For the first time, industry, health and consumer organisations come together to address an open letter to European Commissioners about the health effects of trans fats from partially hydrogenated oils. #TFAfreeEU

READ FULL LETTER HERE

OPEN LETTER

To:

First Vice-President Frans Timmermans,

Vice-President Jyrki Katainen,

Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis,

Commissioner Elzbieta Bienkowska,

Brussels, 15 October 2015

Subject: Call for a legislative limit for the amount of industrially produced TFAs in foods

Dear Commissioners,

 

BEUC, CPME, EHN, EPHA, Kellogg Company, Mars, Mondelēz and Nestlé are concerned about the health effects of trans fats from partially hydrogenated oils. There’s an important evidence base on the adverse health effects of consuming trans fats, notably by increasing the risk of heart attacks or heart disease.
 

Most trans fats in our diet originate from foods containing industrially produced trans fats.
 

The businesses signing up to this statement are committed to removing trans fats originating from partially hydrogenated oils from all our foods. Over the last 10 years they have already acted voluntarily in launching programmes to removing such trans fats whilst others have not.
 

Increasingly, legislators around the world, including the US and several EU and EEA Member States, have taken measures to limit industrially produced TFAs in foodstuffs. They have mostly opted for legislative measures that limit the amount of industrially produced TFAs in foods to 2g per 100g of fat.
 

We therefore respectfully call on the European Commission to propose a legislative limit for the amount of industrially produced TFAs in foods to 2 gram per 100g of fat.
 

This would be an effective step towards significantly reducing trans fats originating from partially hydrogenated oils from all foods. It would create a level playing field for consumers wherever they shop and whatever they buy and for business (large-, medium- or small-sized) across the EU and help improving health of all citizens.
 

For those companies that have not taken action, signing businesses are committed to step up the engagement of our relevant trade associations where we are active in a spirit of sharing best practice to guide them through the process of removing trans fats originating from partially hydrogenated oils from all foods in order to meet the proposed legislative limit.
 

We share the view that harmonizing EU legislation on the content of industrially produced trans fats in foods by establishing a legal limit would be a proportionate and effective way to further reduce the intake of trans fats from partially hydrogenated oils. This is in accordance with EFSA’s recommendations to minimize trans fats in the context of a nutritionally adequate diet and the recent WHO Europe Policy Brief on “Eliminating Trans Fat in Europe” (Sept 2015).
 

Yours sincerely,
 

BEUC,
CPME,
EHN,
EPHA,
Kellogg Company,
Mars,
Mondelēz,
Nestlé.

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