Caribbean businesses will come under increasing pressure to eliminate trans fats, through country-level initiatives.

In 2022, Caricom Ministers of Trade and Health committed to enacting legislation by this December and to eliminating trans fats from the Caribbean food supply completely by the end of next year.

There is concern that it will end up being just talk.

A health executive from the Caribbean has confirmed to The Royal Gazette that no regional government has so far enacted the required legislation to meet next month’s deadline.

A Port of Spain Declaration on non-communicable diseases as far back as 2007, which was endorsed by heads of Governments, expressed strong support for eliminating trans fats from citizens’ diet.

While naturally produced trans fats occur in small amounts in some animals, the harmful compounds can be made industrially by adding hydrogen to liquid oils to make them solid at room temperature.

Trans fats increases the risk of Type 2 diabetes and obesity, increase bad cholesterol and lower good cholesterol. They clog arteries, contribute to chronic inflammation and the risk of obesity, and diminish mental performance.

They also contributed to the deaths of more than 278,000 people in one year, cut into job productivity and inflated healthcare costs, Caribbean health officials said.

The list of foods they have identified as containing trans fat includes most biscuits and pies, margarine, shortening and microwave popcorn.

There are many baked, fried and restaurant foods that may be included that don’t have labels, in addition to some packaged foods that do not list the level of trans fats.

Seventeen years after the Port of Spain declaration, the Healthy Caribbean Coalition’s 2024 initiative is to spur policymakers to fulfil their commitments and build public awareness and support for policies to eliminate trans fats.

Maisha Hutton, the executive director of the HCC, when contacted by the Royal Gazette, confirmed: “No country has enacted legislation.”

But she indicated that work was under way across the region.

She said: “Three countries in particular have made good progress - The Bahamas, Barbados and Jamaica. These three are working to meet the December 2024 deadline.

“HCC and regional partners are supporting all Caricom member states to move towards the legislation with the Pan American Health Organisation and the Caribbean Public Health Agency providing technical support in addition to our global partner, Resolve to Save Lives.”

The HCC said in their online flyers that in Jamaica alone, trans fat acids were found to be in 34 per cent of commonly consumed foods.

It added: “A Jamaican study proved that about 50 per cent of foods claiming to be trans fat free, actually contained trans fats.

“As of July 2024, 53 countries around the world, have already enacted policies to eliminate trans fats. That's 3.7 billion people protected.

“Only regulation can protect the Caribbean from becoming a dumping ground for the products with trans fats that have been banned in these other countries.”

Separately it stated: “An assessment conducted by PAHO found that the elimination of trans fats in Barbados could have prevented $546,246 in future productivity losses.”