Entry into force of the trans fat ban in Canada

Canada's ban on artificial trans fats comes into effect this week, a year after the federal government announced it will stop the use of artery-clogging fats.

The ban specifically prohibits the addition of partially hydrogenated oils, or PHOs, to packaged foods and foods sold in restaurants.

For years, oils have been used in the production of bakery products because they have extended the life of a product. They have also been used as frying oil for foods such as french fries. But research has repeatedly shown that fats can increase the level of bad cholesterol in the blood and reduce the level of good cholesterol. According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, high trans fat consumption is responsible for thousands of heart disease deaths in Canada each year.

What trans fatty acids do is increase levels of bad cholesterol (LDL cholesterol) and lowering the levels of good cholesterol (HDL cholesterol), a dietitian told CTV News.

"The result is that they clog the blood vessels and increase the risk of heart disease and heart attacks," said Carol Dombrow, a registered dietitian of the foundation, in an interview with CTV News Channel on Sunday.

"With the ban on trans fatty acids, we plan to save 12,000 people who have a heart attack over the next 20 years," she said. "So it's very important."

"Baked goods and baked goods and fries, artificial dairy products and creamers made commercially – these types of foods contain trans-fatty acids," she added, claiming that trans fats of origin natural and dairy products.

"It will make a big difference in the health of Canadians," she said. Heart and Stroke has been working with Health Canada since it formed the Trans Fats Task Force in 2006.

The food industry has voluntarily removed partially hydrogenated oils for years, but the federal government has never imposed a ban.

Instead, he introduced mandatory labeling of trans fats, set voluntary targets for processed foods, and set up a monitoring program to measure the industry's progress towards achieving voluntary goals.

Last year, after years of calls from health advocates for a total ban, Health Canada finally announced that it was giving the food industry a year to completely eliminate the oils .

The ban applies to all packaged foods produced in Canada, as well as to imported products and foods served in food service establishments.

Trans fats found naturally in some animal products are not part of the ban.