Consensus reached on need for legislative ban on PHOs

Islamabad : A high-level consultation meeting was jointly organized by the Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives (CPDI) and Pakistan Youth Change Advocates (PYCA) with representatives from the Islamabad, Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), and Balochistan food authorities.

The session was also attended by senior health and nutrition experts. The primary objective of the meeting was to develop a consensus on the urgent need to ban the production and distribution of partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs) - the primary raw material used in the creation of industrially produced trans-fatty acids (iTFAs). During the discussion, food authority representatives recognized the critical need for a complete ban on PHOs, in addition to enforcing a national limit of 2 grams of iTFA per 100 grams of total fats across all foods.

Speaking at the event, Farah Athar, Deputy Director Standards and Accreditation, Punjab Food Authority emphasised, “Industrially produced trans-fats are a major contributor to cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), which are the leading cause of death in Pakistan. A legislative ban on PHOs is crucial to protect public health and reduce the burden on the healthcare system.”

Afshar Iqbal, Director Communications and Advocacy at PYCA echoed these concerns, stating, “In order to safeguard public health, World Health Organization recommends imposing ban on PHOs to eliminate iTFAs from food supply. Countries that have implemented such bans have witnessed significant improvements in cardiovascular health indicators. Research supports that Pakistan should take a decisive action to ban PHO.”

Discussing on the urgent need of stringent actions, Dr. Abdul Sattar Shah, Deputy Director, KPK Food Authority, stated, “We are facing a dire situation of deteriorating public health. With a trans fat regulation on one side, PHO ban is necessary to improve food safety across the country.”

Affirming her support, Dr. Tahira Sidddique, Deputy Director, Islamabad Food Authority (IFA), assured, “Food authorities and especially IFA, will support at every step of the legislative process. It is a common cause and I second what my colleagues from other food authorities have mentioned. Legislative ban on PHOs supplement the trans-fat regulation and is need of the time to tackle health crisis.

Mr. Naqeeb Ullah, Deputy Director Technical, Balochistan Food Authority (BFA) discussed on the issue of food authority’s lack of technical capacity and importance of ban arguing, “Our inspections show high levels of trans-fats in samples collected from the regulated food categories. This issue will persist until and unless the raw material (PHO) used for trans-fats production is banned.”