Governments Should Heed WHO’s Call To Ban Trans Fats

New York Times: The World Doesn’t Need Trans Fats
Editorial Board

“…[T]he WHO … has long urged countries to issue nutritional guidelines that advise people to avoid trans fats. But it is not always easy for consumers to know when they are eating these oils, which are often in packaged or prepared foods that are not clearly labeled. … Officials at the WHO developed its trans fats campaign with Resolve to Save Lives, a public health group led by Dr. Tom Frieden, the former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who in 2007, as health commissioner of New York City, banned the use of trans fats in restaurants and bakeries. The WHO and Dr. Frieden say they will help countries assess how trans fats are used in food, educate consumers, promote alternatives, and develop policies to eliminate these substances over time. … Trans fats are a silent killer that many people are not aware of and can easily live without. Banning them should be an easy call for nations around the world, and the WHO is right to push them to do so” (5/14).

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