The European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) is very pleased the Commission appears to favour the legislative option to limit industrial trans fats in food.
The European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) is very pleased the Commission appears to favour the legislative option to limit industrial trans fats in food. This approach is fully legitimate as it provides the best option for public health, consumers and internal market and is particularly important for tackling health inequalities.
At the same time, the current report is already quite a bit overdue. We also fear the Better Regulation agenda could throw more hurdles in the way and lead to further unjustifiable time delays. The Commission now intends to launch another public consultation and carry-out a “fully-fledged” impact assessment. How long will this take?
The evidence is clear and both health campaigners and key players in the food industry agree that mandatory regulation is the way forward and should be implemented urgently to save lives. Industrially produced trans fats contribute to cardiovascular diseases which remain the Number 1 cause of death in Europe.
The speed by which the Commission now moves will be the crucial test of Europe’s commitment to protecting our health and consumers. By acting swiftly the EU can show that promoting citizens’ well-being is its own raison d’être.
On 15th October, EPHA co-signed with BEUC, CPME, EHN, EPHA, Kellogg Company, Mars, Mondelēz and Nestlé an open letter to European Commissioners about the health effects of trans fats from partially hydrogenated oils. #TFAfreeEU
Commission report regarding trans fats in foods and in the overall diet of the Union population (published 3 December 2015)
Joint Research Centre statement
