The Consumers’ Foundation yesterday urged the Ministry of Health and Welfare to follow the US’ example and impose a ban on trans fat and refrain from setting a minimum level of trans fat content, below which food products can be exempt from labeling the amount of the unhealthy fat contained.
Since 2008, the ministry has required manufacturers of packaged foods to list the amount of trans-unsaturated fatty acids contained in products in the nutrition facts table on packaging, Consumers’ Foundation chairman Alan Lu (陸雲) told a news conference in Taipei.
“Nevertheless, a recent survey conducted by the Health Promotion Administration showed that nearly 60 percent of respondents were unaware of the regulation, with 36 percent saying that they had never heard of trans fat,” Lu said.
Foundation secretary-general Lu Hsin-chang (盧信昌) said that, starting in July, food manufacturers would be required to label the amounts of trans fats in products if the levels exceed 0.3g per 100g.
“However, products containing trans fat under that level are exempt from the labeling requirement,” he said.
Lu Hsin-chang said trans fat is known as a silent killer, because of its association with cardiovascular diseases, prompting several countries to impose bans or tighten regulations governing the substance.
Lu Hsin-chang cited Denmark as the first country in the world to issue a ban on the sale of products containing more than 2 percent trans fat in 2003, while in the US, mandatory labeling of trans fat content has been required since 2006.
Due to growing public awareness of the health risks posed by trans fats, Switzerland, Canada, the Netherlands, Sweden, South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore have since followed suit, Lu Hsin-chang said.
“Among them, Hong Kong even established a food safety center that allows the public to look up the trans fat content of beef, lamb and dairy products,” he said.
The foundation urged the ministry to ban trans fat as soon as possible and establish a food safety Web site that provides nutritional information for common foods.
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