India to be trans-fat free by 2022: FSSAI

Union minister Harsh Vardhan launched the ‘Trans Fat-Free’ logo on October 4, 2019.

The logo has been launched to accelerate Food Safety and Standards Authority of India or FSSAI’s ‘Eat Right India’, a movement to phase out trans-fat in the country.

Food outlets that use trans-fat free fats / oil and do not have industrial trans-fat more than 0.2g / 100g of food, can display the logo.

FSSAI aims to reduce the industrially produced trans-fats on food supply to less than two per cent by 2022.

Trans-fats are the worst form of fats that create high health risks

Industrial trans-fats are used in vegetable fats / oils, vanaspati, margarine and baked foods for longer shelf life

Globally, industrial trans-fat intake leads to more than 540,000 deaths from cardiovascular disease every year

In India, the number of deaths is around 60,000

India targets to eliminate trans-fat by 2022, a year ahead of the global target by the World Health Organization.