TFAs represents a type of saturated fats which occur in nature (ruminant animals) but widely produced industrially by partial hydrogenating of vegetable oils. The biological relevance of TFA is, that it increases bad (LDL) cholesterol causing arteriosclerosis while decreases protecting (HDL) cholesterol.
Hungary was the third country in the EU to introduce legislation on the maximum content of TFA in foodstuffs. According to the ministerial decree applicable since February 2014 it is forbidden to place on the market food products in which the amount of trans fats exceeds 2 g for every 100 g of the total fat content of food products provided or sold to end consumers. In case of processed food products consisting of multiple ingredients, if
- the total fat content of the food product is lower than 20%; the amount of trans fats may not exceed 4 g for every 100 g of the total fat content of said food product;
- the total fat content of the food product is lower than 3%; the amount of trans fats may not exceed 10 g for every 100 g of the total fat content of said food product.
We do hope that after the public consultation and report envisaged in the report, the Commission will submit a legislative proposal which, similarly to the Hungarian rules, will contribute to the health protection of European citizens.
The report can be reached here: http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/health_food-safety/dyna/enews/enews.cfm?al_id=1650
