HEALTH and legal experts have called on the government to enact regulations limiting unsaturated fatty acids, including trans-fatty acids (TFA) in food products to address the rising cases of heart-related diseases.

Trans Fatty Acids (TFA) is commonly found in processed foods, margarine and baked goods and is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular diseases.

Tike Mwambipile, executive director of the Tanzania Women’s Lawyers Association (TAWLA) said in Dar es Salaam yesterday that they were advocating for regulations to ensure that TFA levels do not exceed 2.0 percent in food products.

TAWLA in partnership with the Ministry of Health, the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Tanzania Non-Communicable Diseases Alliance (TANCIDA), and Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS) have initiated a national campaign to push for the elimination of TFA from the country's food supply.

“Despite global progress, many Tanzanians remain exposed to industrially produced TFAs, unknowingly risking their health,” she said.

She said that lack of a comprehensive national standard regulating TFA content in Tanzania exacerbates the problem leading to preventable deaths and placing a strain on the healthcare system.

She cited countries like South Africa and Thailand, which have successfully implemented regulations banning or significantly reducing TFAs in their food supply.

“Developing a legally binding national standard on TFA is a critical step in protecting public health,” she stated.

The proposed regulations would limit TFA levels in food products with the ultimate goal of eliminating industrially produced TFAs, she asserted.

The Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) must play a pivotal role in creating a healthier food environment by encouraging food manufacturers to reformulate products and reduce TFA content.

MUHAS honorary lecturer Hassan Rusobya presented findings from a study conducted in Dar es Salaam between 2021 and 2022 revealing that many diets contain unsaturated fatty acids and exceed the recommended limit of 1.0percent.

Industrially produced TFAs are not part of a healthy diet and should be avoided, he emphasised, pointing at WHO recommendations limiting trans-fat intake to less than 1.0pc of total energy intake, approximately 2.2 grams per day in a 2,000-calorie diet.

The organization has developed the replace action package to help governments eliminate industrially produced TFA from the food supply, he added.