EU – Baltic States, Foodstuff, Latvia, Markets and Companies

In an interview in the magazine "Lietiska Diena", Stender said that, although he apologizes for the error in the wafer test results that was caused by the laboratory, he still maintains that this product contains too much trans fat and has negative effects on health.

"Of course, it would not harm me if I ate one. It is the same as sometimes smoking a cigarette. It does not kill you," he replied to a question on whether he would be willing to consume Selga wafers.

He pointed out that even if the laboratory had not been mistaken and given correct information about the trans fat percentage, he would publicly criticize this product. "It was for the well-being of Latvia's populace, because they buy products without knowing what they contain, and also cannot read that – the ingredients are written in small letters. If I knew that it is 10 to 12% of trans fat, I would have said it. Maybe not so strictly, but it is more than health and food experts recognize as healthy in other countries. Therefore, I advise the producers of Selga not to use trans fat," said the professor.

As Stender maintains, Selga wafers contain more than 2% of trans fat. They could not be sold in Denmark, Austria, Switzerland, California and New York. But in Latvia, Lithuania and Hungary it is allowed because there are no regulations restricting the amount of trans fat in products, writes LETA.

"It is a bit odd, because, when I went to Great Britain or France, I could not find any products that contained more than 1 to 2% of trans fat. If I had found a product that contained 10% trans fat, it would have been a scandal," he says. "Therefore, I hold the view that NP Foods acted wisely if they found a way to reduce the amount of trans fat in their products, so it would not transcend 2% of trans fat. Then they could say that their wafers are not hazardous to the heart. It would be wise. And that is what manufactures in Denmark and Iceland did."

Commenting the changes in the populace health after 2003, when Denmark determined that trans fat percentage cannot transcend 2% of the total fat, Stender added that the sickness and death-rate from heart diseases has reduced sharply. It is expected that by 2027 middle-aged people will not die from heart disease, if this tendency continues.

Latvia is the leader in cardiovascular illnesses in the European Union. However, in relation to trans fat, the Danish professor does not consider the situation in Latvia to be worse than in Poland or Hungary, even though it would need wider studies and readings than Stender has done to accurately evaluate that.