Food manufacturing giants including Nestle, Mars Inc and Kellogg have written an open letter to EU commissioners, lobbying for legislation to be introduced to limit the amount of hydrogenated vegetable oils, the main source of trans fatty acids, in processed food.
In the letter, the signatory businesses, along with European consumer organisation the BEUC, express concern for the adverse effect trans fats can have on consumers' health, with the ingredient strongly linked with heart disease. They urge the EU to restrict the amount of trans fats to 2g per 100g of fat, to create a "level playing field" for manufacturers.
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"The businesses signing up to this statement are committed to removing trans fats originating from partially hydrogenated oils from all our foods," said the letter. "Over the last ten years they have already acted voluntarily in launching programmes to remaking such trans fats whilst others have not."
Nestle's head of relations with European institutions, Bart Vandewaetere, said: "The free circulation of goods in the single market should not be undermined by different national approaches. "This call for EU legislation is part of a bigger need for a more active role of the [Commission] on nutrition policy. Although member states have the competence to regulate on public health, the European Commissions should make more pro-active use of their co-ordination powers."
The letter was sent in advance of the EU preparing its report on trans fats for the next Health Council. "It is therefore timely to act with a joint coalition," said Vandewaetere. "We are optimistic that the EU will act as there's clear cut scientific evidence."
While Nestle has pledged to remove trans fats entirely from its portfolio of products by 2016, it is nonetheless supporting legislation for a reduction of trans fat to 2% of total fat because that is the level recommended from WHO-Europe and existing legislative initiatives across the world, including Denmark, Austria and Switzerland.
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By GlobalData"We are almost there [in eradicating trans fats from products]," Vandewaetere told just-food. "Ninety-six per cent of our oils globally are already compliant with our commitment, and two types of oil are left in Europe."
Elsewhere in the world, legislation is gradually being introduced to curb the use of trans fats in food manufacturing. Earlier this year, the US Food and Drug Administration said that partially hydrogenated oils are not "generally safe" and a ban would save lives by preventing fatal heart attacks. It stipulated food manufacturers had three years in which to reformulate their products and phase out the use of trans fats in their products. Since 2003 US food manufacturers have been required by law to list the amount of trans fats in their products, and as a result of food labelling the amount of trans fats reduced by 78%.
