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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

No to trans food campaign launched in Oman

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Muscat, Jan 22 - The Ministry of Health (MoH) has prepared a National Health Plan to reduce chronic diseases by promoting healthy food consumption. The ministry seeks to minimise the use of saturated and hydrogenated fats, salt and sugar in food, which are directly related to diseases such as stress, diabetes, obesity and high cholesterol, said a statement on Tuesday.
It seeks to prevent the use of hydrogenated fats and reduce saturated fat in food products and in restaurants, in cooperation with the relevant sectors.
“The plan envisages lab tests on most of the products and setting standards for manufacturers and importers as per an agreed timetable,” it said.




nutrition facts


This requires manufacturers and importers to specify nutrition facts, including the maximum permissible limit, for each product.


The plan also includes a community-wide awareness campaign on healthy food and against unhealthy choices.


The ministry has started implementing the plan in cooperation with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) and other related sectors, which is related to hydrogenated fats based on Gulf Standards Organisation (GSO) specifications.


The ministry confirmed the adoption of health policies in coordination with the World Health Organization (WHO).


Recently, the Ministry of Health has launched a national plan for prevention and control of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) — which account for 72.9 per cent of deaths in the Sultanate.


The plan, a part of the ministry’s efforts to promote public health, aims to bring down premature deaths resulting from NCDs by 25 per cent by 2025. It comprises eight chapters that address various aspects of prevention and control of diseases in the Sultanate.


It focuses on combating four main diseases: cardiovascular diseases, cancer, respiratory diseases and diabetes. The plan also addresses the main risk factors, including lack of physical activity, unhealthy diet and smoking, besides focusing on awareness and media aspects.




NCDs major killer


In the Sultanate, 72.9 per cent of deaths have been attributed to NCDs, of which 24.3 per cent are due to cardiovascular diseases and hypertension, 7 per cent due to cancer and 2.2 per cent due to diabetes, according to the 2016 statistics. Globally, these diseases kill 38 million people annually, half of them under the age of 70.


Cardiovascular diseases cause 17.5 million deaths every year, followed by cancer (8.2 million), respiratory diseases (4 million) and diabetes (1.5 million), according to the WHO.



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