GENEVA, Switzerland – Members of the International Food & Beverage Alliance (IFBA), which includes McDonald’s Corp. and General Mills, have extended their commitment made in 2008 to the World Health Organization (WHO) to phase out industrially produced trans fatty acids (TFAs) in their products by applying the commitment worldwide. The 11 IFBA member companies have agreed to reduce TFAs in their products to less than 1 g. of trans fat per 100 g. of product worldwide no later than the end of 2018, at the latest, according to a May 17 statement from IFBA.

IFBA is a group of 11 global food and non-alcoholic beverage companies including The Coca-Cola Company, Ferrero, General Mills, Grupo Bimbo, Kellogg, Mars, McDonald’s, Mondel?z International, Nestlé, PepsiCo and Unilever.

“IFBA members have been voluntarily reformulating their products to remove partially hydrogenated oils – the major source of trans fat in processed foods – and increase the use of healthier fats, such as mono- or polyunsaturated fatty acids,” the release stated. Member companies have also been listing trans fat content on nutrition labels.

Commenting on the new commitment, Rocco Renaldi, IFBA secretary-general, said, “Reducing the intake of industrial trans fats to nutritionally insignificant levels has been identified as a priority in public health nutrition. The commitment by IFBA member companies to achieve this globally over the next two and one-half years supports this objective. We stand ready to support the broader industry to achieve the same and to work to define effective measures to ensure a level playing field in this area.”

Text of the commitment can be read here.