially hydrogenated oils in food products and the promotion of mandatory trans fat limits. On the latter, PAHO recommends setting threshold limit that beneath 2 grams per 100 grams of total fat. 

Next steps

Through an action plan signed on October 4, PAHO member countries have set 2025 as a deadline for the elimination of trans fats from foods. To achieve this, countries of the region are expected to promote regulations that progressively reduce the concentration of these fats in products. These measures could begin to be introduced in the coming months