Globally, over 278 000 deaths per year are attributed to the high intake of industrially produced trans fatty acids (TFA), which can also lead to heart diseases. Contained in margarine, vegetable shortening, fried foods, and baked goods, such as crackers, biscuits, and pies, it can be replaced with healthier alternatives without compromising taste, cost, or availability.
As a public health measure, Ukraine is actively implementing measures to eliminate industrially produced TFA in food. In October 2023, the Ministry of Health of Ukraine Order No. 1316 mandated that the presence of industrially produced TFAs should not exceed 2 g per 100 g of total fat content in food items, which is fully compliant with European Union (EU) legislation and WHO best practice for TFA elimination.
To support Ukraine in eliminating industrially produced TFAs from the food supply, WHO conducted the first FEEDCities project, which aimed to assess the level of TFA in commonly available foods from supermarkets (i.e. industrial food) and food kiosks and fast-food outlets (i.e. homemade food). The FEEDcities project also collected data on salt and potassium. This is the first study of its kind in Ukraine and the data will be used to monitor the enforcement of the new TFA regulation and inform further policy development to create heathier food environments.
“Ukraine has significantly advanced in eliminating industrially produced trans fat in food with the adoption of WHO best practice measures aligned with the EU requirements, but more actions are needed,” said Dr Jarno Habicht, WHO Representative in Ukraine. “During the war, WHO supported Ukraine in building a laboratory capacity in Kyiv city and Khmelnytska Oblast, as well as, for the first time, conducted the FEEDCities research project, setting a baseline for Ukraine’s future path towards a zero trans fat environment.”
Monitoring and enforcement measures
The FEEDcities study identified that over 30% of food items collected exceeded the maximum established limit of 2 g per 100 g of fat in a food product.
Industrially produced foods, such as cakes, oatmeal cookies, milk-based desserts, ice cream, frozen foods, margarine, cheese, and processed meats, as well as homemade foods, including pastries, pizza, panini, doners, falafel, croissants, and cakes, all exceed the maximum TFA limit.
The study also revealed that, with a wide variety of food types exceeding the maximum level of trans fats, it is impossible for consumers to avoid eating foods containing TFAs. Thus, strong monitoring and enforcement measures are needed to protect the population from this risk factor.
WHO recommends:
- building national laboratory capacity to test TFA in food products;
- ensuring adequate monitoring and enforcement mechanisms are in place to ensure that there is no industrially produced TFA;
- fostering multisectoral collaboration and partnerships between government agencies, civil society organizations, academic institutions, private sector entities, and international stakeholders; and
- ensuring all criteria are met to apply for the WHO Validation Programme for Trans Fat Elimination.
The FEEDCities research project has been conducted in Ukraine with co-support from Switzerland.
WHO/Europe launched the Special Initiative on NCDs (noncommunicable diseases) and Innovation (SNI) to address NCD challenges during a complex permacrisis, which can include wars, climate change, economic downturns, and pandemics. SNI follows a dual-track approach: "Race to the finish” accelerates key NCD “best buys” for quick impact, while ”Vision 2050” ensures resilience for future generations. A priority in ”Race to the finish” is to support Member States in becoming free from trans fats.