NY bans most trans fats from restaurants
Brian
7,618 Posts
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061205/ts_nm/restaurants_newyork_dcBy Daniel Trotta 57 minutes agoNEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City banned most artificial trans fats from restaurants on Tuesday, forcing national fast-food chains and mom-and-pop diners alike to phase out artery-clogging oils from their cooking.ADVERTISEMENTThe law is believed to be the first of its kind in the United States and will require restaurants including McDonald's Corp. to eliminate trans fats by July 2007.Restaurants will be given a three-month grace period before facing fines. Those making doughnuts and other baked goods will be given until July 2008 to phase out trans fats, which are made synthetically when food processors harden fat to make it more like butter in a process called hydrogenization.The process is used to extend product shelf life and enhance the texture of some foods.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.The restaurant industry opposed the measure as costly, saying it should be allowed to continue voluntary efforts to eliminate trans fats. The industry has threatened to sue."We're keeping all our options open, including potential litigation," said Dan Fleshler, a spokesman for the National Restaurant Association.Another industry representative called the initiative costly and feared it could spread across the country.New York officials said nearly all artificial trans fats could be easily replaced with healthier options, and that they expected to withstand any lawsuits challenging the ban."We know that trans fats increase the chance of heart attack, stroke and death, and they don't have to be there," New York City Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden told reporters."People are no longer dying of typhoid fever. They are dying of heart disease," Frieden said, calling the matter a public health issue.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 that are chemically added to oils that give french fries their crunch and help create the texture of pie crusts and doughnuts.VOLUNTARY REDUCTIONAmerica'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 Corp. 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 while still satisfying customers.In a separate vote, New York City's board of health also ordered restaurants to standardize how they display the number of calories in dishes on their menus in an effort to combat obesity.That law, to take effect July 1, applies to restaurants that already report calorie counts and requires them to display the numbers on menus and menu boards. It is expected to affect about 10 percent of New York City restaurants.It was also opposed by the restaurant industry, which complained that both the trans fat and calorie reporting measures could to translate to price increases for consumers."It's going to be grossly expensive to make these changes and there may be the possibility that some people who are currently providing the (calorie) information may choose not to do it anymore," said Charles Hunt of the New York State Restaurant Association."Anything that happens in New York spreads and that's why the National Restaurant Association is so concerned about this," Hunt said. Thoughts?
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Naw man - this just means that restaurants will go back to old natural favorites like lard. Or ghee. Mmmmm...unclarified butter.
right, well, it goes without saying that the Indian rappers will be fine with this.
When I was in High School my Physiology teacher was an 80's crunchy Neo hippie who would discuss alternative dietary programs.
These kids need to know about what food does. Gluttony is another issue.
However, the "advantage" of trans fats/hardened fats is that they are cheap. Natural oils or even butter are comparatively expensive.
teach by education instead of by outlawing.
bloomberg
I'd want it to be fried in Peanut Oil if anything. Hopefully the chicken joints will step their game up! What do they fry chicken in now by the way?
No doubt.
I'm for smoking bans for the sake of workers even though I don't like them as a patron. As for this trans fat ban, I used to fry chicken for a living and would gawk at the people lining up to shove this tasty, tasty trash into their faces (some of these folks would ask if they could eat first and pay when they get to the register!), but I figured if they wanted to take down an 8-piece in one sitting and exit Earth in a fat-injected ball of breading, by all means, do what pleases thyself.
what about the health costs related to taking care of these people once all that shit catches up with them?
if folks can't take care of themselves and the end result means I got to pay for their fat asses than I'm glad this move is being made.
I'm also down with the taxing of junk and fast foods
from wikipedia.org
Trans fatty acids (commonly termed trans fats) are a type of unsaturated fat (and may be monounsaturated or polyunsaturated).
Trans fats occur naturally, in small quantities, in meat and dairy products from ruminants. Most trans fats consumed today, however, are industrially created as a side effect of partial hydrogenation of plant oils ??? a process developed in the early 1900s and first commercialized as Crisco in 1911. Partial hydrogenation changes a fat's molecular structure (raising its melting point and reducing rancidity) but this process also results in a proportion of the changed fat becoming trans fat.
Unlike other fats, trans fats are neither required nor beneficial for health.[1] Eating trans fat increases the risk of coronary heart disease.[2] For these reasons, health authorities worldwide recommend that consumption of trans fat be reduced to trace amounts. Trans fats from partially hydrogenated oils are generally considered to be more of a health risk than those occurring naturally.[3]
Trans fats are increasingly being linked to chronic health conditions, are tightly regulated in a few countries, are mandatory on product labels in many others, and are the central issue in several ongoing lawsuits (particularly against fast food outlets). Many companies are voluntarily removing trans fats from their products, or establishing trans-free product lines.
I figured someone would bring this up--didn't think it'd be this soon.
That's a slippery slope you're presenting. There are all kinds of high-risk activities people do everyday--extreme sports immediately comes to mind--but do we need bans on those, too?
Life, liberty, and the (gluttonous) pursuit of happiness.
by that logic we should be selling DDT bug spray and asbestos insulation still?
I applaud this ban, Canada introduced similar legislation a few years ago.
Read up on your read ups, trans fats doesn't add much to taste. They're used because it's CHEAP!
My sister works in a free clinic here in Los Angeles. As you'd expect the clientele is mostly lower class and a great amount of them have health issues related to poor diets. Quite often she'll ask her patients what they are eating and quite often they say they mostly eat fast/ fried foods. Everyone of those patients she sees is money were paying. I've been in there many times and seen these folks theres a lot of dollars being used on these people.
IMO this money would be better spent educating them on how to eat healthy.
this shit is out of control. I don't want to sound like a mini version of Supersize Me, but the advertising budget of places that serve this type of shit (McDonalds, etc) is astronomical in comparrison to the money spent on educating people about healthy eating choices.
people can't make healthy choices for themselves. So the NYC gov't went ahead and took what was poisoning the peoples off the menu, doesn't sound so bad to me
You seemed to miss the point about trans fat being voluntarily consumed.
yes, but until we can find a viable way to stop humankind from having injuries were just going to have to pony up the dough to fix 'em
cocaine laced coca cola......
people would willingly consume all these products if they were still on the market, even w/ known health risks.
should we just stand idly and let people die?
are you suggesting that we should ask people to give up on .49 chemical laced cheeseburgers made with practically no actual meat or cheese?
Word. I hear "Jackass"-related stunts kill as many people as cigarettes.
I'm pretty sure it's extreme sports dude, CDC be damned.
Big brother out of public health! Public education! Public everything! I say to you, oh Lord, let my market be free!
(My sarcasm meter is off the chain if this is not already obvious).
I would like to see these fast food companies do the same thing that Tobacco companies do with Truth.Org.
just an idea.
I don't think education > regulation in every case but in this case, education + regulation could be very valuable, indeed.
interesting, how do you feel about seatbelts, elevator inspections, and school PE programs?
Fuck all that. Helmets too, don't forget about helmets. Only Nazis wear helmets.
I guess I should have qualified it as sane Adults.
I'm against a law that makes a driver over 18 wear a seatbelt, yes.
I have no friggin clue how the other two are applied here??