Multi-sectoral social, economic and political interventions are a must if the WHO deadline of 2023 to remove the deadly fat from the global food chain is to be met
Dr Shauna Downs of Rutgers University’s Department of Urban-Global Public Health believes that poorer nations might consume products with more trans fats simply because it is more affordable.
Pushback from the industry and a weak regulator has allowed deadly industrial trans fats to continue in the Indian food chain, says Amit Khurana of the CSE
Dr Shweta Khandelwal explains the dangers of trans fats, and why nutrition is interlinked with so many other variables like fiscal and other policies and the empowerment of civil society.
Given the clear linkages between trans fatty acids or TFA and non-communicable diseases, we must act quickly to cap it, says Dr Rajan Sankar of Tata Trusts.
India plans to cap the amount of this deadly unsaturated fat found across various food sectors before the WHO deadline of 2023. But some loopholes in the draft law need to be plugged first.
The overall prevalence of overweight and obesity is expected to increase considerably in India by 2040, with substantial increases particularly among rural residents and older Indians.