“The World Health Organization’s REPLACE initiative to make the world trans fat free by 2023 continues to gain momentum. The Philippines is the latest country to prioritize saving lives, following India’s adoption of a best practice trans fat elimination policy in April. With the new administrative order banning partially-hydrogenated oils––the main sources of industrially produced trans fat––and limiting trans fat content in all fats and oils to 2%, the Philippines establishes itself as a leader in the Western Pacific Region, where an estimated more than 3.5 million tons of partially hydrogenated oils are sold each year (almost a third of the global market). As the United States National Academy of Medicine concluded, there is no safe level of consumption of this artificial, toxic product. The sale of millions of tons of this product in Asia is a risk to people throughout the region. The Philippines shows the way to rapidly protect health against this entirely unnecessary harmful chemical.
“Trans fat elimination can save more than 17 million lives over the next 25 years and prevent at least twice as many heart attacks. All governments that have not yet done so must follow the Philippines’ lead and protect their people from this toxic ingredient. Action to eliminate industrially produced trans fats saves lives, saves money, promotes health equity, and builds regulatory systems that can improve food safety overall.”
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About Resolve to Save Lives
Resolve to Save Lives, an initiative of the global health organization Vital Strategies, focuses on preventing deaths from cardiovascular disease and preventing epidemics. It is led by Dr. Tom Frieden, former director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. To find out more, visit: https://www.resolvetosavelives.org or Twitter @ResolveTSL.
About Dr. Tom Frieden
Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during the Obama administration, when he oversaw responses to the H1N1 influenza, Ebola and Zika epidemics, is President and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives, an initiative of Vital Strategies, and Senior Fellow for Global Health at the Council on Foreign Relations. Twitter: @DrTomFrieden.
About Vital Strategies
Vital Strategies is a global health organization that believes every person should be protected by a strong public health system. We work with governments and civil society in 73 countries to design and implement evidence-based strategies that tackle their most pressing public health problems. Our goal is to see governments adopt promising interventions at scale as rapidly as possible.
To find out more, please visit www.vitalstrategies.org or Twitter @VitalStrat.
Media Contacts:
Steven Chlapecka, Resolve to Save Lives: [email protected], +1.917.623.0246
Christina Honeysett, Vital Strategies: [email protected]; +1.914.424.3356