KU session pushes to enforce 2pc industrial trans fat limit

Stakeholders call for coordinated action

KARACHI: Warning that industrially produced trans fats have become a silent but deadly driver of Pakistan’s non-communicable disease crisis, experts at a University of Karachi (KU) seminar have called for urgent enforcement of regulations and stronger collaboration between food authorities, researchers and industry to keep industrially produced trans fatty acids (iTFA) levels within safe limits.

The Department of Food Science and Technology, in collaboration with Nutrition International, organised the awareness and training session to highlight the health risks associated with iTFA and promote practical measures for their elimination. The event gathered researchers, policy officials and food safety regulators from Sindh, Balochistan and various national institutions.

KU’s Acting Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Haris Shoaib said the initiative was crucial not only for raising public understanding but also for strengthening the enforcement capacity of food authorities. Immediate control of industrial trans fats, he stressed, was vital as they had become a major contributor to non-communicable diseases, especially cardiovascular diseases.

Dean Faculty of Science Prof Dr Bilqees Gul underlined the role of scientific innovation in reducing iTFA, noting that research on modified triacylglycerol structures and improved fatty-acid profiles in oilseed varieties could offer viable, healthier alternatives for the food industry.

The session was attended by Director General Balochistan Food Authority Waqar Khurshid Alam and his team, Director (Technical) Sindh Food Authority Dr Ahmed Ali Shaikh, Director Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) Ashraf Pahlari, Dr Tahira Zaheer, Pakistan Council of Scientific & Industrial Research’s (PCSIR’s) Dr Umar Mukhtar and Nutrition International’s National Programme Manager Hafeezullah Gambhir.

KU’s Food Science and Technology Chairperson Dr Muhammad Abdul Haq discussed the challenges the local industry faces in producing iTFA-free products.

Associate Professor Dr Syed Muhammad Ghufran Saeed presented a scientific overview of the health hazards of fats containing more than two per cent iTFA. He noted that six out of every 10 deaths in Pakistan are linked to non-communicable diseases, with cardiovascular diseases alone accounting for three of them—reflecting the grave public-health implications of trans fats.

Participants concluded the session by pledging strict compliance with regulations limiting iTFA in edible fats to below two per cent, terming the commitment a step towards protecting public health and aligning Pakistan with global standards.

(The news report was originally published in weekly Social Track, Karachi.)

Photos: KU