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Presence of trans -Fatty Acids Containing Ingredients in Pre-Packaged Foods and the Availability of Reported trans -Fat Levels in Kenya and Nigeria.

Liping HuangAdedayo E OjoJudith KimiyweAlex KibetBoni Maxime AleClementina E OkoroJimmy Chun Yu LouieFraser TaylorMark D HuffmanDike B OjjiJason H Y WuMatti Marklund
Published in: Nutrients (2023)
In most African countries, the prevalence of industrially produced trans -fatty acids (iTFA) in the food supply is unknown. We estimated the number and proportion of products containing specific (any hydrogenated edible oils) and non-specific (vegetable fat, margarine, and vegetable cream) ingredients potentially indicative of iTFAs among pre-packaged foods collected in Kenya and Nigeria. We also summarized the number and proportion of products that reported trans -fatty acids levels and the range of reported trans -fatty acids levels. In total, 99 out of 5668 (1.7%) products in Kenya and 310 out of 6316 (4.9%) products in Nigeria contained specific ingredients indicative of iTFAs. Bread and bakery products and confectioneries in both countries had the most foods that contained iTFAs-indicative ingredients. A total of 656 products (12%) in Kenya and 624 products (10%) in Nigeria contained non-specific ingredients that may indicate the presence of iTFAs. The reporting of levels of trans- fatty acids was low in both Kenya and Nigeria (11% versus 26%, respectively, p < 0.001). With the increasing burden of ischemic heart disease in Kenya and Nigeria, the rapid adoption of WHO best-practice policies and the mandatory declaration of trans- fatty acids are important for eliminating iTFAs.
Keyphrases
  • fatty acid
  • primary care
  • healthcare
  • public health
  • adipose tissue
  • emergency department
  • risk factors
  • climate change
  • electronic health record
  • quantum dots
  • sensitive detection