Trans fatty acids in food – current legal regulations as protections for consumers and food manufacturers

It was the goal of this paper to introduce selected regulatory models concerning the legal status of trans fatty acids in connection with the consumer’s position and to propose some de lege ferenda conclusions. Legislation, treatises, periodicals, and bulletins have been analysed. Information from portals associated with the European Union and posted on official websites of organizations like the WHO is presented. As comprehensive descriptions of individual states’ approaches to trans fats’ presence in the human diet are not available, an attempt was undertaken to obtain as broad a range of positions as possible, of states willing to take part in the study. Alongside research based on responses from Health Ministries of the EU member countries and three states from outside the EU, its conclusions, observable trends, and solutions proposed to minimize content of trans fatty acids are an essential part of this study. Analysis of legislation and positions on trans fatty acids presence in food submitted by the states demonstrated the need for a consistent, overall regulation of the issue. The authors relied on the information generated to outline such solutions