The World Health Organization had set a goal in 2018 to eliminate these trans fatty acids from the world diet by 2023. But in its progress report, published on Monday, the organization is obliged to recognize that this "is unattainable at present".

However, they have "no known benefit and pose enormous health risks which entail gigantic costs for health systems", recalls WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, quoted in a press release.

And to urge to get rid "once and for all" of these "toxic chemicals that kill".

Today, only 43% of the world's population enjoys some form of protection against these products, which the WHO estimates cause heart disease responsible for 500,000 deaths a year.

Of the 60 countries that have planned some form of elimination of industrial trans fatty acids, only 43 have adopted best practices: either a mandatory limit so that they make up no more than 2% of oils and fats in all food products, or a ban on partially hydrogenated oils.

Industrial trans fatty acids are found in solidified vegetable fats, such as margarine and clarified butter (ghee), and are often found in snack foods, baked foods, and fried foods.

Manufacturers use them because they have a longer shelf life and are less expensive than other greases.

What problem?

"There are certain regions of the world that do not believe that the problem exists," noted Francesco Branca, in charge of food safety at the WHO, during a press briefing, while these products have alternatives which, according to the WHO, do not cost more.

Currently, 9 of the 16 countries with the highest estimated proportion of coronary heart disease deaths caused by trans fat intake have not adopted the recommendations.

These are Australia, Azerbaijan, Bhutan, Ecuador, Egypt, Iran, Nepal, Pakistan and South Korea.

"Frankly, when there are trans fatty acids, it kills people and it should be banned", asserted during the press briefing Tom Frieden, former head of the American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and President of Resolve to Save Lives which fights in particular against cardiovascular diseases.

Tom Frieden, then director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on July 13, 2016 in Washington © SAUL LOEB / AFP/Archives

"There is simply no excuse for a country not to take action to protect its people from this toxic man-made chemical," he said.

"You can eliminate trans fatty acids without changing the cost, taste, or availability of great foods."

Advancements

The WHO points out that Mexico, Nigeria and Sri Lanka plan to take measures in 2023. "If adopted, Nigeria would be the second country in Africa and the most populous to put in place a policy of good practices elimination of trans fats", insists the organization in the press release, while no low-income country has yet adopted a policy of best practices for the elimination of trans fatty acids.

Mexico - where the problem is omnipresent - "is on the verge of action, so we really hope to see Mexico, with Nigeria, crossing the line in the near future", rejoiced Tom Frieden.

"You can't see trans fatty acids in your diet. You don't know they're there. If you have a heart attack and you die, you might not know who caused it," he warned, saying his "optimism" that the world "can relegate trans fatty acids to oblivion".

© 2023 AFP