Nyc to ban trans fats

miller8966

People are so stupid that the government has to tell them what to eat?

NYC Moves to Ban Trans Fats

By SARA KUGLER
The Associated Press
Tuesday, December 5, 2006; 8:25 AM



NEW YORK -- From the corner pizzeria to high-end bakeries, New York City's world famous eateries are preparing for kitchen scrutiny as the board of health moves to ban trans fats.

The board was poised Tuesday to make New York the nation's first city to outlaw the unhealthy oils, though it's expected to give restaurants a slight break by relaxing what had been considered a tight deadline for compliance.

The restaurant industry argued that it was unrealistic to give eateries six months to replace cooking oils and shortening and 18 months to phase out the ingredients altogether.

"We hope that the board of health will have significantly changed the original proposal, taking into consideration the concerns raised by 24,000 restaurateurs in New York City," said Sue Hensley, spokeswoman for the National Restaurant Association.

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 fats.

A common form of trans fats 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, 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 are particularly interested in the board's decision because a trans-fat ban wouldn't just involve substituting one ingredient for another. In addition to overhauling recipes, they would 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.

McDonald's Corp. has been quietly experimenting with more than a dozen healthier oil blends in some of its U.S. restaurants, but still 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 also said they 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.

surferdude

It's tough when people want to be treated like sheep.

jlew24asu

good. there is no need for this crap. I'm happy to see it go. maybe, in time, we can loose our title of the Fatass capital of the world

hippiemom

miller8966 wrote:

People are so stupid that the government has to tell them what to eat?

Last time you ate out, did you see an ingredient list anywhere?

sonicreducer

they should be more concerned about putting labels on genetically altered foods,...

that is good, though. trans fat is obviously no bueno.

hippiemom

sonicreducer wrote:

they should be more concerned about putting labels on genetically altered foods,...

that is good, though. trans fat is obviously no bueno.

I agree. It's an absolute crime that genetically modified foods were ever permitted to begin with.

jlew24asu

hippiemom wrote:

I agree. It's an absolute crime that genetically modified foods were ever permitted to begin with.

what are some common examples of this?

sonicreducer

jlew24asu wrote:

what are some common examples of this?

have you noticed how all the strawberries got bigger and tastier?

jlew24asu

sonicreducer wrote:

have you noticed how all the strawberries got bigger and tastier?

well why is it so bad?

Pacomc79

hopefully they can find alternatives that don't give you the runs.

Ms. Haiku

Wow, that's kindof shocking. I wonder what the ramifications will be. Will people eat out less, will they eat out more, will the government ban other things that are bad for health that relate to food or is this just a one time thing?

I'm all for better health, but I think something is being lost for restauranters. Maybe I won't care in a month, and look at it differently.

sonicreducer

jlew24asu wrote:

well why is it so bad?

i should have the choice of deciding whether i want GE foods consumed in my home. as of now, i can't because they don't require labels.

there are as many risks associated with GE foods as there are 'potential' benefits.

i don't like it because changing the genome of plants isn't natural. they are more susceptible to disease as genetic diversity is reduced. a lot of big corporations are abusing the research and making the plants tolerable to pesticides to save money. this is a contradiction b/c one of the claims was that it would reduce the need of pesticides.

i suggest you do your own research

http://home.earthlink.net/~spcemonk/webquest.html

http://www.globalissues.org/EnvIssues/GEFood.asp

jlew24asu

sonicreducer wrote:

i should have the choice of deciding whether i want GE foods consumed in my home. as of now, i can't because they don't require labels.

there are as many risks associated with GE foods as there are 'potential' benefits.

i don't like it because changing the genome of plants isn't natural. they are more susceptible to disease as genetic diversity is reduced. a lot of big corporations are abusing the research and making the plants tolerable to pesticides to save money. this is a contradiction b/c one of the claims was that it would reduce the need of pesticides.

i suggest you do your own research

http://home.earthlink.net/~spcemonk/webquest.html

http://www.globalissues.org/EnvIssues/GEFood.asp

nah i'm really not that concerned. trans fat on the other hand is horrible and I'm glad its banned

NMyTree

The News on Trans fats/hydrogenated vegetable oils has been out for quite some time. But not nearly enough people have given a damn about it.

I omitted that crap from my diet years ago.

Things is, that a law like this one should stop chefs/cooks from using it in our food, when we eat out.

I actually do ask if they use that crap when I eat at a restaurant, but I have a hard time trusting them, when they say they don't.

As human beings, when ever we go messing with genomes and molecules, we have a pattern of screwing shit up. I'd like to see them ban this stuff on a global scale.

hippiemom

jlew24asu wrote:

what are some common examples of this?

Just about all of the corn, soy, cotton (think cottonseed oil) and canola that you eat is genetically modified, unless it's labeled organic or non-GMO.

The process by which these substances were approved by the FDA absolutely reeks of corruption. Poor quality studies were accepted without question, data was destroyed, data was stolen from researchers, FDA scientists who asked questions of the industry or demanded further research were disciplined or fired, final approval rested with former Monsanto executives, and on and on and on.

There are perfectly valid reasons why most of the countries in the world don't want this stuff in their food supply and have banned it. No one is saying that it will kill you ... it might or it might not ... what we're saying is that no one knows WHAT it will do to you, because no one has tried very hard to find out.

http://www.seedsofdeception.com/Public/AboutGeneticallyModifiedFoods/index.cfm

he still stands

I would have a big problem with this is if trans-fat was a natural substance, but since trans-fat is engineered I think the ban makes sense. I think we need to be careful though, because this could lead to the ban of other foods that aren't good for you... and if that starts happening, when does it stop. If in the future I can't eat a cheeseburger and fries while a slurp down a milk shake I'm moving to Canada.

I am also stepping back to take a look at the bigger picture. It seems that our country is becoming more and more autocratic. How long will it be before we look like Singapore and can't chew gum or get huge fines for jaywalking? The thing is I used to be a republican because I believe in a minimalist government, now it seems we are being watched more and told what we can and cannot do in our everyday lives, and many of these changes have taken place since we have had a "republican" government.

But yeah, I think this single ban makes sense.

jlew24asu

hippiemom wrote:

Just about all of the corn, soy, cotton (think cottonseed oil) and canola that you eat is genetically modified, unless it's labeled organic or non-GMO.

The process by which these substances were approved by the FDA absolutely reeks of corruption. Poor quality studies were accepted without question, data was destroyed, data was stolen from researchers, FDA scientists who asked questions of the industry or demanded further research were disciplined or fired, final approval rested with former Monsanto executives, and on and on and on.

There are perfectly valid reasons why most of the countries in the world don't want this stuff in their food supply and have banned it. No one is saying that it will kill you ... it might or it might not ... what we're saying is that no one knows WHAT it will do to you, because no one has tried very hard to find out.

http://www.seedsofdeception.com/Public/AboutGeneticallyModifiedFoods/index.cfm

I can see what your saying but how can it be so bad if there isnt proof those foods will harm you? such as trans fat.

I think if there was something inheritly bad about it, wouldnt it be made more public?

exhausted

how many times in modern history has some innovative been thought to be safe only to be proven years later to be extremely dangerous.

GMO strawberries could cause eyebrow cancer for all we know.

lack of information regarding safety doesn't imply safety.

hippiemom

he still stands wrote:

I would have a big problem with this is if trans-fat was a natural substance, but since trans-fat is engineered I think the ban makes sense. I think we need to be careful though, because this could lead to the ban of other foods that aren't good for you... and if that starts happening, when does it stop. If in the future I can't eat a cheeseburger and fries while a slurp down a milk shake I'm moving to Canada.

I am also stepping back to take a look at the bigger picture. It seems that our country is becoming more and more autocratic. How long will it be before we look like Singapore and can't chew gum or get huge fines for jaywalking? The thing is I used to be a republican because I believe in a minimalist government, now it seems we are being watched more and told what we can and cannot do in our everyday lives, and many of these changes have taken place since we have had a "republican" government.

But yeah, I think this single ban makes sense.

I think the difference is that it's easy to know when you're eating a cheeseburgher and fries, and it's very easy not to eat them if you don't want them. There's no need to ban cheeseburgers, because no one can sneak a cheeseburger into your salad at lunch time.

jlew24asu

exhausted wrote:

how many times in modern history has some innovative been thought to be safe only to be proven years later to be extremely dangerous.

GMO strawberries could cause eyebrow cancer for all we know.

lack of information regarding safety doesn't imply safety.

of course it doesnt but it doesnt imply danger either.

hippiemom

jlew24asu wrote:

I can see what your saying but how can it be so bad if there isnt proof those foods will harm you? such as trans fat.

I think if there was something inheritly bad about it, wouldnt it be made more public?

Yes, that is what you would think. That is what would happen if the FDA's mission was to protect the public, rather than protect industry profits, and if our media did it's job.

Hopefully some of the Europeans will weigh in on this, because it WAS made public in Europe, with the result that these foods aren't sold there.