The S&D Group at the European Parliament is growing impatient. Nearly two years have gone by since the Parliament voted though a resolution (on 16 October 2016) urging the European Commission to propose as soon as possible, and within two years at the latest, the setting in place of EU-wide legal limits for trans fatty acids (TFA) used in the food industry during food processing. And, so far, nothing has been done. Such was the group’s message to the European Commission on 10 July, urging the Commission to act “to save lives”.
“It is high time for the European Commission to stop ignoring the European Parliament’s resolution – approved two years ago – which would ultimately benefit our citizens’ health and improve their wellbeing”, commented Miriam Dalli, Maltese MEP and coordinator for the S&D Group within Parliament's committee on the environment.
“This is a clear example of a targeted measure which can directly address a dietary cause of cardiovascular disease”, said Daciana Sarbu of Romania, who drafted the Parliament’s resolution.
TFAs cause cardiovascular diseases, infertility, Alzheimers, diabetes and obesity, and are responsible for 660,000 deaths annually in the EU. In its resolution, Parliament sounded the alarm, as large quantities of these unsaturated fats are present in pre-prepared dishes, pastries, quiches and pizzas, margarines, chips, chocolate bars, and pre-packed bakery products, without consumers being aware of their properties (see EUROPE 11655).
Austrian Minister Beate Haringe-Klein told members of the parliamentary committee, on 11 July, that the Austrian presidency will be organising a conference of experts on 22 and 23 November on the food value chain. She thanked “the Bulgarian presidency for its conclusions and the Parliament for its resolution on trans fatty acids, which are clear bases on which to build”.
Denmark was the first EU country to limit FTA content through legislative means, in 2003. Similar measures have since been introduced in Austria (2009), Hungary (2013) and Latvia (2015). Voluntary measures for reducing the quantity of FTAs present in foodstuffs are in place in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, the United Kingdom and Greece. National dietary recommendations have been published in Bulgaria, Malta, Slovakia, the United Kingdom and Finland. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)