FSSAI eyes tech change to omit transfat

In its attempt to eliminate transfat from the Indian food industry by 2022, the food safety regulator Food Safety and Standards Authority of India hopes to make stakeholders adopt technological changes to migrate to healthier alternatives.

“Eating food filled with transfat increases the risk of coronary heart disease by clogging the arteries; which is why, FSSAI has planned to remove trans-fat from food industry by 2022. #TransFat-FreeIndia #EatRightIndia,” tweeted the FSSAI handle on Tuesday evening.

FSSAI CEO Pawan Agarwal told ET, “We intend to eliminate it in a phased manner by 2022. We have revised standards of percentage of transfat in edible oil, ghee, margarine and bakery shortening by less than 2% which will make consumption of transfat almost negligible. But we need alternatives – we need technological changes to reduce levels of transfat so businesses can shift to alternative oils.”