The Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Caribbean Food & Nutrition Institute will be conducting a study to determine the Trans Fatty Acid content of processed foods commonly eaten by the urban population in Dominica.
The study will be conducted in two phases during the period mid-January to the end of March 2012. In the first phase, interviews will be conducted with a sample of adults to determine frequently consumed food sources of Trans fatty acids.
Foods of interest include: butter/ margarines, edible oils, biscuits/cookies, snack products, fast-foods from transnational chains and local restaurants, and bakery products.
In the second phase of the study, samples of the most frequently consumed types of each product will be collected from points of purchase and subsequently analyzed to determine their fatty acid content.
For the purposes of the study, data will be collected from a sample of healthy adults (males and females), between 30 to 60 years, living in areas from Fond Cole to Loubiere, including the Roseau Valley.
Parents and guardians living in the above mentioned areas will receive a letter seeking and confirming their interest in the study.
The study sample will be randomly chosen from the list of consenting persons who will be interviewed. The information collected will be kept confidential.
Trans Fatty Acids, also referred to as Trans fats, are a type of fat that occurs naturally in some foods, especially foods from animals. But most of the Trans fats in our diet are artificially produced and come from processed foods.
Research studies show that artificially produced Trans fat in the diet can increase the risk of developing heart disease by increasing the concentration in the blood of unhealthy low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and lowering the levels of healthy high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.
After the special summit on Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases (CNCDs) in 2007, the Heads of Government, in the Declaration of Port of Spain, recorded their strong support for the elimination of Trans fats from the diet of citizens. At present, the Trans fat content of typically consumed foods in Caribbean countries is unknown.
The study is aimed at assessing the trans fatty acid content of commonly consumed processed foods, and the frequency of their consumption.
.
The information gathered through this study will be used for developing policies and strategies geared towards reducing the risk of developing chronic non-communicable diseases
The Ministry of Health urges eligible persons to participate in this important study which is the first of its kind to be carried out in the Eastern Caribbean.
We as a people must continue to consume what comes from Mother Earth because that’s where our nutrients lie. All the substances that we need for our bodies are in the soil but it seems like we have forgotten how to plant and we consume all these foreign foods which are filled with chemicals, (additives and preservatives). We must definitely go back to planting as our forefathers did in order that we achieve a fulfilling and long life.
SINCE IT HAS ALL BEEN STUDIES ELSEWHERE AD NAUSEAM, WHY NOT SPEND THE MONEY YOU WOULD WASTE ON ANOTHER REDUNDANT SURVEY ON DRUGS ANS THE HOSPITAL
The use of trans-fat in foods has more to do with increasing shelf life of the product than anything else. It would not suprise me that many of the imported foods in the Caribbean typically have a higher content due to shipping times, ambient temperature etc. Once the consumption data is in, it will be interesting to see just how many of the suspect foods are consumed by the population and at what frequency.
“Those who dwell as scientists or laymen among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life.” — Rachel Carson
People have to take responsibility for what goes into their bodies.
I do the shopping for our household and I check all the nutritional information on the label before it goes into the cart. I look for 4 things before making my decision: (1) Fat content and the tyoe of fat (2) Sugar content (3) Salt content (4) additives. If any of these are at a level I consider unacceptable, I leave the item on the shelf.
If more people looked at what the ate, the market would have corrected itself a long time ago. People do not read nutritional labels and therefore the food manufacturers prey on their ignorance.
In short the government should encourage people to read the labels.
because of the kfc song man allu taking interest now lol..#just saying
Good news. I think that many on DA will be surprised … in a bad way.
I still believe that food prices are THE biggest issue on DA. I know about VAT and import duty and the carriage … but still … those prices are TOO high.
Some people are making huge profits while others are scraping a meal together for their children.
I urge the PM to look into the matter.
Thank you.
It’s illegal to put that in food in the US, so local and regional manufacturers have to be monitored.
Some of the manufacturers like placing in bold letters on their products 0 transfat, but they are not saying that it is illegal to include transfat.
Transfat is manufactured, which makes it non natural, gives food nice texture and taste but it is deadly on the cardiovascular system.
Very important for Dominica and the rest of the Caribbean.
Actually it is not illegal to put trans fat in foods in the US. The FDA is the regulatory body that limits the amount of trans fat in foods and regulations are such that if the food contains transfat it must be labelled on the package and can not exceed certain limits for certain food types.
The Elephant in this study is K F C start there, and while you at it encourage the government to support agriculture,so people can eat more of what we grow, which is natural, that will make the job easier.
that’s a good idea, we are ignorant and need a lot of educating on the foods we consume and give to our children. the tongue is really trouble in the things we eat and say
KFC has to be high up on the list.
Bring back fig and dasheen as opposed to these fast food traits and I’m sure you will see children start to look like children again during the early stages of their life instead of looking mid-20 when they only 14 years old.
“Research studies show that artificially produced Trans fat in the diet can increase the risk of developing heart disease by increasing the concentration in the blood of unhealthy low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and lowering the levels of healthy high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.” …and why are we still importing $24 million (with an M) worth of poisoned foods from overseas? The first step should be less importation. Survey my! I could run The Ministry of Health in D/A for 20% less in salary than the guy who’s running it.