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An analysis of more than 80,000 packaged supermarket products finds most don’t disclose information about trans-fats.
Trans-fats have been shown to raise the risk of heart disease - even in small amounts - when regularly consumed.
The study authors say Government action is needed, as regulators weigh up whether to limit or ban them.
Kiwi consumers are being left in the dark about potentially harmful ingredients in packaged supermarket foods, with a University of Auckland analysis showing most products sold here don’t disclose whether trans-fats are in them.
The new research comes as New Zealand and Australia are looking at what todo about artificial trans-fats commonly found in our foods - including banning them altogether.
Like saturated fats, trans fatty acids (TFAs) raise levels of “bad” cholesterol and lower levels of “good” cholesterol which helps protect against heart disease.
Amounts of TFAs form naturally in foods from ruminants’ sources such as some meats and milk products, but the majority are industrially manufactured (iTFAs) from vegetable oils for use in spreads like margarine, in cooking fats for deep-frying, or added as ingredients in many packaged foods.
Studies have shown a consistent intake of trans-fats raised the risk of heart disease, even when in small amounts, with some 645,000 deaths attributable to high-TFA diets in 2019.
The new study, covering more than 80,000 supermarket food products from 2015 to 2022, indicated just 16% of items carried information about trans-fats on their nutritional panels.
Despite repeated calls for action from nutritionists and consumer advocates, our regulators haven’t mandated food companies to cut iTFA content in their products - or even disclose it in their labelling.
The new study, covering more than 80,000 supermarket food products from 2015 to 2022, found just 16% of items carried such information on their nutritional panels.
It found certain food groups, like edible oils and emulsions, eggs, and fish products, were more likely to declare trans-fat levels, with up to 75% of oils listing their content.
Yet for other categories, the figures were low: sugars, honey and related products (1.5%), confectionary (6.5%), convenience foods (8.6%), sauces and spreads (10.2%).
“We also observed that less than 1% clearly declared the existence of industrial TFA ingredients in their products while almost 14% of products declared only non-specific, or generic, ingredients,” said study author Dr Teresa Gontijo de Castro, of the university’s Department of Nutrition and Dietetics.
“An example of a non-specific ingredient term is ‘vegetable oil’, and using non-specific terms is currently allowed by the food regulator.”
Even more concerning was that of those products that did disclose the information, more than 15% exceeded limits recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Some of the worst offenders included convenience foods and sauces - groups where trans-fats came in through industrially processed ingredients.
Because of the risks trans-fats pose for heart disease, stroke and other serious health issues, WHO has been urging countries to either ban partially hydrogenated oils - the main source of industrial TFAs - or enforce strict limits.
The new study noted a slight decline in the availability of products showing trans-fat content in New Zealand; its authors suggested current policy wasn’t doing enough to protect Kiwis.
“We need Government-led mandatory regulations that make transparent to consumers whether TFAs are present in foods they acquire - and to reduce or ban this harmful ingredient from our food supply,” study co-author Dr Kathryn Bradbury said.
University of Auckland researcher Dr Kathryn Bradbury.
“Thus, we can protect our heart health, [and that] of our children and the generations to come.”
The study - stemming from a thesis by master’s researcher Sharon Zhang - also noted New Zealand was lagging behind countries and territories like Canada, Brazil and Hong Kong, which have been enforcing mandatory labeling or outright bans.
That might soon change.
New Zealand Food Safety (NZFS) deputy director-general Vincent Arbuckle said a review of regulations around industrial TFAs here and in Australia was now under way.
Both countries were looking at either retaining the status quo, encouraging voluntary reformulation, or imposing limits or bans as other nations had.
NZFS had also commissioned its own study into industrial TFAs in our food supply, which has involved sampling store-bought products like oils and margarines, and ready-to-eat foods from places like bakeries and takeaway shops, Arbuckle said.
New Zealand Food and Grocery Council chief executive Raewyn Bleakley said the trans-fats issue was another reason her group wanted a wider national nutritional survey to be urgently undertaken.
“It’s very concerning not to have conducted this survey for all age groups for over two decades now, especially when the standard approach in many other countries is for frequent rolling surveys.”
Jamie Morton is a specialist in science and environmental reporting. He joined the Herald in 2011 and writes about everything from conservation and climate change to natural hazards and new technology.
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