Surgeon General Geir Gunnlaugsson wants to ban trans fats in food products that are sold in Iceland. A parliamentary resolution on limiting the trans fats content in food has been submitted to the Althingi parliament, also suggesting tighter regulations on the description of food ingredients.
The photo is not directly related to the story. By Páll Stefánsson.
One portion of a certain type of microwave popcorn sold in many stores around Iceland contains seven times more trans fats than what is permitted in food products sold in Denmark, ruv.is reports.
A Danish physician who has studied products in 50 different countries said he hasn’t found as high a concentration of trans fats in any other food product.
Trans fats are mainly found in snacks, biscuits and deep-fried products. Studies show that they cause cardiac diseases and also have other negative effects on people’s health.
Gunnlaugsson said it is important for authorities to consider how to encourage healthier lifestyles, for example by limiting the trans fats content in food.
It is difficult for consumers to avoid trans fats because they are rarely specified in the description of ingredients. That can be improved if the new parliamentary resolution is passed, where extensive limitations of the use of trans fats are also suggested.
The surgeon general wants to take it one step further and ban products containing trans fats completely, except in the few cases where the use of trans fats is necessary in food production.
