In 2023. the World Health Organization declared that trans fats posed "huge health risks" and were responsible for half a million heart disease-related deaths annually.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the organization's director general, denounced trans fats, saying they have "no known benefit" and "huge costs for health systems".
To put it plainly, trans fat is a deadly toxin that has no place in food. It's time to eradicate it permanently," he declared in a statement.
The UAE released its National Nutrition Strategy 2022–2030 in December, with the goal of removing trans fats and drastically reducing the amount of sugar in meals.
What are Trans Fats?
While some meat and dairy products naturally contain minor amounts of trans fats, the kind of trans fats that are of concern are those that are chemically or industrially manufactured through the partial hydrogenation of vegetable oils.
These are frequently used as food components, like emulsifiers, which prolong shelf life by preventing ingredient separation. Cakes, doughnuts, ice cream, margarines, vegetable oils, and breads can all contain trans fats.
Some fast-food businesses also like them because they enable the use of cooking fat more often.