Reza Mahmud :
Prevalence of heart diseases in Bangladesh is increasing day by day.
Industrially produced trans fatty acid (TFA) is a toxic food element that causes increased risks of deaths from heart diseases.
The TFA is used in food items to make those delicious and cheaper in cost.
TFA in food is a major cause of heart diseases, as per different study worldwide.
Sources said, about 2,77,992 people in Bangladesh die each year of heart diseases and about 4.4pc of those are directly attributed to TFA intake.
Globally, almost 500,000 people die of trans fat-induced heart diseases.
The World Health Organization has set the target to eliminate trans fat from the global food supply by 2023.
Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) has prepared draft regulations for limiting trans fats in food products after creating huge pressures on them from public health experts, physicians and conscious people across the country.
On the other hand, Bangladesh is to face exporting ban of food items if it fails to fulfil the WHO deadline of limiting the use of TFA below 2pc in foods by 2023.
BFSA failed to say that how long time they need to finalise it while the deadline of WHO is closing day by day.
When contacted, Md. Abdul Qayyum Sarker, Chairman of BFSA told The New Nation on Wednesday, “We have contacted all stakeholeders on TFA. Now we are working for finalising the regulations on it. Then it will be sent to Law Ministry through Food Ministry and then it would be converted to a law.”
Replying to a query, he said that it cannot be told that how many days needed to finalise that.
Meanwhile, urging for the speedy finalization of the ‘Limiting Trans Fatty Acid in Food Products Regulations 2021’, a virtual human chain was organized by PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress), National Heart Foundation, Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) and other civil society organizations, professionals and people from different ages and socioeconomic strata, taking the social networking site Facebook to stage their demand.
The netizens demonstrated a virtual human chain on Monday by showcasing their placards, festoons and posters on social media.
Dr. Sohel Reza Choudhury, Professor at the Depertment of Epidemiology and Research of the National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh, told, “Trans fat in food is a major cause of heart diseases which is increasing in the country seriously. Hence, it is highly necessary to finalize the regulations on limiting trans fat as soon as possible to reduce the risk of heart diseases.”
ABM Zubair, Executive Director of PROGGA said, “The sooner the regulations on limiting trans fat is implemented, the sooner public health will be safeguarded from risks of heart diseases.”
