On October 26, 2016, Members of European Parliament ("MEPs") resolved to place mandatory limits on industrially produced trans-fatty acids ("TFAs"). They did so out of concern that TFAs may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, infertility, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, and obesity in consumers. TFAs tend to be used in cheaper food, which means people on lower incomes are most exposed to foodstuffs with a higher TFA content. This in turn increases the potential for widening health inequalities, according to MEPs. Accordingly, MEPs called for the European Commission to propose an EU legal limit on the industrial TFA content of all foods as soon as possible, preferably within two years.
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