Last July 10, Marco Reyes—Managing Director of HanCole Industries—gave a talk in anticipation of the National Low Carb Conference to be held on October 1, 2023. Reyes discussed the ban on trans fat in prepackaged food products that began last June 19; delving into the rationale behind the order issued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and bringing up the question that most Filipinos must be asking—why is there a need to ban trans fats?
Firstly, it must be known that the main motivation behind the issued ban on trans fat stems from the increasing amount of research pinpointing towards its role in causing coronary heart disease. As directly stated in the circular released by FDA last 2021:
As stated in the said DOH AO and the 2017 Non-Communicable Disease Report of the World Health Organization (WHO), about 3,000 people in the Philippines suffer yearly from premature mortality related to high consumption of TFA. Further, according to WHO in 2020, cardiovascular diseases have been the leading cause of death globally for the past three decades. […] Due to its effect on the body’s Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL), high intake of TFAs increases the risk of developing coronary heart disease and other NCD.
To put it simply, trans fat has been discovered to pose a significant health risk for its consumers, yet its eradication is not as simple as it sounds in a country whose usage of it is alarmingly rampant. As discovered in a study presented by Michael Pelagio (2023), a science research specialist of the Department of Science and Technology-Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI) Chemical Laboratory, 17% of 564 analyzed food products contain an alarming amount of trans fat—much higher than the amount deemed safe by the FDA in their issued circular. Present in common household staples such as coffee creamers and butter, the consumption of trans fat has been ingrained in the day-to-day life of the average Filipino without them even knowing; discreetly making its presence nearly impossible to get rid of in one’s grocery list. Given this, the strict implementation of this ban is all the more urgent if we wish to successfully eliminate the presence of trans fat in our markets, yet it can’t be helped that perhaps the health of consumers is second to monetary profit in the eyes of major suppliers.
The Loophole with Serving Sizes
Despite the implementation of this ban on trans fat, Reyes advised consumers to remain vigilant with what they buy as there are still a number of loopholes that manufacturers and producers employ to continue their turnout of trans fat heavy products.
As per the guidelines released by FDA, products with less than 0.5 grams of trans fat for each serving are permitted to claim that their products are “Trans Fat Free”. In line with this, manufacturers have turned to revising their serving sizes to be of smaller portions, thus allowing them to have a smaller percentage of trans fat per serving despite their product’s cumulative trans fat content being the same. Therefore, Reyes advised consumers to always refer to a product’s nutrition facts label even if they’re advertised as trans fat free, as it may be possible that the manufacturer has simply utilized a small serving size to disguise the trans fat content of their merchandise.
What’s Next for Filipino Consumers?
While it may seem to be an improbable task to fully eliminate trans fat from one’s daily routine, there are much healthier substitutes that are present in the market today that wouldn’t cause severe health complications despite their efficacy. As an advocate for both personal and environmental wellness, HanCole actually produces and distributes specialty specialty fats based on 100% coconut oil—which is not hydrogenated—and thus, no trans fats are produced. These specialty fats can be made into non-dairy creamers, butter, margarine, cocoa butter substitutes, confectioneries, baked goods, and cosmetic products; many of which are products that contain alarming trans fat content in the market today. With this, it could be seen that not all hope is lost in one’s daily life in the absence of trans fat, and that replacing it would actually lead to a much healthier lifestyle for us Filipinos.