Now is the moment to eliminate a human-made health challenge: Trans fat

Wars and other human-made health crises understandably capture global emotion, attention, and urgent calls for action. However, there is another less visible human-made health challenge that countries are increasingly fighting against.

The drive to rid the global food supply of industrial trans fat — a chemical responsible for over 278,000 deaths each year around the world — is a clear case of government commitment and action successfully promoting health and saving lives.

Industrially produced trans fat is a silent killer found in everyday products, often in baked goods, snacks, and margarine. It is formed when liquid vegetable oils are industrially processed into semisolid forms to improve texture, taste, and shelf life. Trans fat has no known health benefits but numerous proven harms. Even small amounts can increase the risk of coronary heart disease. However, with dedicated action, trans fat can be significantly reduced, or even eliminated, from the food supply, offering hope for a healthier future for tens of millions of people worldwide. The draft declaration to be discussed at this month’s high-level meeting on noncommunicable diseases at the United Nations General Assembly includes a call to remove trans fatty acids from food to reduce unhealthy diets around the globe.