These are: Denmark, Lithuania, Poland, Saudi Arabia and Thailand.
Trans fatty acids (TFA) are semi-solid to solid fats that come in two forms: industrially produced and naturally occurring.
According to experts, taking these industrially produced (iTFA) is linked to an increased risk of heart attacks and death from heart disease.
They added that new best practice guidelines came into force in 2023 in seven countries: Egypt, Mexico, Moldova, Nigeria, North Macedonia, the Philippines and Ukraine.
A total of 53 countries currently have best practice guidelines to combat iTFAs in food, significantly improving the food environment for 3.7 billion people, or 46 percent of the world's population, compared to six percent just five years ago.
These measures are expected to save approximately 183,000 lives annually.
Best practices in the iTFA disposal guidelines follow WHO criteria and limit their use in all environments.
There are two options: the first is the mandatory national limit of two grams of iTFA per 100 grams of total fat in all foods and the second is the mandatory ban on the production or use of partially hydrogenated oils (a major source of trans fats). ) as an ingredient in all foods.
The health agency is also encouraging food manufacturers to eliminate iTFAs from their products.
According to the statement, the food industry has made good progress so far, according to a WHO report from November 2023.
Despite recent successes in eliminating iTFAs from foods around the world, more than half of the world's population remains unprotected from their harmful effects, putting them at potential risk of increased heart disease, the specialists emphasized.
jha/lpn