THE health ministry is concerned that some food labels contain misleading information, and do not give consumers accurate data on the amount of trans fat – the most dangerous type of fat – that these items contain.

Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton has called for all stakeholders to come to the table to find a solution to the problem, which was uncovered in a study of trans fat content in foods sold on the domestic market.

The ministry-commissioned study sampled 296 different foods to determine the concentration of fatty acids commonly consumed here. For example, the tests on the corned beef sample, a favourite among many Jamaicans, the label said zero trans fat but the product was found to have some amount of the dangerous fat. The same occurred when mayonnaise was put under the microscope.

“It raises the question about labelling… I worry about the zero trans fat because many of these products in other jurisdictions, manufacturers are allowed to say trans fat-free even though it has a small amount,” principal investigator, and professor of public health nutrition at the University of Technology Professor Fitzroy Henry said yesterday. He said samples with trans fat on the labels accounted for only 59 per cent of the products, 96 per cent said there were no trans fats, and only four per cent indicated some level of trans fat.

Dr Tufton said it is concerning that existing data on trans fat in some products are not accurate, or sufficient to give the public at least an opportunity to make decisions in the best interest of their health. “That is a reflection of the failure of all of us who have assumed positions of leadership, in one form or another, with a mandate that involves encouraging the best practices around — in this instance — consumption habits,” he said.

The health minister and a panel of experts were speaking yesterday at the ministry’s report launch of the assessments of fats in Jamaica’s food system. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), consumption of industrially produced trans fat causes an estimated 500,000 deaths annually, from coronary heart disease.

Trans fats are used to lengthen the shelf life of foods, and to improve their texture and stability, and are reusable in deep-fat frying.Dr Tufton said Jamaica currently has no requirements in law for labelling, but some of its trading partners do, and those standards are met, indicating a double standard in the market.

“What is very clear is that we are applying a double standard in the requirements to meet [our] trading partners’ market, but as far as our own people are concerned it probably is not that important,” he said.

“From a legislation perspective there seems to be not enough urgency to level the playing field to ensure that our consumers have that right to know exactly what they’re putting in their bodies and, worse, to correct misleading information on some of these labels. It is frightening to me that if I go to the supermarket and I take up a label and I read zero trans fat but, when it’s subject to the scientific test, you find that there is a level of trans fat in that item. As far as I’m concerned that represents misleading advertising, and we have a duty to correct that wrong” the minister added.

Dr Tufton said he was willing to give stakeholders the benefit of the doubt.

“We must start from a basis of bringing everybody to the table and giving everybody the benefit of the doubt. So if there is misleading advertising out there, I am prepared in the first instance to say it’s not because somebody wants to mislead, it’s probably because they don’t know or they don’t take the trouble to validate or confirm, particularly where it is an import ” he stated.

The study found that 80 per cent of confectionery contained trans fat, 70 per cent of cooking oils, 60 per cent of desserts, just over 50 per cent of spreads, 60 per cent of snacks, just over 40 per cent of dairy products, 30 per cent of fast foods, just over 20 per cent of infant foods. The products tested also contained significant levels of saturated fats, coupled with the trans fat.

The WHO estimates that high trans fat intake increases the risk of death from any cause by 34 per cent and death due to coronary heart disease by 28 per cent. The local findings locally will inform actions to be taken for Jamaica to meet the WHO goal of eliminating trans fats by 2023, and implementation of the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) regional plan of action to eliminate industrially produced trans fat by 2025.