Public ignorance, not trans-fats, the real problem with our daily diets
Paul Stapleton says the debate on banning trans-fats fails to address the real problem - Hong Kong's ignorance of what constitutes a healthy diet

Trans-fats are in the news again. These fats, which are vegetable oils that have been artificially solidified in a chemical process, are cheap ingredients in foods providing a pleasant texture and longer shelf life. Instant noodles and biscuits, for example, often contain them.
These cheap and tasty fats would be the perfect food additive, except that they are well-known contributors to heart disease. Because of this health concern, the question of whether they should be banned in Hong Kong has emerged as the US government considers the same issue.
The big issue is the alarming ignorance among the general public about what constitutes a healthy diet
A ban would certainly be a step in the right direction for public health, but it would just be another example of governments being unable to see the forest for the trees.
The truth is that any ban on trans-fats would be just another public distraction, while the bigger issue is set aside or ignored. That big issue is the alarming ignorance among the general public about what constitutes a healthy diet.
Food and drink manufacturers are now able to tweak their recipes using remarkably cheap forms of fat and sugar, along with copious amounts of salt, to produce irresistible tastes. Unfortunately, our ability to understand the health implications of these artificial fats and refined carbohydrates, and then spread this understanding to the general population, has lagged behind. Obesity and disease are the result.
The well-publicised increase in diet and lifestyle diseases, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease, presents an enormous public health challenge. The solution, however, does not lie in piecemeal efforts such as the banning of trans-fats, which would only be replaced by marginally healthier palm oil. Rather, a long-term solution can be achieved only within the education system.