Food Amendment (Trans Fatty Acids Eradication) Bill 2008
OBJECTIVES:
The object of this Bill is to amend the Food Act 2003 to require the mandatory labelling of all packaged food products containing non-naturally occurring trans fatty acids (‘trans fats’), and the presence of any such foods containing trans fats served in restaurants or take away businesses. After two years the mandatory labelling will be followed by the banning outright of the sale of products containing trans fatty acids.
COMMENT:
There are four different types of fat, known as ‘saturated’, ‘polyunsaturated’, ‘monounsaturated’, and ‘trans fat’ and each has a different effect on blood cholesterol levels.
‘Saturated fat’ is the type that raises blood cholesterol levels, and a high total blood cholesterol level is one of the main risk factors for heart disease. You find this kind of fat in fatty meats, full fat dairy products, butter, coconut and palm oils, in most deep fried take-away meals, and in most commercially baked products such as biscuits and pastries.
‘Polyunsaturated fats’ help lower blood cholesterol, if your meals are low in saturated fat. Polyunsaturated fats are found in seeds, nuts, fish, and polyunsaturated oils and margarine spreads.
‘Monounsaturated fats’ can also help lower blood cholesterol, if meals are low in saturated fat. Foods that contain monounsaturated fats are avocado, seeds, nuts, and monounsaturated oils like peanut, canola or olive.
‘Trans fats’ are a type of unsaturated fat similar to saturated fat due to their chemical structure. These terms, ‘unsaturated’ and ‘saturated’, refer to their chemical bonds, which determine how they act in the body.
All fats are high in kilojoules and should be used in moderation.
According to the experts, trans fats can be created in three ways: by bacterial action in the gut of ruminant animals like cattle, sheep, goats and deer; by hydrogenation, which is a process used to produce solid and semi-solid fats by bubbling hydrogen through liquid vegetable oil thereby increasing the number of hydrogen atoms; and through ‘deodorisation’, considered a necessary step in the refining of oils high in polyunsaturated fats.
Naturally occurring trans fats are found in very small amounts in dairy products and red meat at a level of 2 – 5% of total fat, but it is the artificially manufactured trans fats that this Bill is concerned with. They are found in foods which use ‘hydrogenated’ or ‘partially hydrogenated’ vegetable fats – foods such as baked products like pies, pastries, cakes, biscuits, and buns. Margarines used to have high levels of trans fats but those have been replaced as consumers have become more aware of the dangers. Processed food items are ‘hydrogenated’ or ‘partially hydrogenated’ by manufacturers to extend their products’ shelf life.
Hydrogenation was developed in the early 1900’s and first commercialised as Crisco in 1911, which quickly began to replace lard. Hydrogenated fats have a higher melting point, which makes them useful for baking and extends shelf life. Advocates in the 1960’s claimed that these trans fats were healthier than the animal fats they were replacing, but by the late 1980’s the scientific literature was showing that trans fats could be a cause of the large increase being observed in heart disease. By 1994 it was estimated that trans fats were causing 30,000 cardiac deaths annually in the US alone and since then, over the past 15 years, has increased to 100,000 per year. The evidence cited here comes from the well-known Nurses’ Health Study, a cohort study that has been following the health events of 120,000 nurses since 1976.
Trans fats raise the total blood cholesterol, as well as raise the LDL (low density lipoprotein) known as the ‘bad’ component of blood cholesterol. They also lower the ‘good’ component, HDL, (high-density lipoprotein). This double action adds to the risk of coronary heart disease, heart attacks (fatal and non-fatal), and stroke, which together under the heading ‘cardiovascular disease’ is a leading cause of death in Australia and the world. Trans fats also cause insulin resistance, which contributes to the development of Type 2 Diabetes.
The presence of trans fats in human milk may be a particular concern because of their possible adverse nutritional and physiological effects on the receiving infant. The live of trans fats in human milk depends on the mothers’ consumption of trans fat, so it follows that the amount found in breastfed infants reflects their mothers’ diet. Reported percentages of trans fats compared to total fats in human milk range from 1% in Spain, 2% in Germany and over 7% in Canada. Researchers have been concerned that the elevation of trans fats in human milk has been found to be at the expense of other fatty acids that are considered useful, healthy and in fact, essential to the developing infant.
And for people who are still hoping to have children, a 2007 study found that “for each 2% increase in the intake of energy from trans fats there was an associated 73% greater risk of (female) infertility”.
Consumers need to be made aware of, then be able to act to reduce their intake of trans fats. Nutritionists have been warning us for decades we need to reduce our intake of all fats, especially the saturated ones which have the greatest overall effect on our risk of heart disease.
The advice that dietary experts have given us over the years still holds, and if we follow that advice we are probably not at risk: avoid foods that list ‘hydrogenated’ or ‘partially hydrogenated’ ingredients on their label, replace butter and dairy blends with polyunsaturated or monounsaturated margarine or spreads (and use them sparingly), use more olive oil, trim fat off meat, choose low fat dairy products, eat more fish, whole grains, vegetables and beans, limit eggs, crisps, pastries and alcohol, and always look for the tick awarded by the Australian Heart Foundation when a food meets its strict criteria for goodness. And last of all the experts always say to exercise for at least 30 minutes a day on most, if not all, days of the week because that, too, helps keep your cholesterol under control.
It is very important that people reduce their intake of trans fat, but it is almost impossible for them to do so if they do not know which foods contain them. Restaurants of all kinds are a major source of artificial trans fat but customers currently have no practical way to know whether food they eat contains it. That is why clear labelling is so important. This Bill would require the labelling by the food industry of all products manufactured and sold in New South Wales, as well as imported from overseas, or served in restaurants including take away businesses, specifying the trans fat content so people can make wise decisions.
In June 2008 the World Health Organisation’s regional office for North and South America proclaimed the “Declaration of Rio de Janeiro”. This calls for Trans Fat Free Americas. Using the WHO Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health as a framework it cites the conclusive scientific evidence linking the consumption of industrially produced trans fatty acids with alteration of the metabolism of blood lipids, vascular inflammation, and the development of cardiovascular diseases.
Their recommendations include:
·that trans fats should be replaced in all manufactured goods
·that nutritional labelling be obligatory with standardisation throughout the signatory nations
·that publicly funded food aid programs, hospitals, and school feeding programs be an important part of the effort
·that governments assist in easing the transfer of relevant new technology
·that public health authorities develop programs for educating the public on the different types of fat and the correct way to read food labels
·that monitoring of the food supply must be undertaken, as well as periodic food intake surveys
·and the measurement of biological markers in the population that will allow evaluation of the changes and the need for any adjustment over time.
I think all of these points are excellent ones and should be considered by Dr Kaye for incorporation into the proposed legislation.
In July this year California became the first American State to legislate the phase out the use of trans fats, and a number of American cities, including New York City, have taken the same step.
In jurisdictions which have already adopted this type of legislation it has been found that restaurants and bakeries need technical support, and have been offered a help-line staffed by food science experts to assist with the required transition from trans fats to other fats. I think that is commendable and wonder if that would be useful in the NSW context?
In addition training was offered for restaurant personnel, and resource materials such as brochures with practical tips and information about alternatives were also provided.
The legislation in the USA banning the use of trans fats and requiring the labelling of manufactured foodstuffs and restaurant meals was supported by academic, professional and advocacy groups such as the American Medical Association, the American College of Cardiology, American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, Harvard University and so on, just to name a few of the more well known organisations whose support is worth noting.
In Australia, Choice Magazine reported after testing comparable products from different brands: there is no real need for the food industry to use trans fats, as there are many fats that have no trans fat, at all, that can be used instead. They cite the US National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine which reported that ‘the only safe level of trans fat intake is ZERO.’
CONCLUSION
I commend the Greens for introducing this important Bill, and am pleased to support it.
REV THE HON. DR GORDON MOYES AC MLC
