Mandatory removal of trans fats in food products

Definition

The presence of official regulations or standards that mandate the removal of trans fats from food products. These can target a range of specific food categories such as edible oils, margarines, and confectionary products, or food products broadly. They may apply to foods sold for household use and/or as raw materials in processed foods.

Relevance

Trans fats are vegetable oils that have been modified to be solid at room temperature. They are typically found in processed foods because they reduce the cost of production and increase shelf-life, but these fats have been shown to increase the risk of noncommunicable diseases.

Treatment of Missing Values

Countries with missing data do not have regulations in place or are countries for which no evidence indicating the presence or absence of regulations could be identified.