Trans fats banned at NYC restaurants

[joyfulgirl]

I was so pleasantly shocked to see this headline. Now could schools and hospitals be next, please? Like, today?


NEW YORK (AP) -- The Board of Health voted Tuesday to make New York the first city in the nation to ban artery-clogging artificial trans fats at restaurants -- from the corner pizzeria to high-end bakeries.

The board, which passed the ban by a unanimous vote, 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.

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.

 

[Irvine511]

transfats are more dangerous to health than alcohol, or tobacco, or marijuana, or many other things we squeal about (think of the children!).

good stuff.

 

[A_Wanderer]

If you can ban one then whats stopping you from banning the others?

 

[Irvine511]

If you can ban one then whats stopping you from banning the others?

degree of health risk.

but, you're right, arbitrary banning of some substances and not others can be problematic.

 

[A_Wanderer]

Health risk is a function of duration. All these substances can be used in moderation without harm being done.

 

[joyfulgirl]

If you can ban one then whats stopping you from banning the others?

Marijuana is illegal in this country. Many cities have already banned smoking in restaurants and that trend will continue. You do not have to drink alcohol in a restaurant, it's a choice. But it 's ridiculous to have to interrogate you waiter about the ingredients in each dish in order to avoid trans fats. If you want to consume trans fats, you can go to the grocery store and buy all the trans fatty foods you want but that makes it a choice. Sure, you can choose not to ever eat out as a way to avoid eating trans fats but that's ridiculous. Replacing trans fats in foods is very simple.

 

[Harry Vest]

transfats are more dangerous to health than alcohol, or tobacco, or marijuana, or many other things we squeal about (think of the children!).

good stuff.

YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT - WHILE POLITICALLY CORRECT NAZI TYPES HAVE BEEN WHINING ABOUT ALCOHOL, MARIJUANA AND ESPECIALLY TOBACCO THEY HAVE RARELY MENTIONED THIS MAN MADE POISON. ALWAYS READ THE INGREDIANTS AND IF IT SAYS "HYDROGENATED" ANYTHING DO NOT EAT IT. I QUIT TRANS FAT ALTOGETHER A FEW YEARS AGO AFTER SOME INVESTIGATION INTO IT - I CAN'T BELEIVE THERE ISN'T A WORLD WIDE BAN OF THIS SHIT - IT IS TOTALLY UNECCESSARY AND ALL FOOD PRODUCTS CAN DO WITHOUT IT. GOOD FOR NYC BUT WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF US???????

 

[WinnieThePoo]

they also should ban burger joints and bars
+ no more sex , no more movies , and dating online only

 

[ntalwar]

It's similar to the smoking ban in bars and restaurants. People generally don't know the danger of trans fats or even that they are eating them.

 

[Ormus]

If you can ban one then whats stopping you from banning the others?

Comparing this to alcohol, tobacco, or marijuana is not an accurate comparison. No one will miss trans fats in the same way that they miss a drug.

It is within the rights of government to regulate the quality of food, and, frankly, they should probably do much more than dealing with just this hot-button issue. Most Western food is nothing but unabated crap, using poor quality ingredients and processing techniques that strip out far too many essential nutrients. People should not have to shop in the expensive "organic" section to get healthy food.

 

[starsgoblue]

I don't know how I feel about this.

 

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

I don't know how I feel about this.

What do you mean?


I personally think it's great, but time to get it outlawed in schools and other cities as well.

 

[BVS]

Melon is right, comparing to alcohol is a poor comparison. This is more comparable to banning asbestos in construction.

 

[Angela Harlem]

Marijuana is illegal in this country. Many cities have already banned smoking in restaurants and that trend will continue. You do not have to drink alcohol in a restaurant, it's a choice. But it 's ridiculous to have to interrogate you waiter about the ingredients in each dish in order to avoid trans fats. If you want to consume trans fats, you can go to the grocery store and buy all the trans fatty foods you want but that makes it a choice. Sure, you can choose not to ever eat out as a way to avoid eating trans fats but that's ridiculous. Replacing trans fats in foods is very simple.

Precisely. These other examples are a bit pointless, as marijuana is illegal in Australia, too, and as for alcohol, there's limitations on where and when it can be bought. In a bar or club, intoxicated people will not be served and will be removed by security if they're drunk enough. At 12am or 1am, bars are not allowed to serve take-away meaning anything bought must be consumed on the premises. Only licenced outlets, such as pubs and bottle shops can sell alcohol. Period. Australia has free access in it's tightly regulated access to alcohol. There's no stopping people doing what they wish in their own homes, but that's a different set of restrictions. The government, with our laws, is not out to restrict private consumption. And you know, no one here really thinks our limited access is all that constricted, anyway. You can easily tell this by how frequently these other examples come up in debate, all without realising there already is a bunch of governmental control on them.

 

[joyfulgirl]

Kraft no longer uses trans fats in Oreos. Has anyone missed them? It's not like people really want those trans fats. There isn't a movement out there in the public demanding to keep them. Most people just don't know they're consuming them, don't know they're bad for them, and don't notice when they're replaced. Take them out, you won't notice the difference in taste (if anything, the taste will be better). Remove the trans fats in food served in restaurants, schools and hospitals, replace them with healthier oils and basically everyone wins.

 

[Liesje]

Melon is right, comparing to alcohol is a poor comparison. This is more comparable to banning asbestos in construction.

Yep, and certain types of alcohol consumed very mildly can even be beneficial for your health. There's absolutely NO benefit to eating trans fat, even if it's a marginal amount. Everything else it was compared to is already illegal or tightly regulated.

 

[anitram]

In a bar or club, intoxicated people will not be served and will be removed by security if they're drunk enough.

I wonder though, how many people ever get prosecuted for this? I know in Canada we have the same law and I believe that the lowest blood alcohol prosecuted under this law was something close to 3x the legal limit which essentially means this law is useless. It would be interesting to see if things are different in Australia.

 

[Caroni]

Wich foods have trans fats??? please

 

[Angela Harlem]

I wonder though, how many people ever get prosecuted for this? I know in Canada we have the same law and I believe that the lowest blood alcohol prosecuted under this law was something close to 3x the legal limit which essentially means this law is useless. It would be interesting to see if things are different in Australia.

The security industry in Australia has gone through some major overhauling in recent years to clean up its act. It's especially common in the larger venues even to hire a security firm to oversee their own security. A big leagues club near me, for example, spends an obscene amount having on-site monitoring in their monitoring room. Smaller pubs and so on also hire 'undercover' security to watch what their people are doing to ensure they are keeping the patrons in check and not risking the business. Of course it is far from perfect, and far from a working solution, and I'm sure large numbers still get away with no recourse whatsoever. While this doubling of security is one way of tackling the problem, you have smaller venues who either do not have the funds to do this, nor the inclination when you're talking about their regulars and subsequent livelihood.

 

[Irvine511]

next, let's get started on banning high fructose corn syrup!

(THAT'S the root of the obesity epidemic)

 

[sulawesigirl4]

next, let's get started on banning high fructose corn syrup!

(THAT'S the root of the obesity epidemic)

Yes, PLEASE!

I spend half of my time at the grocery store reading labels to identify this evil substance and eliminate it from my purchases. It's astonishing how it finds its way into almost EVERYTHING!

 

[joyfulgirl]

next, let's get started on banning high fructose corn syrup!

(THAT'S the root of the obesity epidemic)

Banning trans fats is a very good start but a lousy finish.

 

[Liesje]

next, let's get started on banning high fructose corn syrup!

(THAT'S the root of the obesity epidemic)

Is that what's in soda? If so, I'm all for it. It's the only way I'll be able to "quit"....

 

[anitram]

Is that what's in soda? If so, I'm all for it. It's the only way I'll be able to "quit"....

You could just drink diet.

 

[coemgen]

I'm glad to hear about this. I hope many others will catch on fast.

 

[ntalwar]

You could just drink diet.

Those artificial sweeteners are probably worse than the syrup in terms of health damage long term.

 

[joyfulgirl]

Starbucks is now getting in on the banning trans fats action :

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/diet.fitness/01/02/starbucks.transfats.ap/index.html

SEATTLE, Washington (AP) -- Starbucks Corp. is cutting trans fats from the doughnuts, muffins and other treats in half of its U.S. stores, and plans to eventually drop the artery-clogging fats from company-operated coffeehouses across the country.

The world's largest specialty coffee retailer has been working to eliminate trans fats from its food menu for about two years, spokesman Brandon Borrman said Tuesday.

"This is just something we have been working on, and our focus has always been on providing our customers with healthy and nutritious food options," Borrman said.

Trans fats, listed on food labels as partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, are believed to be harmful because they wreak havoc on cholesterol levels.

Standalone Starbucks stores in Seattle, Washington; San Francisco, California; Chicago, Illinois; Los Angeles, California; San Diego, California; Boston, Massachusetts; New York; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Washington; and Portland, Oregon will have zero trans fats in their food beginning Wednesday, Borrman said.

Getting the other half of U.S. stores to follow suit will take some time, as the company adjusts recipes with regional bakers and food suppliers.

However, Starbucks already had quietly replaced the fats in its nationally distributed food products, such as its seasonal pumpkin muffins and gingerbread, Borrman said.