Government - UK, EU, US

Andrew Lansley argues against trans fat ban - the Tory / Lib-Dem government signals no intention to ban trans fats - but the door is still open for change. Article for the tfX website, 2 July 2010.
They kill 7,000 people a year, but trans fats won′t be banned - Sean Poulter writes in the Daily Mail, 1 July 2010. "Official health watchdog NICE has called for a veto on the killer fats, which are blamed for high cholesterol in the blood, clogged arteries and heart attacks. However Health Secretary Andrew Lansley has decided to reject the advice and sided with the food industry - which argues a ban is unnecessary ... "
NICE recommends trans fat ban - the full story plus key extracts from the NICE document, links to news reports, documents, etc.
Food injurious to health - letter to the BMJ published 16 June 2010, arguing that there may already be a law against trans fats in food in the UK, in the UK Food Safety Act section 7.
Update on trans fatty acids and health - Position statement by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN), published December 2007.
Obesity ′as bad as climate risk′ - BBC news article on obesity which includes the statement that "The government is also due to ask the Food Standards Agency to probe the use of unhealthy "trans-fats", which have been linked to coronary heart disease, in fast food" - as also reported on BBC TV and radio on 14 October 2007.
Euro-MPs declare war on trans fats - with a tfX-supported Declaration calling on the Commission to require trans fat labelling, drop its legal action against Denmark's ban, and introduce its own measures to restrict trans fats in Europe's food supply.
TRANSforming the Food Supply is the final report of the Trans Fat Task Force, co-chaired by Health Canada and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, which was submitted to the Minister of Health in June 2006. It recommends a limit of 2% of trans as fat content of spreads, and 5% in other products. While the 5% limit is higher than that in Denmark this is nonetheless highly significant: Canada looks like becoming the world's second country, after Denmark, to regulate trans fat by law.
Government statements on trans fats in response to Parliamentary questions ... generally unhelpful. However recent answers do show that the Government supports labelling of trans fats.
The School Food Trust is dominated by board members who are either in, or close to, the UK food and catering industry. No wonder then that they are keeping so quiet about trans fats and hydrogenated oils!
tfX response to FSA consultation on "traffic light" labelling - the proposed use of saturates as the sole indicator of fat quality is inadequate and misleading. Wider indicators of fat quality are needed which recognise the positive health impacts of many dietary oils and fats, and which also highlight the presence of toxic trans fats arising from hydrogenation.
Turning the Tables: Transforming School Food - Recommendations for the Development and Implementation of Revised School Lunch Standards - public consultation page (10 October 2005). All very laudable - but to bad they have chosen to ignore the entire tfX submission on trans fats.
The Food Standards Agency of the UK is soft on trans fats, in clear breach of its duty to "protect the public's health and consumer interests in relation to food". How? Why? Read on...
DfES School Food Consulation - tfX submission of 29 March 2005. We argue that trans fats should be eliminated from school meals, that saturated fats should be constrained, and that both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated oils, including essential omega-3 and omega-6 oils, should be encouraged. These requirements should be mandatory on all school meal providers.
The EU Directive on Nutrition Labelling - Council Directive 90/496/EC, as amended by Commission Directive 2003/120/EC.
USDA / HSS 2005 guidelines : "Cut trans!" - released in January 2005.
Food labelling - EU legislation - this page contains an outline of European law on food labelling, and links to the the actual EU Directives (as .pdfs).
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), based in Brussels. It is the EU equivalent of the UK's FSA, and seems to have a rather similar mindset on trans fats.
Canada's trans fat bill (not yet law) - which would ban trans fats in oils and fats for human consumption, similiar to the Danish law. Introduced to Canada's Parliament in October 2004.
Trans fatty acids: EFSA Panel reviews dietary intakes and health effects - The European Food Standards Authority proves its worth - to the food industry - in producing a weak report on trans fats which ignores heaps of inconvenient evidence. This links takes you to the press release, with onward links to full report.
EFSA Opinion on Trans Fatty Acids (2004) - Opinion of the Scientific Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies on a request from the Commission related to the presence of trans fatty acids in foods and the effect on human health of the consumption of trans fatty acids. (Request N° EFSA-Q-2003-022). A large and highly informative document - though in our view it downplays some of the hazards of trans fats.
Organic food and trans fats - are hydrogenated fats banned from organic food? Read the definitive replies from the UK Government and the Soil Association.
FSA explanation of what health claims may be allowed on food. - highly relevant given that many products claiming to be "Healthy Living" or similar actually contain killer trans fats. If you see such claims on products, you can complain to your local Trading Standards office.
FSA advice on hydrogenated fat in spreads.
Opinion of the Scientific Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies on a request from the Commission related to the presence of trans fatty acids in foods and the effect on human health ... - published by the European Food Safety Authority, 8 July 2004. "Prospective epidemiological studies consistently support the findings from intervention studies for an association between higher intakes of TFA and increased risk of CHD. In the prospective cohort studies that compared the effects of TFA and SFA, the effects of TFA were stronger than those of a mixture of SFA. "
The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) is a UK-wide Advisory Committee set up to replace the Committee on Medical Aspects of Food and Nutrition Policy (COMA). It advises the UK health departments as well as the Food Standards Agency. However it does not seem to have much to say about trans fats (search on its website yielded 0 results, 2004-04-20)
The FSA advice on trans fats. Includes the statement that "The trans fats found in food containing hydrogenated vegetable oil are harmful and have no known nutritional benefits. They raise the type of cholesterol in the blood that increases the risk of coronary heart disease. Some evidence suggests that the effects of these trans fats may be worse than saturated fats.". This is an understatement - trans fats are far worse than saturated fats. See further links at foot of page.
Food Labeling; Trans Fatty Acids in Nutrition Labeling - the ful text, taken from the Federal Register, of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) amendments of regulations on nutrition labeling to require that trans fatty acids be declared in the nutrition label of conventional foods and dietary supplements. Complete with analysis of the costs and benefits to business and the public. Regulations effective as of 1 January 2006.
National Diet & Nutrition Survey: Adults aged 19 to 64, Volume 2 2003 (UK). "The second volume presents findings on energy and macronutrient intakes from a survey of the diet and nutrition of adults aged 19 to 64 years living in private households in Great Britain, carried out between July 2000 and June 2001." Published 9 July 2003. Includes useful information on the quantity of trans (and other) fatty acids in the diet, and the foodstuffs in which they are found.
FDA Acts to Provide Better Information to Consumers on Trans Fats - this is really the US Food & Drug Administration's home page on trans fats, with onward links to its various pages on the subject, including the new food labelling laws taking effect on January 1, 2006, which will require the listing of trans fat quantities on nutrition labels.
Tackling Health Inequalities - this 2003 paper sets out the UK Government's thinking on "plans to tackle health inequalities over the next three years. It establishes the foundations required to achieve the challenging national target for 2010 to reduce the gap in infant mortality across social groups, and raise life expectancy in the most disadvantaged areas faster than elsewhere." So why don't they do something about trans fats, disproportionately consumed by the most underprivileged people?
Denmark's trans fat law (Executive Order No. 160 of 11 March 2003) - the full text of Denmark's regulation on trans fats of March 2003. This exemplary law bans all but tiny amounts of harmful trans fats in food sold in Denmark. Violators can go to jail for two years!
The influence of trans fatty acids on health - Fourth Edition, 2003. by Steen Stender and Jørn Dyerberg, published by the Danish Nutrition Council (since renamed the Danish Fitness and Nutrition Council).
Health Canada Nutrition Facts Table - explaining the nutrition labelling regulations which came into force in Canada in 2003, which require the labelling of trans fat in the nutrition panel.
The influence of trans fatty acids on health (fourth edition) - A report from the Danish Nutrition Council by Steen Stender and Jørn Dyerberg, written in 2003. This is quite a large .pdf file.
MAFF guidance notes on nutrition labelling - explaining the requirements under the Food Labelling Regulations 1996 (FLR) (SI 1996 Nº1499) implementing the EC Nutrition Labelling Directive (90/486 EEC) in England & Wales. Absurdly, these regs only allow the inclusion of trans fat quantities in the nutrition box if a claim on trans fats is made on the product packaging. Published May 1999. This link is to a .pdf file.
Nutritional Aspects of Cardiovascular Disease - Report of the Cardiovascular Review Group of the Committee of Medical Aspects of Food Policy number 46. Department of Health 1994, HMSO. As of 2004, this report is still the most recent official report in the UK that gives advice and recommendations on trans fats. It is also frequently quoted by the food industry, often in misleading ways. Hence we present these extracts from the report.