Campaigns & NGOs

• EU trans fat petition - initiated by the Mayor of Nynäshamn, Dr Ilija Batljan, on World Health Day, April 7. The aim is to raise one million signatures in order to make the European Union act against trans fats in foods. The petition has two demands: "As of June 1, 2009, Trans Fat must be listed on food labels, on a separate line immediately under the line for the declaration of saturated fatty acids. As of June 1, 2009, the content of trans fatty acids in the oils and fats, including emulsions with fat as the continuous phase (including all C14 to C22 trans isomers but excluding naturally occurring content of trans fatty acids in animal fats), which, either alone or as part of processed foods, a re intended for human consumption or must be assumed to be intended for human consumption shall not exceed 2 grams per 100 grams of oil or fat."
• The No Trans Club is Malaysia's anti-trans fat campaign.
• The British Heart Foundation (BHF) should be in the forefront of the fight against trans fats. In reality, however, it is colluding with food industry lies and misinformation, and campaigning against a ban on trans fats. Why?
• The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics (THINCS) "is a steadily growing group of scientists, physicians, other academicians and science writers from various countries. Members of this group represent different views about the causation of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease ... What we all oppose is that animal fat and high cholesterol play a role. The aim with this website is to inform our colleagues and the public that this idea is not supported by scientific evidence; in fact, for many years a huge number of scientific studies have directly contradicted it."
• The Stop Trans Fat is campaigning in SIngapore on trans fat issues. Launched on 1 January 2007, it aims to raise consumer awareness of the hazards of trans fats, and to influence food companies and Government regulators who have so far refused to countenance even trans fat labelling. The excellent and growing website contains much information of international interest and relevance.
• Autism Fries is a fascinating website dedicated to the theory that dietary trans fats are the main cause in the autism epidemic in America, the UK and other countries. The author, the father of an autistic child, believes he has established an epidemiological link, though not a causal link, and that more research is needed. He may be right - after all trans fats are known to be damaging to the brain: they 'block' the omega-3 fatty acids essential for brain, nervous and ocular development, and are strongly linked to Alzheimer disease and other cognitive decline among the elderly. There may also be particular dangers of trans-omega-3 fatty acids in the brain and nerve tissues. While there is t present no proven link between trans fats and autism, the idea of such a link is certainly plausible and merits further attention.
• The Million Campaign Home Page is a page to promote campaigns on health, environment, human rights and other good things. Organisations can provide a 25 x 25 pixel logo with link through to their website, which will go up on the page - at no charge. Yes, tfX is there, and so are loads of other great campaigns. Happy browsing ...
• The Trans Free NYC campaign is ... to make New York a trans-fat free city, with particular reference to the fast food sector.
• The North American campaign against trans fats. Great achievements have been made, in the face of corporate-sponsored contrarians who uphold the "consumer freedom" to be poisoned by trans fats.
• Fry Test is a US initiative to test out trans-free cooking oils in food service to give restaurants, fast food chains etc a reliable, independent assessment of how well these oils perform. Testing of oils - for crispness and flavour of end product, longevity of oil in fryers and other performance criteria - is due to begin in 2007.
• The Weston A Price Foundation exists to disseminate the research of nutrition pioneer Dr. Weston Price, whose studies of isolated nonindustrialized peoples established the parameters of human health and determined the optimum characteristics of human diets. The website is huge, with many useful articles on fats and health.
• The Omnivore is an excellent, highly informative website which challenges the standard medical establishment view of fats, cholesterol and health.
• La campagna contro i grassi idrogenati e la margarina - Italian campaign against hydrogenated oil.
• The Scottish Free School Meals Campaign campaigns for high quality free school meals in Scotland, to help overcome Scotland's dreadful social, health and nutritional inequalities.
• Arthead's Weblog - an interesting blog which highlights curent research into food and health issues.
• FAB Research (Food and Behaviour Research) is an excellent UK charity, founded by Oxford University's Dr Alexandra Richardson, which investigates the links between diet and behaviour. Their best known work to date is into the benefits of omega-3 oils, but extends much further, to include the effects of mineral deficiences, vitamins, food colourings ... and last but not least, trans fats.
• The TACD Resolution on trans fatty acids, which calls for "the European Union and the United States governments to establish specific targets for food producers to eliminate artificially produced trans fatty acids from their products", and for "the European Commission to address the issue of labeling of trans fatty acids as part of its planned review of the nutrition labeling directive.". TACD is the Trans Atlantic Consumer Dialogue, a forum of US and EU consumer organisations which develops and agrees joint consumer policy recommendations to the US government and European Union to promote the consumer interest in EU and US policy making.
• The Institute of Shortenings and Edible Oils (ISEO) is a trade association representing the refiners of edible fats and oils in the United States, and its members represent over 90% of the edible fats and oils produced in the US for food use. It has a useful website which includes a large, informative primer on oils and fats.
• The British Nutrition Foundation is an industry-supported NGO promoting good health through good nutrution. However it has very little to say about trans fats...
• The Caroline Walker Trust (CWT) exists to "improve public health through good food", and its nutritional guidelines for school meals and elderly people in care have a quasi-official status. However the guidelines make no mention of trans fats or hydrogenated oils, even though they represent one of the major public health hazards of the modern age.
• The Trans-Fat.info is a US-based campaign site about trans fats, with lots of useful information and links.
• The Institute of Food Science & Technology statement on trans fatty acids, dated November 2004. Although it downplays the toxicity of trans fats, this is nonetheless a useful review of much of the scientific literature.
• Press release announcing the Which report on trans fats of 7 October 2004. "Dangerous trans fat is present in shocking levels in many processed foods and must be removed from products ... A KFC meal contains an artery lickin' 4.4g of trans fat; a Burger King Whopper and fries contains a whopping 2.3g; if you want 3g of trans fat, you'll love a McDonald's McNugget meal."
• The Trans-free America campaign, created by the Washington DC-based Center for Science in the Public Interest.
• Canadian MP Pat Martin's Fight against trans fats. He is trying to have them banned in Canada, as they already are in Denmark.
• Eat Better is the Green Party's campaign for safe, wholesome & sustainably produced food.
• The Ban Trans Fats campaign. This is the organisation that sued Kraft for including hydrogenated vegetable fat in its Oreo cookies - and so forced the multinational food giant into removing trans fats from its product range. Great website, packed with useful information.
• CTV's transfat campaign - an excellent campaign website by the Canadian broadcaster. Although mainly relevant to a Canadian audience, it contains much useful information for concerned people everywhere.
• The Food Commission is probably the UK's leading organisation campaigning for safe and wholesome food, and is entirely independent of the food industry. It also publishes Food Magazine. However there is not a lot of info on trans fats.
• The National Heart Forum works with and through its members to prevent disability and death from coronary heart disease in the UK. They don't seem to know about trans fats, however, at least to judge from their website.