June 14, 2005 – It may be five years before the food products on Canadian grocery shelves are free of trans fats. And replacing trans fats with other products could result in a 10% to 15% increase in the cost of processed foods.
At least that’s what the representatives of the agri-food industry argued yesterday before Health Canada’s Trans Fat Study Group. This group was formed after the Canadian Parliament passed a motion last November to remove hydrogenated oils (or trans fats) from processed foods sold in the country.
To support their position, industry representatives explained that they need more time to research alternative ingredients that will be acceptable to consumers.
Currently, it would be possible to replace trans fats with tropical oils, such as coconut or palm oil, but they contain saturated fat. These, like trans fatty acids, increase “bad” cholesterol and decrease “good” cholesterol, but to a lesser extent. Overall, trans fats increase the risk of cardiovascular disease by 132%, compared to 32% for saturated fat1.
Manufacturers of industrial food also want the government to relax its draft regulation, which should be adopted in November, accompanying it, among other things, with a consumer education policy. In this regard, the industry will have to indicate on the labels of processed foods, what their trans fat content is, as of December 2005.
In September, it will be the turn of health specialists and consumer groups to make their voices heard by the study group set up by Health Canada. The final report is expected to be presented to the Minister of Health, Ujjal Dosanjh, next fall.
Martin LaSalle – PasseportSanté.net
According to Press and The duty.
1. See our fact sheet What are trans fats? – What to replace them with?
