DOH seeks to eliminate trans fat in PH food supply by 2023

(FILE) Stick margarine and other food items which contain trans fat are shown on November 7, 2013, in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by SCOTT OLSON / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) has issued an administrative order seeking to eliminate industrially-produced trans-fatty acids (TFA) in the country’s food supply in two years.

Administrative Order (AO) 2021-0039 signed by Health Secretary Francisco Duque III in June aims to “provide a policy framework to eliminate industrially-produced TFA in the Philippines’ food supply by 2023.”

“Specifically, it aims to provide guidance to reduce TFA intake among Filipinos to less than 1% of the recommended total energy intake,” it added.

Under the AO, industrially-produced TFA and processed food products containing trans fatty acids shall be prohibited from being produced, imported, and distributed for commercial sale.

However, the AO also states that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should set a transitory period that should not exceed two years from the effectivity of the order “in which the FDA will commence regulation of processed food products that have complied with the guidelines set.”

The FDA was also tasked to issue and enforce regulations to eliminate industrially-produced TFA in food production as provided in the specific guidelines of the administrative order.

“They (FDA) are in charge of issuing not more than two years from now the regulatory policy or the process of which how they will regulate the pre-packaged food products, na hindi na maaaprubahan ang mga pagkain na mataas ang trans fat (so that food with high trans fat will no longer be approved),” Dr. Rodley Carza, head of the Policy and Technology Division of the DOH Health Promotion Bureau, said in an online media briefing on Thursday.

“Yung guidelines na ito, mayroon siyang transitory period na not more than two years para makapagprepare ang FDA at food manufacturers na kanilang mareplace o mareformulate ang kanilang pagkain,” he explained.

(These guidelines have a transitory period of not more than two years so that the FDA can prepare and food manufacturers can replace or reformulate their products.)

The document stated that TFA intake among Filipinos can be reduced by regulating pre-packaged food products containing TFA, enabling its replacement with alternative oils, fats, and oilseeds, and increasing public awareness on its negative impacts to health.

Under the AO, TFA-free claims in food packaging will also be prohibited. Food establishments should likewise ensure disclosure of information on the labeling of pre-packaged food products.

The DOH noted in the AO that around 540,000 deaths globally each year can be attributed to high TFA intake, and that in the Philippines, about 3,000 people each year suffer from premature mortality related to high consumption of TFA.

“Studies have consistently suggested that there is no safe level of trans fatty acid consumption and that it has no known health benefit. In fact, it has been coined as the tobacco of food,” Carza said.

He added that due to its effect on the body’s low-density lipoprotein, a high intake of TFA also increases the risk of developing coronary heart disease and other non-communicable diseases.

Carza said the Philippines is vulnerable to the “dumping” of TFA-rich food products in the absence of sufficient regulations, as neighboring countries implement bans on partially-hydrogenated oils and set mandatory limits on TFA content in food.

According to him, industrially-produced TFA are common on pre-packaged goods such as chips, cookies and biscuits, baked goods such as bread and pastries, and spreads, butter, and shortening.

Carza, however, clarified that the AO will not eliminate these products in the market as there are alternative fats and oils that can replace TFA and provide the same function in food products.

He noted that the AO will only nudge food manufacturers to reformulate their products to replace TFA. He also said that replacing TFA has no effect on the taste or cost of food.

The World Health Organization also recommends limiting the consumption of all forms of TFA to less than one percent of total energy intake.

“So if you have a 2,000 calorie diet as an individual, your TFA intake should not be more than 2.2 grams per day,” said Carza.

Under the AO, the FDA shall not issue registration, license to operate, or permit to any food manufacturer, importer, or distributor for any processed or pre-packaged food that were manufactured, imported, distributed, or sold in violation of regulations for TFA.

Likewise, the FDA shall also revoke the Certificate of Product Registration for processed food products that violate this provision based on post-marketing surveillance activities.

Carza said there are at least seven bills in Congress seeking to regulate products with high TFA content.

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/MUF