NUTRITION

Healthy nutrition. On September 9, the World Health Organization (WHO) published a report announcing the progress achieved from the Replace strategy, which seeks to eliminate trans fatty acids in world food production by 2023. In this document the organization urges the establishment of limits on the production of foods with trans fats based on the design of good manufacturing practices. The WHO said that so far 58 countries have approved legislation on the matter, but clarified that more than 100 countries still have the adoption of measures on the matter as pending. It is expected that the Executive Powers and Congresses of Latin America take these recommendations within the framework of the design of public policies to promote healthy eating in the coming months.

The WHO estimates that the consumption of industrially produced trans fats causes about 500,000 deaths per year from coronary heart disease. However, the report notes that there are some countries, such as Brazil, that in the last year have introduced regulations based on the organization’s “good practices” to reduce industrially produced trans fats. According to WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the goal of eliminating trans fats by 2023 “should not be delayed.” “At a time when the entire world is facing the COVID-19 pandemic, we must take all possible measures to prevent non-communicable diseases from making people more susceptible to the coronavirus,” he said.

On the other hand, the report indicates that despite the progress made, disparities in regulatory coverage still persist according to the region and the income level of the countries. To date, most regulatory measures, including those approved in 2019 and 2020, have been adopted in high-income countries and in the WHO Regions of the Americas and Europe.

Next steps

With the goal that industrially produced trans fats are no longer used by 2023, the WHO issued a series of recommendations for the countries of the region. Among its recommendations it stands out that governments ban partially hydrogenated oils, and make or limit the use of trans fat to 2 percent in food oils and fats. Among the countries that have pending addressing this problem, Mexico and Ecuador stand out. Both countries are expected to analyze the implementation of these recommendations in the coming months. On the other hand, the governments of the region are expected to invest in laboratory mechanisms to measure and control the content of trans fats in food and to develop regional regulations, in line with best practices and experiences.