FSSAI launches “Heart Attack Rewind” campaign

fssai-launches-heart-attack-rewind-campaign
FSSAI

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has launched a new mass media campaign calling for the elimination of industrially produced trans-fat in the food supply.

 

Entitled “Heart Attack Rewind,” the 30 second public service announcement (PSA) is the first mass media campaign of its kind. It will support FSSAI’s global target of eliminating trans-fat in India by the year 2022 which is a year ahead of the global target by the World Health Organization (WHO) for complete elimination of trans fat.

 

Globally, trans fat intake leads to more than 500,000 deaths of people from cardiovascular disease every year. Trans fat are made by adding hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils to make them more solid, and to increase the shelf life of foods.

 

Trans-fat are largely present in Vanaspati, margarine and bakery shortenings, and can be found in baked and fried foods.

 

Pawan Agarwal, CEO FSSAI said “FSSAI is committed to reducing the industrially produced trans fatty acids to less than 2% by the year 2022 in a phased manner. This is in line with our objective to get Freedom from ‘Trans Fat: India@75.’ I am hopeful that this media campaign will educate consumers about the harmful effects and its link to cardiovascular diseases.”

 

“Heart Attack Rewind” warns citizens about the health hazards of consuming trans fat and offers strategies to avoid them through healthier alternatives. The campaign was developed by experts at Vital Strategies.

 

Dr. Nandita Murukutla from Vital Strategies quoted that “Trans fats have no known health benefits, and put Indians at risk for cardiovascular disease and other health issues. Healthier alternatives can be used without changing the taste or cost of food. Regulatory measures paired with strategic, large-scale mass media campaigns can help reduce the growing menace of trans fat in India. We congratulate FSSAI for their commitment to saving lives by reducing trans fat from India’s food supply.”

 

FSSAI’s plan to lower the levels of trans fat in India’s food supply from the present <5% to <2% was supported by a pledge that the Vanaspati manufacturers, food companies, bakery associations and others signed in a consultation earlier this year.

 

“Heart Attack Rewind” will be broadcast in 17 languages for a period of four weeks on major digital platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Hotstar, and Voot.

 

Additionally, the campaign will also be placed on radio channels and outdoor hoardings in Delhi/NCR. A corresponding social media campaign will also highlight the harmful effects of trans fat on people’s health.

 

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