For the first time, industry, health and consumer organisations come together to address an open letter to European Commissioners about the health effects of trans fats from partially hydrogenated oils.
BEUC, CPME, EHN, EPHA, Kellogg Company, Mars, Mondelēz and Nestlé are concerned about the health effects of trans fats from partially hydrogenated oils. There’s an important evidence base on the adverse health effects of consuming trans fats, notably by increasing the risk of heart attacks or heart disease.
Most trans fats in our diet originate from foods containing industrially produced trans fats.
The businesses signing up to this statement are committed to removing trans fats originating from partially hydrogenated oils from all our foods. Over the last 10 years they have already acted voluntarily in launching programmes to removing such trans fats whilst others have not.
Increasingly, legislators around the world, including the US and several EU and EEA Member States, have taken measures to limit industrially produced TFAs in foodstuffs. They have mostly opted for legislative measures that limit the amount of industrially produced TFAs in foods to 2g per 100g of fat.
We therefore respectfully call on the European Commission to propose a legislative limit for the amount of industrially produced TFAs in foods to 2 gram per 100g of fat.