InfoSAWIT, KYIV – Palm oil ban was discussed in Ukraine after some media reported about the misinformation – the latest act to food products. But Stepan Kapshuk, Director of Ukroliaprom Association emphasized that there would be no palm oil use – ban in Ukraine. The main focus of the new act would be about to limit fat trans in food products.

Kapshuk thought that the debates about palm oil ban would raise every five years but it was always misinterpreted. “In fact, the ban would be hydrogenated fat which is the source of trans - fat,” he said, as InfoSAWIT quoted from DairyNews.today, Tuesday (15/10/2024).

Trans - fat was proved to be dangerous for the health. It has been restricted in the national scale sanitation – act. Based on the global scale standards, this country decided the maximal numbers of trans - fat would be 2 grams per 100 grams of a product. It would be the same in European Union Deforestation Regulation that would closely regulate about export products, namely sugar.

He also clarified that the latest act, after it was discussed since in 2021, did not target palm oil. “The act has something to do with trans - fat regulation and the food product labels, namely for milks and foods for babies,” he said. This meant it would be significant to get transparency in the product label if it did contain of vegetable oil and should be clearly written (on the package).

One significant point that Kapshuk said was the misinformation that some media informed about the act. He emphasized the the act would cover ‘milk and milk products’ and ‘foods for baby’. It did not regulate about palm oil but the close limit in trans - fat. The products that contained of vegetable oils, including palm oil would be allowed (to trade) as long as they have label and would not be used in the products that based on milk traditionally, such as, cheese and butter.

Kapshuk also said that the producers in Ukraine have turned over from the fully hydrogenation to the partial interesterification. “This would enable the producers to use/apply vegetable oils without producing trans - fat which is dangerous,” he said. The ban, even though it would be close, would be the same with the practices in many neighborhood countries, such as, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Belarus.

Even though the trans - fat would be limited, palm oil imports to Ukraine would keep running. But Kapshuk acknowledged that the logistic challenges because of the war would restrict palm oil import volumes. “Food production in Ukraine got decreased and palm oil imports would be about 100.000 tons per year," he said. Most of palm oil imports were from the ports in Rotterdam, Kazakhstan, and Turkey and spent the increasing logistic costs.

In the future, he did not consider that there would be the increasing palm oil imports significantly and Ukraine would be more stable. But for palm oil would be important to get global scale food production, namely for its consistency in solid room temperature, he emphasized palm oil ban in Ukraine would be not realistic. “Palm oil helped to minimize trans - fat and make it more valuable in food industries,” he said.

Kapshuk would emphasized even though there would be close regulation about trans - fat, palm oil would be the important commodity in food production, namely sugar, and bread in the country. (T2)