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NYC health board votes to ban trans fats
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061205/ap_on_he_me/diet_trans_f...
By SARA KUGLER, Associated Press Writer
NEW YORK - The Board of Health voted Tuesday to make New York the nation's first city to ban artery-clogging artificial trans fats at restaurants ?
from the corner pizzeria to high-end bakeries.
The board, which passed the ban unanimously, did give restaurants a slight break by relaxing what had been considered a tight deadline for compliance.
Restaurants will be barred from using most frying oils containing artificial trans fats by July and will have to eliminate the artificial trans fats
from all of its foods by July 2008.
Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden said recently that officials seriously weighed complaints from the restaurant industry, which argued that it was
unrealistic to give them six months to replace cooking oils and shortening and 18 months to phase out the ingredients altogether.
The ban contains some exceptions; for instance, it would allow restaurants to serve foods that come in the manufacturer's original packaging.
Trans fats are believed to be harmful because they contribute to heart disease by raising bad cholesterol and lowering good cholesterol at the same
time. Some experts say that makes trans fats worse than saturated fat.
The panel also passed another measure that has made restaurants unhappy: Some that chose to inform customers about calorie content will have to list
the information right on the menu. The rule would generally apply to fast-food restaurants and other major chains.
Trans fats are formed when liquid oils are made into solid fats by adding hydrogen in a process called hydrogenation. A common example of this is
partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, which is used for frying and baking and turns up in processed foods like cookies, pizza dough and crackers.
Trans fats, which are favored because of their long shelf life, are also found in pre-made blends like pancake and hot chocolate mix.
The FDA estimates the average American eats 4.7 pounds of trans fats each year.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who banned smoking in bars and restaurants during his first term, is somewhat health-obsessed, and even maintains a monthly
weight-loss competition with one of his friends in order to stay slim.
He has dismissed cries that New York is crossing a line by trying to legislate diets.
"Nobody wants to take away your french fries and hamburgers ? I love those things, too," he said recently. "But if you can make them with something
that is less damaging to your health, we should do that."
Many food makers have stopped using trans fats on their own, after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration began requiring companies to list trans fat
content on labels.
Fast-food restaurants and other major chains were particularly interested in the board's decision on Tuesday, because for these companies, a trans-fat
ban wouldn't just involve substituting one ingredient for another. In addition to overhauling recipes, they have to disrupt nationwide supply
operations and try to convince customers that the new french fries and doughnuts will taste just as good as the originals.
Already, McDonald's Corp. has been quietly experimenting with more than a dozen healthier oil blends but has not committed to a full switch. At an
investor conference last month, CEO Jim Skinner said the company is making "very good progress," at developing an alternative, and vowed to be ready
for a New York City ban.
Wendy's International Inc. introduced a zero-trans fat oil in August and Yum Brands Inc.'s KFC and Taco Bell said they also will cut the trans fats
from their kitchens.
Taco Bell worked for more than two years to find a substitute, conducting blind consumer taste tests and extensive research, the company said.
Chicago is also considering its own trans fat law, which wouldn't ban them outright but would severely restrict the amount that kitchens can use. The
measure would apply only to large restaurants, defined as those that make more than $20 million in sales per year.
New York's move to ban trans fats has mostly been applauded by health and medical groups, although the American Heart Association warns that if
restaurants aren't given ample time to make the switch, they could end up reverting to ingredients high in saturated fat, like palm oil.
If I fail math, there goes my chance at a good job and a happy life full of hard work.
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upyerbum
Posting Freak
Posts: 3226
Registered: 10-14-2005
Location: Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
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Mood: Condemned 84
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I wonder how people in their sixties who have been eating that crap their whole life feel?
NOW? YOU FUCKING TELL ME THIS NOW??!!???
Well, its this place where nobody works, and the pigs don\'t give you any shit. Everyone smokes weed and gets drunk all day. Its a place where
cunts like me and you can truly take it easy and relax. Know what I mean?
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CR83
Moderator
Posts: 5221
Registered: 1-23-2004
Location: STL!
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Mood: Harm's Way
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Very good point UB. I think it is a great step forward. As a society we are too fucking stupid to make dietary changes so any help is good in my
opinion.
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CR83
Moderator
Posts: 5221
Registered: 1-23-2004
Location: STL!
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Mood: Harm's Way
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Trans Fat Free Shopping List
http://health.msn.com/dietfitness/articlepage.aspx?cp-docume...
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Kid Ugly
Senior Member
Posts: 738
Registered: 8-28-2005
Location: North Jersey
Member Is Offline
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As much as I agree with eating healthy and avoiding all the bullshit out there, I think this is a step to far. Having laws telling us what we can't
fucking eat is very telling of the state that our society's in...on several levels.
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