European Politicians Vote to Cap Trans Fats

30 Sep 2016 --- European politicians voted in favor of a motion to cap the use of trans fatty acids by setting legal limitations across member states.

Members of the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee of the European Union voted to adopt a resolution on trans fat during a session yesterday (Sep 29), with 60 votes in favor of the motion and two against. 

A European Parliament statement says: The ENVI committee voted on the motion for resolution. Trans fatty acids (TFAs) are unsaturated fats found in foods obtained from ruminants and in industrially produced partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. Their consumption has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. TFAs are used by the food industry for the sake of their specific characteristics that make the products reach the desired consistency and guarantee a long shelf life.” 

The EU believes setting legal limits on trans fats will bring major health benefits to the populations of member states and urges the proposals to set a cap quickly. 

The draft resolution says that consumption of industrially produced partially hydrogenated vegetable oils has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, infertility, endometriosis, gallstones, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes and some cancers. 

“High TFA intake is in particular one among a number of risk factors for developing coronary heart disease (more than any other nutrient on a per calorie basis) - a disease that is conservatively estimated to account for some 660,000 deaths annually in the EU or some 14 percent of overall mortality,” it says. 

The draft motion adds how the issue of TFAs is a priority for Parliament and calls on the European Commission to propose as soon as possible “mandatory limits on industrial TFAs in order to reduce their intake amongst all population groups.”

The next steps will be for the draft motion to be considered for adoption by the European Parliament during a plenary session scheduled for October.