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00:00 This is a very important problem facing the society today. Reduction of trans fat is an

00:08 absolute must and the entire world is struggling with this issue. The world has resolved, WHO

00:15 has resolved that we will bring it down to 2% by the year 2023. Now you see there are

00:21 three aspects to reducing trans fat consumption. One is to provide information to the public.

00:28 Unless they know what they are consuming, they can't make any informed choices. The

00:31 second is the regulatory aspect. And the third of course is to engage with all the stakeholders

00:36 and to ensure that trans fat free or low trans fat products become available to people because

00:42 unless they have choices, they can't really reduce their consumption of trans fat. So

00:46 as far as information is concerned, we already have rules in our country that every packet

00:50 of food has to display the level of trans fat. It is transparently displayed nowadays.

00:55 But regulation is the critical aspect before we make progress. On the regulatory front,

01:02 right now we have a stipulation that no oils will contain more than 5% trans fat. That

01:08 is the existing position. In addition to this, we have a trans fat free logo which is given

01:13 to products which are very low trans fat. So this trans fat free logo is given to restaurants

01:18 also, food establishments where low trans fat food is being prepared. We have this logo

01:23 system which can be seen by the public and people can go to restaurants which serve trans

01:28 fat free food. One important aspect is to help school children, youngsters to avoid

01:34 having trans fat. Because if they start young, then they can continue their habits later

01:39 on. So good habits should develop at a very early stage. With that in mind, now we have

01:44 come out with a new regulation. It is being notified very shortly, which says that high

01:49 fat salt and sugar products which are commonly referred to as junk food will not be sold

01:56 and will not be marketed, advertised in campuses of schools and in areas within 50 meters of

02:03 the school gate. So this is one regulation which is going to ensure that healthy food,

02:09 nutritious food is made available in school canteens and children start having healthy

02:14 food at a very young age. The other aspect is about the levels of fat which are trans

02:20 fat which are allowed right now. As I said it is 5% at present. Now I am very happy,

02:26 yesterday we had a presentation before the Honorable Health Minister and he has kindly

02:31 given his approval to a new regulation which is saying that by the year 2022, we will have

02:39 2% trans fat only in all oils and vegetable fats. It is to be done in a phased manner.

02:46 By 1st of January 2021, it will be reduced to 3% from 5% right now and by the next year

02:52 2022, it will come down to 2% and this is in keeping with our commitment that when India

02:58 celebrates 75 years of freedom, we would like to have less than 2% trans fat. This regulation

03:04 is going to be published, it is a final regulation which will come out very shortly. Apart from

03:08 that we are also coming out with a draft regulation which says that in all processed food, the

03:15 amount of trans fat should not be more than 2% of the fat content in that processed food.

03:21 So this is a draft stage, this also will be published shortly and it may take some time

03:26 to get finalized, may take 5 or 6 months but for oils and vegetable fats, we are very shortly

03:30 coming out with the final regulation saying that it has to be reduced from 5% to 3% and

03:36 then from 3% to 2% by the year 2022. This is the regulatory aspect but you see regulations

03:42 alone don't really win the war. Ultimately we have to engage with all the stakeholders.

03:49 So when we say information is mandatory and the regulation says that trans fat free products

03:54 or low trans fat free products have to be made available, the question is how do they

03:57 actually become available. There the crux of the matter lies there. So in the next phase,

04:03 as soon as we have this regulation, we will go for very intense engagement with all the

04:08 stakeholders. There are multinational companies which have reduced trans fat in their products

04:13 worldwide and there are Indian companies which have the potential of reducing trans fat.

04:19 So what is required is to engage with all of them, make expert advice and scientific

04:24 advice available to them, make them share their own experiences with each other and

04:30 ultimately ensure that low trans fat products become available to the customer. The consumer

04:36 should have a choice and then he can choose to go for low trans fat. But if we have a

04:40 regulation, if we make information available but products do not become available in the

04:44 market, then it is a wasted effort. So that is the most critical aspect which we have

04:49 to focus on now that the regulation is in place and we will focus on that now.

04:53 Thank you.

Trans Fats are a major problem society faces today – Shri Arun Singhal, IAS, CEO, FSSAI

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