November 10, 2003
WINNIPEG—A proposed modernization of federal food and drug regulations is ‘useless’ and ‘totally irrelevant’ when it comes to the issue of trans fats, Pat Martin, MP for Winnipeg said Monday. ‘There is exactly nothing, zero, in Health Canada’s Health and Safety First! document that would protect Canadians from the hazards of trans fats,’ said Martin.
‘Trans fats are the single most important public health issue facing Canadians since the war on tobacco. It’s incredible that this report is silent on trans fats.’ Martin has been pressing Health Minister Anne McLellan on the issue of trans fats, also known as transfatty acids or hydrogenated vegetable oils, since media reports revealed the extent of their use in Canada and the damage they cause to Canadians’ health.
Trans fats are forcing up Canada’s rates of obesity, diabetes and heart disease. According to a blue-ribbon panel of American experts, the recommended daily intake of trans fats is zero. Just one gram a day of trans fats increases of risk of heart disease by 20%. ‘I have asked the Health Minister to pursue the elimination of trans fats. Her reply was astonishing to me—that it’s fine to have these toxins in our food supply as long as they are properly labelled! Even at that, baby foods are to be excluded from labelling regulations!
‘This government is going out of its way to allow the market to set the rules. It is saying loud and clear that corporate interests trump public health.’
Reply
|
