Why in news?

• The World Health Organisation (WHO) is working with the International Food and Beverage Alliance (IFBA) to eliminate trans fat from industrially produced global food

Key facts:

• The WHO stressed the value of regulatory action on labelling, marketing and urged industry for full adherence to the WHO code of marketing of breast milk
• The IFBA committed to limit the amount of industrial trans fat in their products below 2 grams per 100 grams fat/oil globally by
• Industrially produced trans fat is responsible for more than 5,00,000 deaths globally from coronary heart disease each year. Increased intake of trans fat is associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease mortality and
• The WHO recommendation is that people consume less than 1% of their energy from trans fat. This translates to 2.2 grams for a 2,000 calorie
• Elimination of industrially-produced trans fats from the global food supply has been identified as one of the priority targets of WHO’s strategic plan, the draft 13th General
• Programme of Work (GPW13) which will guide the work of WHO in 2019 –2023
• WHO also released REPLACE, a step-by-step guide in 2018, for the elimination of industrially-produced trans-fatty acids from the global food
• As part of the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals, the global community has committed to reducing premature death from non-communicable diseases by one-third by 2030. Global elimination of industrially-produced trans fats can help achieve this

India’s position:

• India has set targets to reduce the industrially produced trans fat to less than 2% by the year 2022 in a phased manner, a year ahead of the WHO
• To achieve the target, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) launched two initiatives: Eat Right Movement and Heart Attack Rewind mass media campaign.
• Eat Right Movement: Launched in 2018, the programme is built on two broad pillars of ‘Eat Healthy’ and ‘Eat Safe’. It aims to cut down on salt, sugar and oil consumption by 30% in three
• Swachh Bharat Yatra, a Pan-India cyclothon, was launched under the movement to aware the citizens on issues of food safety, combating food adulteration and healthy
• Heart Attack Rewind: It is a 30-second public service announcement which was broadcasted in 17 languages on social media platforms. The objective of the campaign was to warn citizens about the health hazards of consuming trans fats and offer strategies to avoid them through healthier alternatives.

International Food and Beverage Alliance (IFBA):

• IFBA was founded in 2008 by the CEOs of leading food and non-alcoholic beverage companies to empower consumers to eat balanced diets and live healthier lives, in support of the World Health Organization’s efforts to improve global public

REPLACE:

• REPLACE provides six strategic actions to ensure the prompt, complete, and sustained elimination of industrially-produced trans fats from the food supply:
• REview dietary sources of industrially-produced trans fats and the landscape for required policy
• Promote the replacement of industrially-produced trans fats with healthier fats and
• Legislate or enact regulatory actions to eliminate industrially-produced trans
• Assess and monitor trans fats content in the food supply and changes in trans fat consumption in the
• Create awareness of the negative health impact of trans fats among policymakers, producers, suppliers, and the
• Enforce compliance of policies and regulations