The World Health Organization has reportedly introduced REPLACE – a step-by-step guide for annihilating industrially produced trans-fatty acids from the food supply chain. According to estimates compiled by WHO, the consumption of trans fats leads to over 500,000 deaths due to severe heart ailments.
For the record, products such as ghee and margarine contain industrially-manufactured fats, which are found in fried and baked foods. They are used by snack manufacturers as they have an elongated shelf life as compared to other kinds of fat. Seemingly though, medical experts are of the view that healthier product substitutes that will not affect the food tastes or costs can be effectively utilized in their place.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of WHO, has stated that the world health agency has requested many countries to make use of the REPLACE action plan for removing trans-fatty acids from the food supply. He further stated that implementing the six strategies in the REPLACE plan will help in eliminating the prevalence of trans-fat, thereby signifying a pivotal victory for WHO’s initiative to combat cardiovascular ailments.
As per sources, many of the developed nations have already removed trans-fats from the food supply, imposing legal restrictions on packaged food. Reportedly, some of the countries across the globe have banned the use of partially hydrogenated oils, which are the key sources of trans-fats. For the record, Denmark had set an example for other nations by becoming the first to take an initiative of restricting the use of industrially manufactured trans-fats in food supply. The strategic move, undertaken more than a decade earlier, resulted in the reduction of death toll caused due to heart disorders as compared to OECD nations.
Dr. Tom Frieden, CEO of Resolve to Save Lives, has declared that New York has become the first state in the U.S. that has followed the footsteps of Denmark by eliminating trans-fats a decade ago. The decision has helped New York minimize the proportion of heart attacks without impacting the taste or costs of food products.
