Private Members Bill to Propose Trans Fat Ban
CTV News has learned the federal government will be presented with a chance to take a stand on Friday -- to all but ban trans fats from food products. A private members' bill is expected to propose strict limits in the hopes of protecting the health of Canadians.
Winnipeg NDP MP Pat Martin will propose the bill in the House of Commons on Friday, culminating a campaign he has been running to get the industrial fat, also known as hydrogenated vegetable oil, eliminated from the Canadian food system.
"We are introducing a bill to ban trans fats from our food supply altogether," he told CTV News.
Hydrogenated, or trans fats form mainly when liquid oil is subjected to hydrogen and changed from a liquid into a solid fat -- for example when a vegetable oil is made into margarine or shortening.
The resultant industrial oil is used for its ability to stay hard at room temperature -- a feature that gives long-life to cookies, cakes, chips and a whole list of processed foods.
Right now, consumers concerned by research linking trans fats to health problems including heart disease have to pore over ingredient lists hunting for the terms partially hydrogenated oils, or vegetable oil shortening.
Ottawa has proposed a labelling scheme that will come into effect by the end of next year, but NDP MP Pat Martin says he has the support of over 5,000 Canadians who say that's not enough.
"We have to take concrete steps to eliminate trans fat," he told CTV News. "Not just label them."
So, armed with his petition, Martin will table a private member's bill on Friday asking that food producers be required to limit trans fats to two grams or less for every 100 grams of fat in their product.
Martin's proposal virtually duplicates legislation in Denmark where the law limits trans fats to between two and five grams per 100 grams of oil, depending on the product.
It's the only country to have placed what effectively amounts to a ban of hydrogenated fats, passed on the strength of arguments that people should be protected from the health risk instead of being simply educated about them.
A 1997 New England Journal of Medicine found that people who consumed one gram of trans a day for a decade had a 20 per cent increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
Canadians ingest, on average, more than 10 grams of trans fats daily.
In a statement, University of Guelph professor Dr. Bruce Holub told CTV that a ban on intentionally produced trans fats such as vegetable shortening and partially-hydrogenated vegetable oils would translate to a 90 per cent reduction in Canadians' average daily intake.
"I would strongly support the banning of commercial hydrogenation... due to the serious health hazards associated such the consumption of such fats," the advisor to the Canadian government on trans fats said.
For their part, The Food and Consumers Products Manufacturers of Canada says food producers are taking appropriate steps.
"Some food manufacturers have already announced changes to their products. We anticipate that companies will continue to investigate options to reduce trans fat," the group said in a statement.
Voortman cookies is one example of a company that has already announced its cookies will be trans-free sometime this year. And Canada's top pizza chain, Pizza Pizza, is working on a new dough recipe -- reformulated to replace hydrogenated oils with canola oils.
Even if Martin's proposal never gets off the ground, the Winnipeg MP says he's far from considering his efforts wasted.
"It's really designed to catch the attention of the public, the government and especially the food industry," he says.
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