Government to regulate trans fats in packaged foods

The government has decided to limit the amount of trans fats in packaged foods. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) — an autonomous statutory body administered by the ministry of health and family welfare — will discuss the matter at a meeting on November 26 and come up with a draft.

This is one of the steps the FSSAI is introducing to check the claims of processed food manufacturers. A couple of weeks ago, it introduced a code on advertising to check the "tall claims" of the food and beverage industry. The draft, put up on its website for discussion, prescribes a penalty of up to Rs 10 lakh for errant parties that mislead consumers.

For trans fats, the government reasons that with more income in hand, Indians are increasingly consuming processed food which may have a high degree of such fats. Trans fats are also known as hydrogenated fats, since they are artificially made by adding hydrogen to liquid vegetable oil under pressure (vanaspati is a good example). Trans fats are found in biscuits, bread, confectionary, fast foods, fried food (including namkeens), and much of the street, restaurant and hotel food.

Trans fats harm the body by increasing cholesterol levels in the blood. They also increase other harmful fats in the blood by reducing the helpful cholesterol, HDL.

Scientifically, for instance, 0 per cent trans fats in fried snacks is not possible, though it can be reduced to minimal possible level. But companies like PepsiCo's Frito-Lay (Lay’s) and ITC (Bingo) among others are selling products labelled as zero trans fats.

P I Suvrathan, Chairman, Food Safety and Standards Authority, told Business Standard: "Looking at the seriousness of increasing chronic cardiovascular diseases, we will restrict the level of trans fats in packaged foods. The limit will be decided at the upcoming meeting and thereafter we will put a draft on our website for discussion with stakeholders."

He adds that globally, most countries have put strict limits on trans fats levels in foods, following strictures from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and World Health Organisation (WHO). Globally, the limit is between 2 and 5 per cent of the total fat in a diet. "We, too, will look at a limit of between 2 and 5 per cent, " says Suvrathan.

Industry body Ficci has  already submitted a draft in this matter to the government's Oils and Fats Sub-Committee arguing that the government needs a comprehensive study on nutrition and dietary patterns before formulating the guidelines, says Sameer Barde, assistant secretary general.

"Putting a limit on trans fats is unviable. In fact, certain products just can’t be made in that case. One can regulate trans fats in packaged foods, but what about open-served food? In India, only 2 to 3 per cent of one’s daily consumption is processed food. Right now there’s only one country which has put a limit on trans fats -- Norway. It took so many years for them to evolve a law on this," says Barde.

He argues that though big companies may adapt to the new regulations, "it will impact 80 per cent of the small companies involved in the business that employ a great number of people."

Even Codex (the food safety standards laid by FAO/WHO) does not have any limit on trans fats as of now, Barde reasons (India is a party to Codex). The government, on its part, plans to repeal the multiple laws that govern the food and beverage sector and replace all of them with a single Act -- the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. The entire exercise will start from January 2010.