WHO Recognizes Four Countries with Life-saving Trans Fat Elimination Policies

The World Health Organization (WHO) has honoured Austria, Norway, Oman and Singapore for implementing best-practice policies to eliminate industrially produced trans fats from their food supplies. Validation certificates were presented by WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at the Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly in Geneva.

Dr. Tedros noted that trans fats remain a major contributor to cardiovascular disease, responsible for over 278 000 deaths globally each year, and praised the four countries for protecting public health through mandatory limits and effective enforcement.

Austria’s Minister of Labour, Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection, Korinna Schumann, highlighted her country’s pioneering EU-wide regulation to cap trans fats at 2 g per 100 g of fat, saying, “Bold, evidence-based policies can deliver real public health impact.”

Oman’s Minister of Health, Dr. Hilal bin Ali bin Hilal Alsabti, welcomed recognition among the nine leading nations, stressing that “eliminating industrially produced trans fats marks a significant milestone in our commitment to protecting our population’s health.”

Norway’s Minister of Health and Care Services, Jan Christian Vestre, reported that recent monitoring data confirm the virtual elimination of trans fats under its robust enforcement regime.

Singapore’s Health Minister, Ong Ye Kung, reflected on over a decade of policy action and industry collaboration, calling it “a powerful testament to what can be achieved through consistent public health policy.”

Since WHO’s 2018 call to remove trans fats, best-practice policies have expanded from 11 countries covering 6 % of the global population to nearly 60 countries covering 46 %. The next validation cycle opens for applications until 31 August 2025.