New York City bans trans-fats in restaurants

[Lloyd Danforth]

Just as with smoking and handicapped access, the market would handle this if the demand is there for food cooked without trans-fats.  I wouldn't mind if Bloomberg spent a pile of his own money on a campaign to warn people of the dangers of trans-fats.

[Sweet Mercury]

If the city banned rat poison from food, would you open up a restaurant that served rat poison flavored food?  Trans-fats aren't something that makes food taste better, they're a manufacturing by-product that enable people to make food cheaper and last longer.  For restaurants it basically means they can re-use their fry oil longer.  Given that trans-fats lower your good cholesterol while raising your bad, are you willing to trade your health for their bottom line?  You may notice many products no longer sport partially hydrogenated fats, but have palm oil instead.  Such is the way of consumer demand. 

It would be better if people stood up and said they would prefer not to consume trans-fats, but the sheep need their shepherds in New York City.  I noticed Bickfords in Manchester had little placards declaring they went trans-fat free.  And to think, no law was required.

+1 for John.

Really, just because the city banned trans fats doesn't make them more desirable as a comestible! Given the choice, I would consume natural fats and avoid the restaurant serving trans fats, all without government supervision, of course!

Criticize the decree, but don't exalt trans fats!

I think the exaltation of trans-fats is a bit toungue in cheek. And if it isn't? So what?

I wouldn't touch trans-fats, personally, because they are bad for my health. Good thing that I, like every citizen of sound mind in NYC, am free to choose to not eat them regardless of government coercion.

Next on the pateral government ban-list, high heels (bad for the feet), too much make up (makes you look slutty), taxis (get out and walk, fatass), tv (rots the brain), reading (puts dangerous ideas into the head), computer keyboards/mice (causes carpel tunnel syndrom), and so on and so forth.

New Yorkers will be allowed to labor and produce, but without the right to keep and use the fruits of their labor—as if they could use it without hurting themselves.

[Pat McCotter]

Another good thing from this: There's going to be some pretty good waste oil for diesel cars in Manhattan in a few months time.

[Fluff and Stuff]

Of course, there is a NH bill to ban trans fat.

http://www.consumerfreedom.com/news_detail.cfm/headline/3200

Even the Granite State has not remained silent,
with a trans fat ban on the docket as bill# H-0846
that would excise the fat from all sorts of eateries in New Hampshire.

[error]

Keep your law out of my food!

[Kat Kanning]

Bill seeks to ban trans fats from Massachusetts

By Jason Szep Tue Dec 19, 8:03 PM ET

BOSTON (Reuters) - A lawmaker introduced a bill on Tuesday that would make Massachusetts the first U.S. state to ban artificial trans fats from restaurants, closely following New York City's ban of the artery-clogging oils.
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"We have an opportunity to vastly improve public health by directing restaurants to switch to healthier alternatives," Peter Koutoujian, a Democratic representative in the Massachusetts Legislature, said in a statement.

The bill uses language similar to new regulations announced this month by New York City, but marks the first effort to force restaurants in an entire state to stop frying foods in oils that contain high levels of trans fats.

New York's law, believed to be the first of its kind in the United States, requires restaurants including McDonald's Corp. to eliminate trans fats by July 2007 or face fines for each violation.

Trans fats increase the risk of heart disease and stroke by increasing levels of so-called "bad" cholesterol, known as LDL, and reducing levels of "good," or HDL, cholesterol.

Massachusetts has one of the lowest obesity rates in the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"New York City's decision to ban trans fats from restaurants shows how government can take positive action toward improving public health," said Koutoujian, house chairman of the Legislature's Joint Committee on Public Health.

Under his proposal, no foods with artificial trans fat could be used to prepare restaurant menu items, with the exception of food served directly to customers in the manufacturer's original sealed package like potato chips.

Restaurants would have one year to switch to oils, margarines and shortenings that contain less than 0.5 grams of trans fat for every serving.

Trans fats occur naturally in some meat and dairy products, which would not be subject to the ban. Instead, the law targets nearly all artificial trans fats, which are chemically added to oils and give french fries their crunch and help create the texture of pie crusts and doughnuts.

America's fast-food chains, whose foods are among the most laden with trans fats, are moving toward voluntary reduction.

Wendy's International Inc. has reduced trans fats by switching to a different cooking oil, while McDonald's has been trying since 2002 to reduce trans fats in its french fries.

The privately held Dunkin' Donuts chain in 2004 started removing trans fats from bagels, muffins and cookies, and is researching alternative ways to make its mainstay doughnuts healthier.

Koutoujian said he hopes he'll find support for the bill from fellow lawmakers in the Democratic-controlled Legislature, which starts its new two-year session in January.

"There is an overwhelming amount of evidence out there revealing just how damaging trans fats are," he said.

[error]

Trans fats aren't half as damaging as an overbearing nanny state.

Keep your laws out of my food!

[Braddogg]

This may just be my desire to "save" the free market, but I can't help but think that government interference is delaying the reduction in transfat.  Maybe agricultural subsidies or something like that.  Can anyone help me back up my prejudice with facts?   

[JonM]

Alternative fats that are stable at room temperature tend to be things like coconut oil or palm oil.  Not nearly as cheap as rapeweed or cottonseed which can be altered through hydrogenation to be stable at room temperature.

It's always been more about the cost of manufacturing than the taste.  Remember when movie theater popcorn tasted SOOOOO good before they CSPI got all upset about them popping it in coconut oil?  They switched to trans-fat based oils (cheaper even), or air popping (cheaper still) but it didn't taste nearly as good.

McDonalds is not a poster child for fat change.  Back in the day they used beef tallow to fry their fries.  When they said they switched to a vegetable oil in 1990 they still used beef extract in the oil because they thought customers liked the flavor.  This caused a bit of a problem in 2002 when people found out about it, because they'd been claiming the fries were vegetarian all that time.

I've made pie crusts with trans fat based shortening, "0 trans fats per serving" shortening, and just plain butter.  The crust I made with just butter and a bit of sour cream was way better than any of the crusts I made with shortening (either kind) and butter.

Saying trans-fats give fries their crunch is nuts.  Frying it gives it the crunch.  Hot oil is very efficient heat transfer mechanism.  Additional things like that beef extract might give it more flavor, but trans-fats don't.

(And for the record, I still think government has no place mandating what restaurants can use in their food.  They leave too many loopholes, educated customers do not.)

[Kat Kanning]

I've seen a lot of companies voluntarily removing trans fat, but I'm not sure how the bans would impede that.

[JonM]

The "ban" allows .5 grams per serving.  Check ingredient labels on processed foods.  If it says partially hydrogenated <oil> on it, and 0 grams trans fat per serving, they came up with a serving size that has .5 grams or less.  They can report that as 0.  Of course, if you eat the whole bag/package, you're getting a few grams of trans-fat.

Personally I'd like to see the label include the counts for the whole package, but I don't think the FDA is the best organization to push for that, even if they are the only ones who can mandate it by law.  Just look how long it took them to put trans-fats on the label because of industry lobbying.

Now if its consumers who demand no trans-fats, they're not demanding .5 grams or less per serving.  They're demanding 0.  And when there is no law "banning" trans-fats consumers will be more involved.  If the government bans it most people will putter along and not realize a government ban isn't really a ban.

[toowm]

The Common Man chain here in NH is using room-temperature oils and have advertising on their tables. The market responds!

My favorite part of the banning nonsense is the food nazis over at the Center for Science in the Public Interest http://www.cspinet.org/. They used boycotts but also government coercion to get consumers afraid of butter and restaurants away from butter and lard, and everyone into hydrogenated oil 20 years ago. Now they are doing the same thing with a problem they helped create.

Off topic - had to insert this emoticon: Go Bears!

[Fluff and Stuff]

The "ban" allows .5 grams per serving.  Check ingredient labels on processed foods.  If it says partially hydrogenated <oil> on it, and 0 grams trans fat per serving, they came up with a serving size that has .5 grams or less.  They can report that as 0.  Of course, if you eat the whole bag/package, you're getting a few grams of trans-fat.

Are you talking about the New Hampshire ban or NYC ban?

[JonM]

The "ban" allows .5 grams per serving.  Check ingredient labels on processed foods.  If it says partially hydrogenated <oil> on it, and 0 grams trans fat per serving, they came up with a serving size that has .5 grams or less.  They can report that as 0.  Of course, if you eat the whole bag/package, you're getting a few grams of trans-fat.

Are you talking about the New Hampshire ban or NYC ban?

The MA ban referenced a few posts above.  I haven't read the text of the NY ban, and I don't think we have text for the NH bill yet.  At least in this article they realized some trans-fats do occur in nature.

[Kat Kanning]

Peter Berling is doing the trans fat bill in NH if you want to write him about it:

peter.burling@leg.state.nh.us