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In its report published in 2005, AFSSA recommended that consumers reduce their consumption of certain foods containing trans fatty acids by at least 30% - viennoiseries, pastries, industrial bread products, chocolate bars, biscuits - in light of their low nutritional value.
To remain consistent with the decreased consumption of these products, the Agency encourages manufacturers providing margarine and fats to the food processing sector to reduce the levels of trans fatty acids in their products.
Furthermore, the Agency emphasises that the obligation to indicate the presence of trans fatty acids on food labels would incite manufacturers to improve the composition of their products because the labelling recommendation applies only if the thresholds corresponding to the current food standards are exceeded.
In order to provide consumers with effective means of following the aforementioned recommendations, and in light of the levels of trans fatty acids in foods intended for common consumption listed in this report, AFSSA suggests adopting maximum levels of trans fatty acids in commonly consumed foods:
- The limit for trans fatty acids should be set at 1 g/100 g of product in its consumed form, or 9 Kcal/100 g of product, equivalent to 0.4% of TEI;
- For table oils, AFSSA recommends that their trans fatty acid content not exceed 0.5%;
- For margarines, the Agency recommends that these products should not contain more than 1% of trans fatty acids.
Moreover, the Agency emphasises that artificial trans fatty acids are added to food merely for technical-functional purposes. Therefore, AFSSA encourages efforts to reduce the use of these trans fatty acids, both in human food and in animal feed, in order to reduce the risk of exposure. Alternatives to using trans fatty acids for their technical-functional properties need to be considered.
November 2009
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Recommendations for professionals
Trans fatty acids
Human food
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