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 WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

WHO underlines need to limit killer trans fat use in India

BS RAWAT
NEW DELHI:
Disha Foundation has called on the Indian government to limit trans fats to two per cent in all foods, and eliminate trans fats from Indian foods by 2023, as a newly released report by the World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed that more than 60,000 Indians die each year, the highest in the world, due to unnecessary overexposure to the toxic chemical, trans fat.

Dr. Anjali Borhade, President of Disha Foundation, has said: “The WHO report underscores the need for immediate action to eliminate industrially produced trans fat from our food supply.”

She said, “The food regulator FSSAI must act now to limit trans fat to two per cent of total fat in all foods.”

Prof Sanjay Tyagi, Dean, Maulana Azad Medical College, told DTMT, “Industrially produced trans fat (Vanaspati Ghee) consumption increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases, the biggest cause of death in India. More than 60,000 deaths were attributable to high trans fat intake in India in 2010.”

WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated, “Momentum is growing for the global removal of industrially-produced trans fat, with nearly one third of the world’s population in 28 countries now protected from its harms.”

He added, “But more than two-thirds of the global population lacks protection from industrial trans-fat in their food. WHO stands ready to support abolition efforts in the remaining nations. We welcome industry assurances to reformulate and remove trans fat from their products.”

Dr Eram Rao, Associate Professor, Delhi University, said, “Trans fat can easily be replaced with healthier alternatives, and six nations restricted use of the toxic chemical in 2018, while another 25 adopted policies that will come into effect over the next two years."


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