Presence of trans fatty acids containing ingredients in pre-packaged foods in Australia in 2018

Objective
The World Health Organization (WHO) has set a goal of prompt, complete and sustained elimination of industrially produced trans fats (iTFA) in the global food supply by 2023. We aimed to assess the number of products in the Australian packaged food supply likely to contain iTFA.

Methods
Using a large pre‐packaged food monitoring database collected in 2018, we searched the ingredient list using specific and non‐specific ingredient terms to identify products likely to contain iTFA.

Results
In total, 28,349 foods were included for analysis: 131 (0.5%) products contained specific ingredients indicative of iTFA, and 1,626 (5.7%) products contained non‐specific ingredients that may indicate the presence of iTFA. Bread and bakery products, cereal and grain products and confectionery were the top three food groups that contained specific ingredients indicative of iTFA. Only 19 (14.5%) products with specific iTFA‐indicating ingredients declared the amount of trans fats.

Conclusions and implications for public health
Compared to other countries, the use of iTFA‐containing ingredients is low in Australia, but repeated exposure to products containing iTFA could still put consumers at risk of excessive consumption. Legislation to eliminate iTFA should be considered to minimise the exposure to these harmful chemicals.