Case Study -Taking trans fat out of the food supply - the Canadian Experience Mary R. L Abbé, PhD Director, Bureau of Nutritional Sciences, Health Canada Prince Mahidol Award Conference 2009 January 28-30, 2009 Bangkok, Thailand Why are trans fats a health concern for Canadians? Health effects well known: trans fats (TFAs) raise LDLcholesterol and lower HDL-cholesterol By the mid-1990s, researchers estimated that Canadians had one of the highest intakes of TFAs in the world due to widespread use of hydrogenated canola and soybean oils Coronary heart disease is a leading cause of premature death in Canada 2
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 8.4 g/day SPA FIN GER FRA DEN SWE UK BEL NET NOR USA ICE CAN Trans fat intake in Canada vs. other countries (1995) CHI JAP ITA POR Hulshof et al. (1999); Zhou et al.(2003); Ratnayake and Chen (1995) 3 Action 1: Analytical Health Canada has supported: Scientific reports, training, and workshops focussing on research and health effects of TFAs as early as the 1979 Report of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Composition of Special Margarines The development of analytical methods for determination of TFAs in foods Health Canada's scientists have led to the development of methods to accurately determine TFAs 1 1 AOAC Official Method 996.06. Fat (Total, Saturated, and Unsaturated) in foods, hydrolytic extraction gas chromatographic method, Revised 2001. In: Official Methods of Analysis of AOAC International 18th Edition (Horwitz, W, ed.). 4
Action 2: Mandatory Nutrition Labelling Introduced December 2002, effective December 2005 First country in the world to introduce mandatory labelling of TFAs Requires declaration of TFAs on most prepackaged foods Other provisions of labelling regulations: claims relating to TFAs fat content 5 Trans fats and saturated fats are linked Nutrition Facts table Saturated fat (SFA) + TFA on 2 separate lines, with a single % Daily Value Nutrient content claims: trans fat free : less than 0.2 g of TFAs per reference amount and serving of stated size, and "low in SFAs lower or reduced : content of SFAs not higher/increased, and at least 25% less TFAs per reference amount, than similar reference food Generic health claims: A healthy diet low in saturated and trans fats may reduce the risk of heart disease. (Naming the food) is free of [low in] saturated and trans fats. 6
Action 3: other labelling initiatives Labelling regulations are limited foods sold at restaurants and food service establishments fall outside of regulations Voluntary guidelines developed for providing nutrition information (2006)* information, including TFA content, is provided through instore brochures, pamphlets, posters, and websites * By the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association in consultation with Health Canada 7 Canada s Food Guide In February 2007, Health Canada updated and released its revised Canada s Food Guide tool that Canadians are encouraged to use to help make healthier food choices previous revision done in 1992 For the first time, the guide contains explicit recommendations to limit TFA and SFA intakes Additionally, consumers are encouraged to read the Nutrition Facts table lists the amount of TFA and SFA a product contains also has other important nutrition information such as calories and the level of 13 core nutrients 8
9 Consumer awareness increasing Progress is being made 45% of Canadians claimed that they have heard or that they understand the term "trans fat (1999) vs. 79% (2005) A number of restaurants committed to implementing industry-led voluntary guidelines >25 major restaurant chains (~ 40% of all chain establishments) TFAs have been reduced or eliminated in certain foods ex. bread products and salad dressings TFA free Intakes have been decreasing 8.4 g/day (mid 1990 s) vs. 4.9 g/day (2005) However, some believe that more action is needed 10
Estimated trans fat intakes in Canada in 1995 and 2005 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 8.3g 1995 4.9g 2005 WHO Recommended Level 2-2.7g 200? 11 Other actions for reducing trans fats in Canada In 2004, the Parliament of Canada passed a motion to enact regulation, or if necessary present legislation that effectively eliminates processed trans fats, by limiting the processed trans fat content of any food product sold in Canada to the lowest level possible motion called on Health Canada and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada to co-chair a multi-stakeholder task force included participants from health associations, academia, food processing and food service industry, and government 12
The Trans Fat Task Force released its final report June 2006 http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/nutrition/gras-trans-fats/tf-ge/tf-gt_rep-rap_e.html 13 Trans Fat Task Force recommendations Trans Fat Task Force recommended: Limit the total amount of TFAs in foods through regulation limit the TFA content of vegetable oils and soft, spreadable margarines to 2% of the total fat content; and for all other foods to 5% of the total fat content, including ingredients sold to restaurants Also provide information on healthier alternatives for each sector of the food industry (e.g., baking, frying etc.) Other recommendations in final report TRANSforming the Food Supply 14
Recommendations anticipated impact Proposed limits would decrease TFAs intakes by an average 55% significantly improving the heart health of all Canadians Levels are consistent with other dietary recommendations WHO and American Heart Association s recommendation: less than 1% of energy per day of TFAs IOM as low as possible Recommendations are feasible and consistent with nutrition labelling help level the playing field for all players in the food industry 15 Standing Committee on Health Report, March 2007 Healthy Weights for Healthy Kids Standing Committee on Health recommendations: Supported the recommendations from the TFTF establish regulations by 2008 that limit TFA content in food as recommended by TFTF while not increasing SFA content The government response: industry s progress recognized continue with voluntary reduction of TFA in foods to the levels recommend by the TFTF 16
Ministerial announcement June 20, 2007 the Minister of Health announced: Health Canada would adopt the TFTF s recommendations on TFA limits in Canadian foods Industry was given a 2 yr window to reduce TFA to the recommended levels The 2% and 5% limits would be used as the standard to assess the industry s performance If significant progress has not been made, the department would develop regulations to enforce the limits A commitment to publish the results of the trans fat monitoring program (TFMP) on the Health Canada website 17 History: Trans Fat Monitoring Program Health Canada has been analyzing TFA in foods intermittently since the 1990s Analyses now strategically targeted since Minister s announcement Samples analyzed represent foods that are, or were, significant sources of TFA (as indicated by earlier survey data) foods containing high levels of TFA foods with lower levels of TFA that are consumed in large quantities by a large number of consumers 18
Details: Trans Fat Monitoring Program Work is being conducted in three Health Canada laboratories Ottawa, Toronto, and Winnipeg Samples analysed by AOAC (Association of Official Analytical Chemists) Method 996.06 1 recommended method for the determination of total fat and fatty acids in various foods that meet the nutrition labelling regulations in Canada and US method has been validated through an international collaborative study Pre-packaged foods analysed accounted for more than 80% of the market share Foods from restaurant and fast food chains were sampled from major chains 1 AOAC Official Method 996.06. Fat (Total, Saturated, and Unsaturated) in foods, hydrolytic extraction gas chromatographic method, Revised 2001. In: Official Methods of Analysis of AOAC International 18th Edition (Horwitz, W, ed.). 19 Data verification Prior to data being published, results were shared with industry Companies could inform Health Canada of product reformulation Provide Health Canada with current reliable analytical data as per requirements new data line would appear with current data Provide written statement from company official to include footnote identifying product had been reformulated or discontinued for companies that could not submit data at the time Result - data tables that are current and accurately reflecting progress 20
Release of 1 st data set: December 20, 2007 Release included analyzed data on restaurant fast foods and pre-packaged food samples from 2005, 2006, and spring 2007 foods from restaurant and fast food chains included: chicken strips/nuggets, donuts, fish products, french fries, miscellaneous fast foods (ex. apple turnovers and hashbrowns), muffins, and onion rings pre-packaged foods from grocery stores included: cookies, crackers, frozen potato products (ex. frozen french fries), frozen chicken strips/nuggets, granola bars, and muffins 21 Release of 2 nd data set: July 21, 2008 Release included analyzed data on restaurant fast foods and pre-packaged food samples from 2005, 2007, and winter 2008 foods from restaurant and fast food chains: chicken strips/nuggets, pizzas, donuts, onion rings, fish products, french fries, miscellaneous fast foods (ex. apple turnovers and hashbrowns) pre-packaged foods: soft margarines, hard margarines, shortenings, lard, garlic breads, and frozen pizzas 22
Trans Fat Monitoring Program Posting Details Products were listed by food category and listed alphabetically by brand name Data included: total fat content (% of food) % TFAs (% of total fat) % SFAs (% of total fat) sampling date Description of laboratory quality assurance program, sampling plans, and analytical method used News releases, background information on Task Force and Monitoring Program, Questions and Answers for consumers, and other helpful information related to TFA and health 23 Example (partial data): fast foods, french fries Company Product Name/ Description Sampling Date Fat (% by weight of food) TFA 1 (% of total fat) SFA 2 (% of total fat) TFA + SFA (% of total fat) A&W french fries Oct 2006 16.4 39.4 17.2 52.1 A&W french fries March 2007 14.4 1.0 6.9 7.9 Burger King french fries Oct 2007 22.3 46.0 22.1 68.1 Burger King french fries Jan 2008 14.1 40.8 21.6 62.4 Perkins french fries Sept 2007 14.0 1.0 9.0 10.0 Red Lobster french fries Oct 2007 14.1 39.6 22.1 61.7 1 TFA = trans fat, 2 SFA = saturated fat 24
Highlights from Trans Fat Monitoring Program Results show continued progress in reduction of TFA from products in different food categories. In many cases, the reduction in TFA has been achieved by finding healthier alternatives and not increasing level of SFA Most of the top fast food and family restaurant chains in Canada have been successful in reducing TFA from menu items that have been previously high in TFA (ex. french fries, chicken products, fish products, and pizzas). Laboratory analyses were consistent with information provided in the Nutrition Facts table. 25 Percent of restaurants and fast food chains with menu items meeting the 5% TFA limit by 2007-2008 * indicates the number of establishments sampled 26
Percent of restaurants and fast food chains with french fries meeting the 5% TFA of total fat limit * indicates the number of establishments sampled 27 Snapshot of pre - packaged foods meeting the 5% limit in 2006 * The foods that were sampled represented the top selling brands for each food category and accounted for more than 80% of sales within that food category. In provincial dietary surveys, these food categories were some of the ones that contributed the highest amounts of trans. 28
Moving Forward Work of the TFMP will be continuing over the next year Health Canada anticipates that data will be released every 6 months Objectives of the next rounds of sampling include: analyse foods that were still found to have high levels of TFA analyse foods that were not included in earlier releases including small pilot sample of foods from different ethnic cuisines carry out an extensive review of nutrition labels of pre-packaged foods Release 3 rd set of TFMP data early this year (Jan 2009) 29 Conclusions The Canadian experience indicates that the greatest success is achieved when all sectors work collaboratively Many initiatives were required Result - significant progress has been made in reducing TFA in the Canadian food supply The media and other stakeholders have played an important role helped increase consumer awareness about TFA helped highlight the actions taken by industry to remove TFA from products and highlighted worst performers from the TFMP high profile program approx 1.3 K hits per day on website (following 1 st data set release) 30
Thank you Website links: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/nutrition/gras-trans-fats/index-eng.php http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/nutrition/gras-trans-fats/tfa-age_tc-tm-eng.php http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/nutrition/gras-trans-fats/tfa-age_sec-data_deuxdonn-eng.php http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/nutrition/gras-trans-fats/tfa-age_sec-data_deuxdonn-eng.php#high 31