‘Transfat should not exceed two percent, up to 15 percent’

 ‘Transfat should not exceed two percent, up to 15 percent’

Transfat increases the amount of bad cholesterol in the blood and causes blood to clot inside the blood vessels. Due to which, the risk of chronic diseases increases.

Transfat is a very bad and very harmful fat for health. Transfat is also found naturally. On the other hand, it is produced through industrial processes. Industrial transfat is mainly produced when vegetable oil is converted into ghee through hydrogenation.

In this process, it is produced by heating vegetable oil at high temperatures and adding hydrogen molecules. In such a process, the liquid oil is converted into a solid state, i.e. vegetable ghee. Vegetable ghee produced by this process is used to make bakery products, biscuits, and various processed foods.

Vegetable ghee has been widely used for the last three decades and has emerged as a cheap alternative to ghee. When vegetable oil is heated many times, the amount of transfat in it increases. Foods cooked in it are harmful to health.

Foods such as biscuits, puffs, bakery, bhujia, cakes, donuts, samosas and others may contain high levels of trans fats. The standard should not exceed two percent of the weight of the oil used in the food.

Ghee obtained from animals is expensive. Vegetable ghee is much cheaper as an alternative. Since the food made from it does not spoil for a long time, it is easy to store. Similarly, various odors can also be kept in such foods from the outside. Vegetable ghee is widely used in the food industry due to its benefits in business.

Trans fat intake does not affect the body in a day or two. However, if consumed in large quantities over a long period of time, the risk of heart disease increases significantly. It is important for today's young generation to be aware of the amount of trans fats when consuming bakery products and fried foods daily.

Vegetable ghee, margarine and bakery products made from hydrogenation of vegetable oil can produce high levels of trans fats. Which is very harmful to health. Transfats are also produced when vegetable oil is repeatedly heated and fried.

Eating foods with high transfat content for a long time can lead to heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and even cancer.

Transfats increase the amount of bad cholesterol in the blood and cause blood to clot inside the blood vessels. This increases the risk of chronic diseases.

Nepal's policy steps

The World Health Organization has launched a campaign with the goal of eliminating industrial transfats from all countries of the world by 2023.

On 24 Magh 2078, the government passed the Multi-Sectoral Action Plan (2021-2025) for the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases. Under this plan, a policy has been adopted to keep transfats less than two percent of the total fat content of food.

The Department of Food Technology and Quality Control has passed the standards from the Food Standards Committee. The standards have been implemented since 25 Shrawan 2081.

Applicable area: Vegetable ghee produced by hydrogenation method, partially hydrogenated vegetable oils and all foods made using such substances.

Maximum limit: The amount of trans fat in any food item cannot exceed 2 percent of the total fat content present in that food item.

Labeling requirement: If a manufacturer claims that its product is ‘trans fat free’, the amount of trans fat in it should not exceed 0.2 grams per 100 grams of fat.

This standard is applied based on the weight of the fat present in it, not on the weight of the entire food item.

Problem of oil reuse

The practice of repeatedly using oil in hotels and restaurants is another major cause of trans fat generation.

To monitor this, the department has been using a digital device called Total Polar Meter. This device works on the principle of traffic lights:

– Oil with a TPM value of less than 22 percent is considered safe. Which gives a green signal.

– Oil with a TPM value of 22 to 25 percent indicates that caution is required. Which gives a yellow signal.

– Oil with a TPM value of more than 25 percent is harmful. Which gives a red signal.

Foods with a TPM value of more than 25 percent using any fat have a lot of trans fat.

Trans fat content up to 15.5 percent

It was implemented on 25 Shrawan 2081 with a deadline of 180 days. The department is now conducting its own tests. When testing 67 food products over a period of one year, some bakery products were found to have trans fat content higher than the standard.

Out of which, 11 food products were found to have trans fat content higher than the standard. Trans fat content up to 15.5 percent was found. Which percentage is very harmful to health.

In this process, 8 puffs were tested. Four puffs had trans fat content higher than the standard. When testing 6 vegetable ghee, 4 of them had high trans fat content. Such foods were immediately recalled from the market.

The implementation of trans fat standards in Nepal is an important step. Control at the source, market monitoring, industry. This campaign can only be successful through joint efforts of patient awareness and consumer education. It is possible to make Nepal's food market trans-fat-free with the efforts of the department, industry sector and civil society.

Since India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and other neighboring countries have already implemented a 2 percent limit in this area, Nepal has also decided to reduce it to the same standard at once. The government has set a target of keeping the industrial trans-fat content of food below 2 percent.

The Multi-Sectoral Action Plan for the Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (2021-25) has set a limit of 2 percent for trans-fat. After the implementation of the new standard, most industries have changed their production processes and raw materials. Some industries have committed to testing each batch before sending it to the market.

Trans-fat consumption does not have an effect in a day or two. However, if consumed in large quantities over a long period of time, the risk of heart diseases increases significantly. It is important for today's young generation to be aware of the amount of trans-fat when consuming bakery products and fried foods daily.

The implementation of transfat standards in Nepal is an important step. This campaign can only be made successful through joint efforts of source-point control (import and local production), market monitoring, industry awareness and consumer education. With the efforts of the department, industry sector and civil society, it is possible to make Nepal's food market transfat-free.