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 By Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Tom Frieden

 
Cookies, pizza, cake. These delicious treats often contain a hidden danger: industrially produced trans-fat, which kills nearly 300,000 people annually from coronary heart disease.

Invented in the early 20th century as a butter substitute and later used to extend the shelf life of food products, Tran’s fat is highly hazardous to health, with no safe consumption level. Fortunately, it can be easily replaced with healthier alternatives without affecting taste or cost, potentially saving hundreds of thousands of lives each year.

Six years ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) called on countries and the food sector to eliminate industrially produced trans-fat globally. At that time, fewer than one in ten people were protected from this toxic chemical.

A new WHO report details significant progress: 53 countries, covering nearly four billion people, now implement WHO-recommended best practice policies, including bans or limits on trans-fat. This removes a major health risk for almost half of the world's population. Countries like Denmark, Lithuania, Poland, Saudi Arabia, and Thailand have been recognized for their efforts, which include robust monitoring and enforcement frameworks.

Despite this progress, over four billion people remain unprotected. Most trans-fat-related deaths are concentrated in eight countries, mainly in Africa and the Asia Pacific. Implementing best practice policies in these regions could prevent 90 percent of global deaths associated with trans-fat.

As trans-fat restrictions increase, there is a risk that food manufacturers will dump banned products into unregulated markets. However, countries can protect their populations by implementing regulations, even if current trans-fat levels are low. This is a cost-effective way to combat non-communicable diseases and save lives. Studies from Argentina, Kenya, Nigeria, the UK, the US, and the European Union demonstrate that industrially produced trans fats can be eliminated and replaced with healthier fats or oils without altering the cost, taste, or availability of food.

Countries with best practice policies can support others by sharing their experiences. Food manufacturers, particularly large conglomerates, have a responsibility to invest in healthier replacements. Global advocates must continue pushing for total trans-fat elimination through WHO-recommended policies.

To achieve a trans-fat-free world, three actions are necessary:

1. Governments must limit or ban trans-fat in all foods. This includes a national limit of 2 grams of industrially produced trans-fat per 100 grams of total fat in all foods and a mandatory ban on partially hydrogenated oils.

2. Governments must ensure these limits and bans are monitored and enforced. The WHO’s Trans Fat Free Validation Programme recognizes countries' efforts, encouraging compliance similar to malaria or neglected tropical disease eradication validations.

3. The food industry must implement WHO recommendations. Tran’s fat should be replaced with healthier alternatives, and companies should agree not to sell products containing trans-fat in unregulated markets. Several large manufacturers have already taken steps in this direction.

The global elimination of industrially produced trans-fat represents the first mobilized effort to remove a dietary risk factor for heart disease completely. We know what to do, how to do it, and that it works. As the world progresses, it’s time for leaders to finish the job and protect their people from this toxic food additive.