Divya A
Thank you for the wonderful service you are doing to the common public in preserving consumer rights.
Supporting the Implementation of National Trans Fat Regulations in the State of Tamil Nadu (Phase II)
Recognising the ill-effects of trans fat and with the aim to regulate it, Government of India notified the regulations further to reduce trans fat in oils and fats to be less than 3% by weight effective January 2021 and less than 2% from January 2022. (Source: FSSAI notification dated 29/12/2020). In addition, by amending the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011, the FSSAI has said that food products which use edible oils and fats as an ingredient should not contain industrial trans fatty acids more than 2% by mass of the total oils/fats present in the product, starting January 1, 2022. (Source: FSSAI notification dated 02/02/2021)
Citizen consumer and civic Action Group (CAG) will be involved in supporting the implementation of recent trans fat policies in Tamil Nadu through advocacy, awareness programs, developing and sharing IEC materials like videos, posters, organising workshops, multi-stakeholder meetings, signature campaign targeting different sets of population like school and college students, and engaging with oil manufacturers, bakery and restaurant owners and government officials in the state
Trans fatty acids or trans fat is a type of saturated fatty acid that can either occur naturally or can be manufactured during the process of hydrogenation of vegetable oil. Vegetable oils are hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated to turn them into solid fat at room temperature. This increases their shelf life, and enhances the taste and texture of processed food items. Hydrogenated vegetable fat is a cheap source of oil/fat for branded and local food manufacturing companies. Trans fats can be found in food products such as margarine, fried foods such as chips; chocolates, biscuits and all baked goods. Trans fats occur naturally in milk, cheese, and certain meats. Artificial trans fats are known to raise the level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or the ‘bad’ cholesterol in the blood and increase the risk of coronary artery heart disease and stroke. Diets high in trans fats increase heart disease risk by 21 per cent and deaths by 28 per cent. Studies reveal that intake of Trans Fatty Acids (TFA) results in more than 500,000 deaths from cardiovascular disease, annually. In India, that number is pegged at about 60,000 deaths.
Thermal Watch Initiative, Phase - VII
Thermal Watch Initiative, Phase - VII
Thermal Watch Initiative, Phase - VII
Back to Earth: Composting for Various Contexts
Biodegradable waste reaching our dump yards has serious consequences to climate change. Composting is one of the most precious and powerful tools available to the human capacity to mitigate the effects caused by biodegradable waste on the environment. Without composting all our efforts will fail, with it we can build the future.
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Widespread Chemical Contamination of Recycled Plastic Pellets Globally
CAG contributed to a global study by IPEN that looked at the chemical contamination in recycled plastic pellets. The study found that recycling plastics carries over the toxins to the new products. Plastics containing toxins should therefore not be recycled; these should in fact, not be considered part of a circular economy at all.
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Press Release: A study on how safe is recycled plastic?
This recent study reveals that the recycling process transfers the toxins in plastic to the recycled plastic; and because recycling typically mixes several types of plastic together, could produce new chemical cocktails in the process.
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Electricity Consumer Cell (Phase IV) - An update
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How safe is recycled plastic?
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A study on street vendors usage, consumption, and awareness of reused cooking oils in Tamil Nadu
CAG has been working towards effective implementation of the trans fat regulations in Tamil Nadu. Artificially produced trans fats like vanaspati, margarine, bakery shortenings, are harmful as they are major contributors to non-communicable diseases like diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, stroke, cancer, etc. Used cooking oil is also an important source of trans fat. Experts say that during repeated frying , many properties of oil are altered.
Standby Power Consumption, An Energy Saving Opportunity
The usage of electricity in identical houses can vary by as much as 300% or 400%. The variation has been attributed to individual consumer behaviours and everyday practices.