Take Lead In Global Campaign To Eliminate Toxic Chemical From Food, WHO Tells Nigeria
Chioma Umeha
Following the deaths of thousands of Nigerians yearly due to
unnecessary exposure to the toxic chemical, the World Health Organisation (WHO)
has urged the Nigerian government to eliminate industrially produced trans fat
from the country’s food supply.
Trans fat are industrially produced and harmful chemical known as Trans fat which
is a type of unsaturated fats partially found in hydrogenated oils.
Therefore, the WHO, has tasked enjoined the Federal
government to eliminate industrially, produced Trans fat from the country’s
food supply. Consumption of Trans fat, used in baked, fried and packaged foods
increases risk of cardiovascular diseases, recognised among the biggest cause
of death around the world.
The WHO, in its newly released report by the Global Health
Advocacy Incubator (GHAI), suggests that thousands of Nigerians die each year
due to unnecessary exposure to the toxic chemical.
Approximately 1,300 deaths were attributable to high Trans
fat intake in the country in 2010.
Nkiru Nwadioke, an Advocacy Coordinator with GHAI in
Nigeria, says Nigeria must lead in the global campaign to eliminate
industrially produced Trans fat from food supply.
“To save precious lives, the Nigerian government must take
proactive steps now to limit Trans fat content in our foods, or ban the harmful
oils that contain this toxic chemical,” Nwadioke said.
According to GHAI, Nigeria does not follow international
best practice when it comes to regulating the amount of harmful and unnecessary
Trans fat in food.
WHO concluded in its first-ever annual report on global
Trans fat elimination, released Wednesday at the World Health Assembly in
Geneva, Switzerland.
Already, the WHO has endorsed two policies to curb Trans fat
consumption: banning the use of PHOs, and limiting the amount of trans fats to
2 percent of total fat in all foods.
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and
Control (NAFDAC) has authority over the issue, and last year put planned
regulatory updates on hold to conduct further analysis on Trans fat.
DAILY INDEPENDENT learnt that NAFDAC and the Standards
Organisation of Nigeria (SON) are participating in a technical working group
chaired by the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, tasked by the Federal
Ministry of Health to review policy options.
Industrially produced Trans fat can easily be replaced with
healthier alternatives, documented evidence from other countries shows.
In 2018, six countries restricted use of trans fats, while
another 25 (including the European Union) adopted policies that will come into
effect over the next two years.
“Momentum is growing for the global elimination of
industrially-produced trans fat, with nearly one third of the world’s
population in 28 countries now protected from its harms,” said WHO
Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
“But more than two-thirds of the world’s population lacks
protection from industrial Trans fat in their food.” We lost over 10,000
members in last one year (Opens in a new browser tab) With its report, entitled
“Countdown to 2023,”
WHO released a set of modules to help countries implement
REPLACE, the action package launched a year ago to eliminate industrially
produced trans fat from the food supply by 2023. Regulatory actions are
critical to meeting this goal.
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