House panel OKs bill regulating food products with high transfat

MANILA, Philippines — The House health committee has approved a bill regulating food products with high trans fatty acid (TFA) in a bid to promote healthy living and preventive health care among Filipinos.

Chaired by Quezon Rep. Angelina Tan, the panel approved the measure consolidating four bills which sought to remove industrially produced TFA from food products.

Trans fat is made when food manufacturers turn liquid oils into solid fat, and is found in many fried, processed or fast-food products.

“I believe that this important piece of legislation is significantly urgent, especially during this time of the COVID-19 pandemic where patients with comorbidities, such as coronary heart diseases, have a higher risk of serious illness or death,” Tan said.

The measure proposes a ban on the manufacture, importation, distribution and sale of partially hydrogenated oil (PHO) to be consumed alone or used in preparation of food products; oils and fats made or blended with PHOs; and oils and fats with TFA content of more than 2 grams per 100 g, excluding TFA content from ruminant sources. In addition, manufacturers, importers, distributors and sellers of processed and prepackaged food, including food prepared by food service establishments, may face administrative and criminal penalties if their products contain PHOs, are prepared with oils and fats made or blended with PHOs, or have TFA content of more than 2 g per 100 g of total fat.

The Food and Drug Administration will keep an inventory of food products submitted by manufacturers, importers, distributors, retailers and food service establishments.

The Department of Trade and Industry and local government units will craft programs for providing incentives to small businesses complying with the law.

The Department of Health, in coordination with the Department of Science and Technology’s Food and Nutrition Research Institute, will conduct regular screening and monitoring of TFA consumption through the Expanded National Nutrition Survey.

Tan said the World Health Organization had pushed for eliminating TFA as one of the simplest and most straightforward public health interventions to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases and improve the nutritional quality of diets.