FDA Punjab committed towards elimination of trans fats from food

Chandigarh: Department of Community Medicine and School of
Public Health organised a Virtual meeting cum orientation workshop of
state and district level designated officers (DOs) of FDA/licensing
authority, food safety officers (FSOs) and vanaspati
producers/manufacturers. The meeting was aimed at sensitization and
implementation of <5% trans-fat regulation in oils/fats and food products. The workshop was also technically supported by Strategic Institute for Public Health Education and Research (SIPHER) along with Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI). The meeting was also attended by other subject experts including Dr. Poonam Khanna, Associate Professor of Nutrition, PGIMER Chandigarh; Dr. Swati Bhardwaj, Nutrition Consultant, FSSAI; Mr. Ranjit Singh, Advocate, Supreme Court of India; and Dr. Roopa Shivashankar, Senior Consultant, Nutrition and Cardiovascular health, Vital Strategies. Prof. Dr. Sonu Goel, Department of Community Medicine and School of Public Health, PGIMER, Chandigarh; Dr Om Prakash Bera, Country Coordinator, GHAI; and Dr Rakesh Gupta, President, SIPHER were the key organisers of the event. Outlining the background of the workshop, Dr Sonu Goel briefed the participants that the ongoing workshop was organised under the project titled Strengthening the Management of Hypertension Services through Capacity Building, Media and Communication, and Stakeholder Engagement in the state of Punjab. “Department of Community Medicine and School of Public Health, PGIMER, Chandigarh in collaboration with Strategic Institute for Public Health Education and Research (SIPHER), Chandigarh and Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI), USA have been working to strengthen programme implementation of hypertension services at state and district level for the past one year”, Dr Goel added. “Trans-fats, also known as bad fats, have been proven as one of the major risk factors for cardiovascular diseases worldwide. India is a country with wide variation in food habits and trans fatty acids being the dietary sources in fried food and snacks. In many parts of India, hydrogenated oil in the form of Vanaspati is consumed in great quantity which is known to have highest content of trans-fat,” said Dr Sonu Goel. Dr Swati Bhardwaj underscored the Sampling Guidelines and Procedures at different levels. She guided the present FSOs to record the details regarding: Brand name, Name of the manufacturing unit, Batch No., Type of fat/oil [Vanaspat/Margarine/Bakery shortening/ blended oil]. Speaking on Good global practices regarding Trans fats, Dr Roopa Shivashankar noted that Trans fats are worst form of fats and are not required by the body. “It leads to increase in bad cholesterol (LDL) and decrease good cholesterol (HDL). The trans fats are also present in large quantities in the industrially produced hydrogenated fats. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called for global elimination of industrial trans fats by 2023; and India aims to eliminate trans-fat by 2022 at its 75th year of independence,” added Dr Shivashankar. “Cohort studies have found statistically significant correlations between TFA intake and weight gain or retention. Trans fats also cause a redistribution of fat cells in the abdomen, increasing those cells, and therefore increasing weight,” said Dr Poonam Khanna while speaking on Trans fats and health. She further added that the weight gain associated with 1% E from TFA would be around 0.45kg for a 65-kg woman over 8 years. Listing down the current and proposed legislations towards eliminating trans-fat in India, Mr. Ranjit Singh pressed for an Act to consolidate the laws relating to food and to establish the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) for laying down science-based standards for articles of food. He further raised the need to regulate their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import to ensure availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption. The meeting was then followed by a query session involving all stakeholders (Dos, FSOs, producers/manufacturers) moderated by Dr. Om Prakash Bera.