New York City passes trans fat ban

[EdwardKnoxII 0]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16051436/wid/11915773?GT1=8816

 

New York City passes trans fat ban

Restaurants must eliminate artery-clogging ingredient by July 2008

 

MSNBC News Services

Updated: 55 minutes ago

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 their foods by July 2008.

 

But restaurant industry representatives called the ban burdensome and unnecessary.

 

“We don’t think that a municipal health agency has any business banning a product the Food and Drug Administration has already approved,” said Dan Fleshler, a spokesman for the National Restaurant Association.

 

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.

 

Chains must list calories

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.

 

Sheila Weiss, director of nutritional policy for the restaurant association, said the rule would be a disincentive for restaurants to provide any nutritional information.

 

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.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

The margarine we use at work in a hospital has 3.5 grams per serving..lol

 

we're killing teh patientz!

 

uh-oz..

[Wyld Cannon 0]

This is pretty gay, pardon the euphemism. Blaming the restaurants because your city is fat is ridiculous.

 

This is also quite unfair to such non fatsos such as myself who can eat all the unhealthy food they want and still look like a million bucks.

 

But no, all they worry about is the fatties. I'm tired of all the preferential treatment those fat bastards get.

 

On the flipside, why couldn't they make the switch in six months??? How long does it take to use up one shipment and switch to the new stuff??

[dubq 0]

Just because they "can eat all the unhealthy food they want and still look like a million bucks" on the outside, doesn't mean their internal organs aren't suffering and look like shite.

[devo 0]

I'm curious as to what the penalties are for violating the ban. I'd love to see restaurants give a collective "fuck you" to the city's government and continue using trans fat if the penalty was less than what it would cost them in business or new product.

[bob_barron 0]

What an awful law.

[snuffbox 0]

Pathetic

[naiwf 0]

Bloomberg is a horrible mayor. I expected nothing less than for him to take up another pointless crusade after trying to rid the city of cigarette smokers, all while we have tons more traffic because mass transit continually gets more expensive. The extra cars on the road are doing more damage to my lungs than people smoking in restaurants or bars ever did.

[Brett Favre 0]

Cigarettes suck though, but so does Bloomberg.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

I'm curious as to what the penalties are for violating the ban. I'd love to see restaurants give a collective "fuck you" to the city's government and continue using trans fat if the penalty was less than what it would cost them in business or new product.

 

1 or 2 offenses wont be anything..but I imagine the Health Dept or whoever enforces it could shut down the place for repeated violations.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

You gotta love this "Big Brother" trend that American cities are taking with local businesses. Great way to encourage economic growth!

[EricMM 0]

Economic growth vs. subversive physical death?

 

Hmmmmm....

 

The main thing is that people eating in restaurants do not know what they get in their food.

 

A little transparency would be more appropriate than a little bannage, I admit...

[MrRant 0]

Economic growth vs. subversive physical death?

 

Hmmmmm....

 

The main thing is that people eating in restaurants do not know what they get in their food.

 

A little transparency would be more appropriate than a little bannage, I admit...

 

There is transparency. Just rub your food on some paper and if you can see through the paper, don't eat it.

[Vampiro69 0]

Economic growth?

 

More like waistline growth. Have you seen the size of some of these beasts that frequent fast food places?

[JHawk 0]

What about the vendors on the streets that sell hot dogs? Considering hot dog sales would be most of their sales, you're actually preventing some people from making a living!

[Vampiro69 0]

What about the vendors on the streets that sell hot dogs? Considering hot dog sales would be most of their sales, you're actually preventing some people from making a living!

 

We don't have hot dog vendors around here but don't they just boil the dogs?

[NoCalMike 0]

I am not sure this is a good idea as far as resteraunts go, because quite frankly when I go out to eat I usually am not concerned with health, which is why I don't do it often.

 

I have a bigger issue and think laws should be in place to force companies to label exactly what is in their food, when you go to grocery stores, such as any hormones or insecticides used in the harvesting process.

[Gert T 0]

The problem is a trans fat ban does not educate people, which is really what is needed. Doritos has the big "0 grams Trans Fat" label on their bag. So can I then assume that eating Doritos is healthier because it has No Trans Fat? I know there is nothing they can do about limiting caloric intake, but that is what it comes down to.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Tortilla chips like Doritos really aren't that bad for you, they have a lot less grease in them than standard potato chips. They all have a shitload of seasoning though, which means sodium, which means water retention. You can take that for what you will, it's either real good or real bad.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

I eat plain tortilla chips for a snack sometimes. At least better for you than potato chips or Doritos, I guess.

[EricMM 0]

Doritos all have a lot of MSG in them

[Wyld Cannon 0]

When this thread started I was against the ban. Then I actually read about trans fats and what they are. I am all for the ban now.

[BruiserKC 0]

Something's terribly fucking wrong with this picture.

 

We have a movement of Islamism that wants us all either dead or praying to Mecca five times a day.

 

Millions of illegal immigrants flood our borders every year and our politicians would rather get jerked off under the table by the corporations that hire them.

 

But yet...we must be saved from our French fries?

[In Credible 0]

Isn't transfat one molecule away from being plastic? I thought I heard that somewhere.

 

I think the ban is great, who the fuck wants to eat that shit?

[Art Sandusky 0]

Something's terribly fucking wrong with this picture.

 

We have a movement of Islamism that wants us all either dead or praying to Mecca five times a day.

 

Millions of illegal immigrants flood our borders every year and our politicians would rather get jerked off under the table by the corporations that hire them.

 

But yet...we must be saved from our French fries?

How is the city of New York going to fix either of those problems by itself?

[Dobbs 3K 0]

This seems like something the FDA should be looking into at large, not individual cities.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Something's terribly fucking wrong with this picture.

 

We have a movement of Islamism that wants us all either dead or praying to Mecca five times a day.

 

Millions of illegal immigrants flood our borders every year and our politicians would rather get jerked off under the table by the corporations that hire them.

 

But yet...we must be saved from our French fries?

 

That's freedom fries to you, commie.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

Maryland is trying to pass a state wide ban similar to the NY City ban.

 

At least if it passes, we'll have to get rid of the shitty margarine we use at work with the 3.5 grams of Trans Fats and crappy taste to it.

 

PASS THAT BILL!

[Art Sandusky 0]

And that's a professional there, ladies and gentlemen. PASS THAT BILL!

 

Just because it's something that people are concerned with doesn't mean we care about it more than world peace and shit.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

And that's a professional there, ladies and gentlemen. PASS THAT BILL!

 

Just because it's something that people are concerned with doesn't mean we care about it more than world peace and shit.

 

I actually think it should be passed, but it wont because restaurants are going to fight it.