Putting of trans fat in food to be criminalized

A CONGRESSMAN filed a bill seeking to criminalize the use of artificial trans fat in food preparation and manufacture, citing the dangers of the ingredient when consumed.

Rep. Magtanggol Gunigundo of Second District of Valenzuela City filed House Bill 218 for the Fifteenth Congress, proposing to criminalize the use of trans fatty acids in food preparation and production.

“The use of trans fat in food production and preparation has become a world menace,” Gunigundo said. “Its phase-out should be immediate and must not be put off.”

“Trans fat can be substituted without sacrificing taste or increasing production costs,” the lawmaker from Valenzuela City said.
“Some food providers and food chains have started the campaign, but we need to institutionalize it so other food providers and food chains would follow suit,” he added.

Gunigundo cited some of the experts claimed that excessive intake of trans fat by more than 0.5 percent a day is fatal. It causes heart ailments and diabetes in adults and juveniles and obesity and hypertension.

Fast-food meals containing trans fat include french fries, fried chicken, cookies, popcorn, processed junk food and pastries.

According to the bill, artificial trans fat refers to an unsaturated or fatty acid that is produced by the partial hydrogenation of plant oils, which contain one or more instances of atoms bonded in a trans configuration.

Gunigundo cited Section 4 entitled Unlawful Act, which states that it shall be unlawful for Food Service Facilities or Food Service Establishments and manufacturers to use trans fat in the preparation of food for storage, distribution or sale.

It also mandates food facilities or establishments to maintain on site the original labels for all food products or documents instead of label and for them to submit the document for foods that are not labeled.

Penalties are: first offense incurs a fine of P300,000 or imprisonment of not more than one year, or both; second offense, P400,000 fine, or imprisonment of not more than two years or both; third offense, in addition to a fine of not more than P500,000 or imprisonment of not more than three years or both, the business permits and licenses in case of a business entity or establishment shall be revoked or cancelled.

If the violator is a business entity or establishment, the owner, president, manager or the most senior officers shall be liable. If the guilty party is an alien, he or she shall be deported after serving the sentence and forever barred from re-entering the Philippines. –Cris G. Odronia, Manila Times