Context: Recently, World Health Organisation has unveiled the third progress report on Global trans-fat elimination 2021.

• The report monitors global progress towards the 2023 target for global elimination of industrially produced trans-fatty acids.

Key highlights of the Report

• Elimination of industrially produced trans-fatty acids (TFA) can effectively reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
• Cardiovascular disease will make populations more resilient in future epidemics and pandemics.

Best Practice Policies

• Bangladesh, India, the Philippines and Ukraine became the first lower-middle-income countries to pass best-practice trans-fat elimination policies.
• In 2018, WHO called for the global elimination of industrially produced TFA by 2023.
• No low-income countries have adopted best-practice TFA policies to date.
• The best-practice policy came into effect in Brazil, European Union, Peru, Singapore and Turkey.

What are Trans Fats?

• Trans fats are a form of unsaturated fat associated with a number of negative health effects. 
• Artificial trans fat is created during hydrogenation, which converts liquid vegetable oils into semi-solid partially hydrogenated oil. 
• Trans fat can also be found naturally in meat and dairy.

Two types of trans fats

• There are two broad types of trans fats found in foods — naturally-occurring and artificial trans fats.
• Milk and meat products, for instance, have naturally-occurring trans fats. 

Artificial trans fats (or trans fatty acids) are generated in food items during an industrial process that adds hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils to make them more solid.

• The artificial trans fats can be found in several food items, including doughnuts, cakes, biscuits, pizzas and cookies. Usually their presence is listed on food labels, expressed as trans fats per serving or as ‘partially hydrogenated oils’.

Rationale behind: Industrial trans fats are highly toxic compounds that can lead to several non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases.
Heart risks: Trans fats are associated with increased risk of heart attacks and death from coronary heart disease. 

• According to the American Heart Association (AHA), trans fats raise bad (LDL) cholesterol levels. 
• They also lower good (HDL) cholesterol levels. High LDL along with low HDL levels can cause cholesterol to build up in blood vessels, increasing the risk for heart disease and stroke.
• As per the World Health Organisation (WHO), approximately 5.4 lakh deaths take place each year globally because of intake of industrially produced trans fatty acids. 

Project REPLACE

• The WHO has also called for global elimination of trans fats by 2023. The WHO has also called for global elimination of trans fats by 2023.
• The REPLACE action package provides a strategic approach to eliminating industrially-produced trans-fat from national food supplies.

Major areas of action include

• Review dietary sources of industrially-produced trans-fat and the landscape for required policy change.
• Promote the replacement of industrially-produced trans-fat with healthier fats and oils.
• Legislate or enact regulatory actions to eliminate industrially-produced trans-fat.
• Assess and monitor trans-fat content in the food supply and changes in trans-fat consumption in the population.
• Create awareness of the negative health impact of trans fat among policy-makers, producers, suppliers, and the public.
• Enforce compliance with policies and regulations.