Kenya is being urged to strengthen regulations on industrially produced trans fats, with health advocates warning that the fats found in some baked, fried and processed foods increase the risk of heart disease.

The call comes as Kenya joins the world in marking World Heart Day 2026, whose campaign theme, “Don’t Miss a Beat,” focuses on recognising the signs and symptoms of cardiovascular disease.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says industrially produced trans fats have no known health benefits and that high consumption increases the risk of coronary heart disease and mortality.

The fats can be found in products made using partially hydrogenated oils, including some baked and fried foods.

Kenya’s trans-fat rules

Kenya began regulating trans fats in 2015 through Legal Notice No. 115 of 2015, which introduced provisions addressing trans fatty acids and hydrogenated fats.

The regulations also provided for food specifications where Codex standards existed and included provisions on labelling foods free from trans fatty acids.

The measures came three years before the WHO launched its REPLACE action package in 2018, calling on countries to eliminate industrially produced trans fats from their food supplies.

However, the 2015 regulations did not establish a comprehensive national limit for industrially produced trans fats across all foods.

The International Institute for Legislative Affairs (IILA) says the regulatory framework now needs to be strengthened.

IILA Chief Executive Officer Celine Awuor said the 2015 regulations were an important step but did not establish a specific limit for industrially produced trans fats.

“We acknowledge the strides made by the government through Legal Notice 115 of 2015. This legislation defines what trans fatty acids are and provides that for foods to be deemed free from trans fatty acids they should contain the amount permitted in the Codex Alimentarius,” Awuor said.

Awuor said the lack of a specific limit presents an implementation challenge and called for Kenya to adopt the WHO-recommended threshold.

“While this is a remarkable effort to eliminate trans fats in Kenya’s food supply, it poses an implementation challenge because the Codex Alimentarius does not provide a specific industrially produced trans fats limit. To truly safeguard lives, we must adopt the WHO-recommended limit urgently,” she said.

The WHO recommends either a mandatory limit of no more than two grams of industrially produced trans-fat per 100 grams of total fat in all foods, or a national ban on the production and use of partially hydrogenated oils, the main industrial source of trans fats.

Cardiovascular disease burden

The push for stronger regulation comes amid a significant burden of cardiovascular disease in Kenya.

Kenya’s National Guidelines for Cardiovascular Disease Management estimate that cardiovascular diseases account for approximately 25 percent of hospital admissions, while cardiovascular diseases were identified as the cause of death in 13 percent of autopsies.

The Ministry of Health has also reported that non-communicable diseases account for 39 percent of deaths annually in Kenya.

Health advocates say trans fats present a particular challenge because consumers may not know whether the oils and fats used in everyday food products contain industrially produced trans fats.

Bread, biscuits, pastries, fried foods and processed snacks are among the products where such fats may be present.

Study projects health and economic gains

Research by The George Institute for Global Health and IILA found that bringing industrially produced trans fats down to the WHO-recommended level could prevent approximately 17,000 cases of heart disease and 2,000 deaths over 10 years.

The study also estimated that the intervention could generate about US$40 million, equivalent to approximately KSh4.1 billion, in net savings for Kenya’s healthcare system.

The findings were published in BMJ Global Health.

IILA is calling for a mandatory trans-fat limit covering both locally manufactured and imported foods, supported by monitoring, laboratory testing and enforcement.

The organisation says stronger regulation would also provide clearer standards for food manufacturers and help reduce consumer exposure to industrially produced trans fats.

Calls to close regulatory gap

Kenya’s existing regulations provide a foundation for addressing trans fats, but health advocates say the framework needs to be brought in line with current WHO recommendations.

The WHO’s REPLACE framework identifies legislation, monitoring and enforcement as key measures for eliminating industrially produced trans fats from the food supply.

As Kenya marks World Heart Day under the theme “Don’t Miss a Beat,” the debate over trans fats puts the focus on a preventable dietary risk and the role of regulation in reducing exposure to it.

IILA says Kenya can build on the measures introduced in 2015 by adopting a comprehensive national limit for industrially produced trans fats.