A draft UN declaration to eliminate trans-fatty acids from global diets risks inadvertently denying the world’s poorest the nutritional benefits of milk and meat, experts have said.

A new declaration to reduce non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like heart disease and diabetes proposes to eliminate all trans-fatty acids from global diets.

However, while research shows that industrially produced trans-fatty acids contribute to NCDs, those found naturally in animal-source foods at low levels are not harmful and may even offer health-protecting benefits, such as preventing type two diabetes. 

Writing in an open letter to UN negotiators, more than 115 signatories from Africa, Europe and the Americas said: “The risk of a blanket commitment to eliminate all trans-fatty acids is that it unnecessarily discourages the consumption of highly nutritious dairy, meat and other animal-source foods. And once again, the burden will fall heaviest on low- and middle-income countries, where nutrient-rich meat, milk and dairy are already under-consumed.”