22nd March 2007 - One step forward in battle against trans fats

Yorkshire and the Humber MEP Linda McAvan has heralded a decision by the European Commission to drop a legal case challenging the Danish government's right to ban trans fats from foods. Ms McAvan is leading a campaign in the European Parliament to phase out the fats and said this was the "first step" towards a Europe-wide ban.

In January, Ms McAvan co-authored a Written Declaration in the Parliament which called on the European Commission and government ministers to "increase awareness of the dangers of trans fatty acids by introducing a mandatory labelling system" and further "to introduce the necessary measures to ensure a movement towards the elimination of trans fatty acids from food products". It also urged the European Commission to drop their legal case against the Danish government, which banned trans fats in March 2003. The Commission had been challenging the ban as a possible breach of the internal market rules of the EU.

105 MEPs have so far signed the Declaration.

Ms McAvan, who is Labour's Health spokesperson in the European Parliament, said;

"The first step towards a Europe-wide ban needed to be for the Commission to accept the Danish government's own ban. That has now happened, and we will keep up the pressure to keep these unnecessary and harmful fats out of our food."

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