Doctors have called on the government to ban trans fats from all foods sold in the UK in a bid to save lives. An excess consumption of trans fats is believed to lead to heart disease, however it is impossible for the average consumer to identify dangerous foods which is why a government level strategy is required. Manufacturers continue to omit information about trans fats on their food packaging which means we regularly consume trans fats without even realising.
Trans fats can be found in manufactured baked goods, margarine and take-aways, which are typical foods which we should only eat on rare occasions; however society’s need for convenience often overshadows any advice about healthy eating. The substance can also be found naturally in products such as red meat and milk and cheese, however overall consumption of these foodstuffs has decreased over the years whereas consumption of manufactured low nutrition high fat goods has soared.
Experts believe that a nationwide ban of trans fat in all foods will prevent over 10,000 heart attacks 7,000 deaths and a year, and will also be beneficial to the NHS. The consumption of foods containing trans fat is also linked to obesity and many health groups are lobbying for an outright ban on all junk foods in an attempt to combat this disease and spend money used to treat obese patients on cancer research or on other obesity prevention methods such as prescription treatments . The petition for a blanket ban on trans fats has so far been signed by thousands of doctors, health care providers, council members and charities.
Though pressure is being applied to the government and food manufacturers, we may still be quite a way off ridding ourselves of hidden bad fats. In the meantime we can still help ourselves by eating sensibly and paying attention to what we put inside ourselves. We all know certain foods should not be consumed on a daily basis and we should begin to take more personal responsibility for our health. If we show we are not interested in consuming bad foods containing trans fats, food manufacturers will have not choice but to remove them from the supermarket shelves.