The Parliamentary Healthcare Committee has supported a bill to ban trans fats in retail foods with a vote of 15 to zero, with one abstention. The initiative, submitted by Kostadin Kostadinov and a group of MPs from "Vazrazhdane", aims to prohibit the use of these acids in consumer products, with the exception of those naturally present in animal fats.
According to the bill's rationale, trans fats are fatty acids that contain at least one unconjugated carbon-carbon double bond in a trans configuration. Their consumption poses serious health risks, including increased levels of bad cholesterol and the risk of atherosclerosis, intensification of inflammatory processes, damage to cell membranes and insulin sensitivity, as well as carcinogenic potential and impact on brain function.
"With these changes, we are introducing something beneficial for us and our children, while simultaneously implementing European legislation," emphasized Krastyo Vrachev of the "Vazrazhdane" parliamentary group. He added that there is sufficient evidence from studies and reports regarding violations of food content regulations. In his view, due to the lack of restrictions and sanctions, manufacturers are acting at their own discretion. Georgi Georgiev from "Vazrazhdane" added that the concept of healthcare must encompass not only medicine but also water, food, and stress, and that it is necessary to impose restrictions on those who do not comply with existing legislation.
Despite support for the proposals from the "Progressive Bulgaria" group, Georgi Iliev stated that corrections regarding sanctions would be necessary. On the other hand, Diyana Stratieva from the "Food and Beverages - Bulgaria" association expressed concerns that the proposed restrictions would create difficulties in trading food and beverages with foreign markets.
The decision to restrict harmful fats will affect the quality of food products available to consumers in Burgas and the region.
The position of the institutions is more complex. Minister of Health Katya Ivkova noted that while the ministry supports health protection initiatives in principle, there are several objections to the specific proposals, as European legislation already imposes certain restrictions. A similar view was held by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, which noted that many of the bill's objectives are already established in existing European norms. Kremena Stoeva, a representative of the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency, confirmed that the agency fully adheres to the position of the Ministry of Agriculture.