Cardiovascular Health

Our Work

We draw on our extensive experience conducting health-focused advocacy campaigns around the world as we work with partners to:

• Eliminate industrially produced trans fat from the food supply.
• Reduce dietary sodium intake.
• Improve access to quality treatment of hypertension.

Where we work:

Argentina, Bangladesh, China, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Nigeria, Philippines, Tanzania, Uganda and Vietnam

Our Impact

• Bangladesh, Brazil, India, Philippines and Turkey approved trans fat restrictions that are expected to save thousands of lives from coronary heart disease and death.
• India increased access to hypertension resources, screenings and treatment, including through the use of telemedicine and a new medicine delivery system, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Vietnam mandated a declaration of nutrients on the back of packaged foods and approved a 5-year National NCDs Plan.
• A guide from GHAI and Resolve to Save Lives for rapidly assessing the levels of trans fatty acids in industrially produced foods and oils is helping countries worldwide eliminate trans fat from their food supplies.

Success Story: A Win for Heart Health in Brazil

The challenge:

Trans fat in food increases your risk of coronary heart disease and death, as well as dementia, Alzheimer’s and other cognitive diseases. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends limiting trans fat intake to less than 1% of total energy intake, and has called for the elimination of industrially produced trans fat from the global food supply.

GHAI’s role:

GHAI supported a multifaceted campaign to bolster the case for trans fat elimination in Brazil. Campaign partners provided technical support to the country’s regulatory agency Anvisa, hosted more than two dozen educational events around the country and conducted a massive media campaign that reached millions of Brazilians, generating a groundswell of support for trans fat regulation.

Results:

In December 2019, Brazil approved trans fat regulations that are in line with WHO certification recommendations, capping trans fat at 2% of total fat in foods and oils by July 2021, and banning partially hydrogenated oils, the leading source of dietary trans fat intake, by January 2023.