Uganda: experts ask government to ban TFAs from the country’s food chain

Public health experts and food safety advocates called on the Ugandan government to ban industrially produced trans fatty acids (TFAs) from the country’s food chain. A proposal on the issue has already been drafted, but Robinah Kaitiritimba, Executive Director of the Uganda National Health Consumers’ Organisation (UNHCO), said they want it to be adopted quickly to save lives and protect national health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), TFAs are responsible for nearly 300,000 deaths globally each year. They are linked to heart disease and several other cardiovascular conditions. In Uganda, a growing number of deaths have recently been related to their impact on the human cardiovascular system. Dr. Denis Male, a food safety researcher at Makerere University, said that TFAs are created through a chemical process called partial hydrogenation. It stabilizes oils but produces harmful compounds that clog arteries and increase the risk of heart attack. He emphasized the need to use “alternative technologies” to create stable and safe fats without hydrogenation, abandoning old and damaging processing practices.
Public health and food safety experts want Uganda to follow the example of countries like Canada and South Africa, which have significantly reduced heart disease-related mortality by banning TFAs.