ISLAMABAD  -  On the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day, the collaborators of the TRANSFORM Pakistan campaign have emphasized for co-relation between the intake of industri­ally produced trans fatty acids (iTFA) and the prevalence of dia­betes, cardiovascular disease, Alz­heimer’s and other chronic health issues.

Pakistan is presently facing a troubling upswing in health chal­lenges, with one in three adult Pakistanis living with diabetes. Available data from Pakistan indi­cates that unhealthy diets, charac­terized by excessive sugar and salt intake, and the consumption of iT­FAs play a substantial role in con­tributing to the epidemic of dia­betes, cardiovascular disease, and other health problems in the na­tion.

“Industrially produced trans fats have become ubiquitous in the processed foods that fill our gro­cery store shelves, and pose a sig­nificant threat to cardiovascular health,” said Dr. Saba of Heartfile.

Earlier this year, with the sup­port of the Global Health Advo­cacy Incubator (GHAI), and the Ministry of National Health Ser­vices, Regulations and Coordina­tion (MoNHSR&C), and in collab­oration with other civil society organizations such as the Center for Peace and Development Initi­atives (CPDI), and Heartfile, Pa­kistan Youth Change Advocates (PYCA) initiated the TRANSFORM Pakistan campaign.

“Within the framework of the TRANSFORM Pakistan campaign, we are urging the government to adopt best-practice policies, in­cluding enforcing a mandato­ry limit of 2 grams of industrially produced TFAs in every 100 grams of fat present in all food items throughout Pakistan,” shared Af­shar Iqbal, Director Communica­tions and Advocacy at PYCA.

Mukhtar Ahmed, Executive Di­rector of CPDI, highlighted the current progress regarding iTFA regulations in Pakistan, stating, “Earlier this year, the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Au­thority (PSQCA) with the support of MoNHSR&C updated stand­ards for various food items. How­ever, many food items like choc­olates, desserts, noodles/pasta, ice-creams, other ultra-processed foods, and several commonly con­sumed street foods have yet not been covered by iTFA limits, pos­ing a considerable threat to the health of our nation.”

“Regulating iTFAs reflects an ev­idence-based approach to health­care that emphasizes prevention of diseases and health promotion” stated Munawar Hussain, In-coun­try Coordinator for GHAI.

Expressing support for the TRANSFORM Pakistan campaign, Dr. Khawaja Masuood Ahmed, National Coordinator, Nutrition & National Fortification Alliance at MoNHSR&C said, “The health ministry is fully committed to the mandatory regulation of trans-fats across all dietary sources. We have already made some pro­gress in this regard and are hope­ful that the unregulated food items will also soon be aligned with the WHO-recommended limit of 2% trans fats per 100 grams of fat in all foods.”