Monte51Coleman Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/05/AR2006120500225_pf.html New York Bans Trans Fats at Restaurants By JOCELYN NOVECK The Associated Press Tuesday, December 5, 2006; 6:04 PM NEW YORK -- New York on Tuesday became the first city in the nation to ban artery-clogging trans fats at restaurants, leading the charge to limit consumption of an ingredient linked to heart disease and used in everything from french fries to pizza dough to pancake mix. In a city where eating out is a major form of activity _ either for fun or out of hectic necessity _ many New Yorkers were all for the ban, saying that health concerns were more important than fears of Big Brother supervising their stomachs. "I don't care about what might be politically correct and what's not," said Murray Bader, nursing a cup of coffee at Dunkin' Donuts on Tuesday morning. "I want to live longer!" The 72-year-old Manhattan resident called the ban a "wakeup call" for a public often unaware of the risks of artificial fats. "This stuff clogs up your vessels," he said. "When it comes to health, we only have one life." Toni Lewis, catching a quick dinner at McDonalds before her child's piano lesson on the eve of the vote, acknowledged that yes, it might be going too far for the city to tell people what they can and can't put into their stomachs. But, she added: "I welcome the intrusion." "This is New York," she said. "People eat out a lot. We don't have a choice. We need someone to make it a healthier proposition." Trans fats are believed harmful in a number of ways, with health authorities saying they clearly contributes to heart disease. Studies have shown they raise bad cholesterol and lower the good kind. Partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, a common form of trans fats, is used for frying and baking and turns up in a host of processed foods: cookies, pizza dough, crackers and pre-made blends like pancake mix. "It's basically a slow form of poison," says David Katz, director of the Yale Prevention Research Center. "I applaud New York City and frankly, I think there should be a nationwide ban." Not everyone agrees with Katz _ he's gotten angry e-mails calling him and colleagues the "food police" and saying, "If I want to eat trans fats, that's my inalienable right." To which he responds: "Would you want the burden of asking your restaurant whether there's lead in the food? Whether there's arsenic in the bread? For all I know, maybe arsenic makes bread more crusty. But it's poison." Some industry representatives were not happy. E. Charles Hunt, executive vice president of the New York State Restaurant Association, said the city had overstepped its authority by ordering restaurants to abandon an ingredient permitted by the FDA. "This is a legal product," he said. "They're headed down a slippery slope here." The Board of Health, which passed the ban unanimously, did give restaurants a minor break by relaxing the proposed deadline. Restaurants will now be barred from using most frying oils containing trans fats by July 2007 and will have another year to eliminate trans fats from all foods. The ban, which was advocated by health-conscious Mayor Michael Bloomberg, follows a national requirement beginning this past January that companies list trans-fat content on food labels. Efforts are also being made to reduce the trans-fat content of snacks in school vending machines. It's the danger a bad diet poses to children that has experts the most worried. It's also what worries Kathy Ramirez, a 26-year-old New York mother who takes her toddler to McDonalds every week. She approves of the ban and a related measure passed Tuesday, requiring restaurants that already disclose calorie counts _ mostly chain restaurants _ to post them right on the menu. "It's hurting us, all this fat, but the kids really like it," said Ramirez, pointing to 3-year-old Amber, who'd just finished her dinner. "It would be better to know what we're getting." (McDonalds Corp. has been experimenting with healthier oil blends but has not committed to a full switch yet. Wendy's International Inc. introduced a zero-trans fat oil in August and Yum Brands Inc.'s KFC and Taco Bell said they also will cut trans fats from their kitchens.) At Le Perigord, a tony, sedate French restaurant favored by diplomats from the nearby United Nations, owner Georges Briguet is a big fan of the trans-fats ban, and even says he'd consider putting calorie counts on his own upscale menu _ though it's only chains with standardized items that would be affected. "In this country there are so many obese people _ it really is a disgrace," Briguet says. "It's important for the health of the population to ban these artificial fats. When I was growing up in France, my mother never even gave me a French fry. We don't have a fryer here. We just sautee our potatoes in some good butter." The mayor, Briguet added, "is just as responsible for the health of someone eating the wrong food as for someone who kills himself smoking." Bloomberg banned smoking in New York's bars and restaurants during his first term. The public acceptance of that smoking ban, which at the time was a major source of worry to restaurant owners, shows why food chains should be embracing the current New York ban, says Tim Zagat, publisher of the hugely popular Zagat's restaurant guides. "You can't put lead in your food, right? With trans fats, you're not going to die as fast, but they are clearly bad for you and people don't even know when they're eating them," Zagat says. "If I were a restaurant, I would comply as quickly as I possibly could," he said. "Some fast-food chains are in the middle of the railroad track right now. They'd better rethink their business models. This is the next big issue in the United States." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Predicto Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 Works for me. That stuff is basically poison. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RVAbrendan Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 No complaints here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PleaseBlitz Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 Some of us like poison and others like making their own decisions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Predicto Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 Some of us like poison and others like making their own decisions. Quick question - was there trans fat in the donut you ate this morning? How do you know? How about lead? Would you prefer to "make your own decision" about lead in your food too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PleaseBlitz Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 Quick question - was there trans fat in the donut you ate this morning? How do you know?How about lead? Would you prefer to "make your own decision" about lead in your food too? I know there were about 1000 poisons in the cigarette i just smoked, but i smoked it anyways. Im sure those will be banned soon too. Booze kills thousands of people a year because stupid people like to get liquored up and drive around. Might as well ban alcohol for everyone. Why cant people just take a little ****ing responsibility for themselves every once in awhile. NEWSFLASH: FAST FOOD IS NOT GOOD FOR YOU! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iheartskins Posted December 6, 2006 Share Posted December 6, 2006 Why cant people just take a little ****ing responsibility for themselves every once in awhile. NEWSFLASH: FAST FOOD IS NOT GOOD FOR YOU! I have a hard time disagreeing with this...except...at a certain level, we all end up paying for the people that are too stupid to take care of themselves. I still think this ban is pretty ridiculous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Predicto Posted December 6, 2006 Share Posted December 6, 2006 I have a hard time disagreeing with this...except...at a certain level, we all end up paying for the people that are too stupid to take care of themselves. I still think this ban is pretty ridiculous. Playing devil's advocate here - do you think a ban on lead in food or arsenic in water is also ridiculous? Just let the free market take care of it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Predicto Posted December 6, 2006 Share Posted December 6, 2006 I know there were about 1000 poisons in the cigarette i just smoked, but i smoked it anyways. Im sure those will be banned soon too. Booze kills thousands of people a year because stupid people like to get liquored up and drive around. Might as well ban alcohol for everyone. Why cant people just take a little ****ing responsibility for themselves every once in awhile. NEWSFLASH: FAST FOOD IS NOT GOOD FOR YOU! Here's difference. I never smoked a cigarette or drank a fifth by accident. You can't tell trans fats are there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iheartskins Posted December 6, 2006 Share Posted December 6, 2006 Playing devil's advocate here - do you think a ban on lead in food or arsenic in water is also ridiculous? Just let the free market take care of it? It's one thing to give someone something that will bring about their sudden death. It's another thing to give somebody something that, if used in moderation, may not do any (or a substantial amount of) harm. With respect to the latter category, if it's adequately disclosed, I don't have a problem with it. Let people decide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreamingwolf Posted December 6, 2006 Share Posted December 6, 2006 "I don't care about what might be politically correct and what's not," said Murray Bader, nursing a cup of coffee at Dunkin' Donuts on Tuesday morning. "I want to live longer!" thats funny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twa Posted December 6, 2006 Share Posted December 6, 2006 I have a hard time disagreeing with this...except...at a certain level, we all end up paying for the people that are too stupid to take care of themselves. I still think this ban is pretty ridiculous. So when do we start mandating life choices? I know quite a few that could use sterilization,re-education and some discipline in their lives ...for the good of society of course Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreamingwolf Posted December 6, 2006 Share Posted December 6, 2006 Here's difference. I never smoked a cigarette or drank a fifth by accident.You can't tell trans fats are there. what Iheart said and business can advertise they are trans-fat free, chinese joints do it with msg-free and people eat at those places exclusively. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nelms Posted December 6, 2006 Share Posted December 6, 2006 Works for me. That stuff is basically poison. :doh: Why am I surprised? Left wing liberal from San Francisco. :doh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PleaseBlitz Posted December 6, 2006 Share Posted December 6, 2006 Here's difference. I never smoked a cigarette or drank a fifth by accident.You can't tell trans fats are there. There has to be some way to tell which foods have transfats in them, or transfats would be impossible to ban. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreamingwolf Posted December 6, 2006 Share Posted December 6, 2006 Playing devil's advocate here - do you think a ban on lead in food or arsenic in water is also ridiculous? Just let the free market take care of it? water controll is another thing, something that you as a consumer dont have controll over (your in home water) is different than fats in a food that you can choose to eat or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Predicto Posted December 6, 2006 Share Posted December 6, 2006 It's one thing to give someone something that will bring about their sudden death. It's another thing to give somebody something that, if used in moderation, may not do any harm. With respect to the latter category, if it's adequately disclosed, I don't have a problem with it. Let people decide. Lead in food will not give you a sudden death. Just slow brain damage over years. As far as I know, there is no medically "safe" amount of trans fats, nor is there any need to use them in cooking except as a convenience, nor does the average person buying a quick lunch have any way of knowing whether it is in the food they just bought. There are no nutrition labels for prepared foods. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PleaseBlitz Posted December 6, 2006 Share Posted December 6, 2006 :doh: Why am I surprised? Left wing liberal from San Francisco. :doh: Come on man, add to the discussion or :stfu:. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Predicto Posted December 6, 2006 Share Posted December 6, 2006 :doh: Why am I surprised? Left wing liberal from San Francisco. :doh: Just for once in your pathetic troll-like existence, try to add something substantive to a thread instead of just taking cheap potshots. You might like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nelms Posted December 6, 2006 Share Posted December 6, 2006 Come on man, add to the discussion or :stfu:. I did add to the discussion, so why don't you :jerk: off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twa Posted December 6, 2006 Share Posted December 6, 2006 Playing devil's advocate here - do you think a ban on lead in food or arsenic in water is also ridiculous? Just let the free market take care of it? Wouldn't it be true that there are allowable levels of contaiminents(including lead or arsenic or fecal matter),which is judged safe or at least not worth bothering with? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PleaseBlitz Posted December 6, 2006 Share Posted December 6, 2006 "I don't care about what might be politically correct and what's not," said Murray Bader, nursing a cup of coffee at Dunkin' Donuts on Tuesday morning. "I want to live longer!"thats funny :laugh: You know ALL people in Dunkin' Donuts care about one thing and one thing only: their health. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Predicto Posted December 6, 2006 Share Posted December 6, 2006 There has to be some way to tell which foods have transfats in them, or transfats would be impossible to ban. I don't understand. There is a way for the food supplier to know. But no way for the consumer to know unless the food supplier tells them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nelms Posted December 6, 2006 Share Posted December 6, 2006 Just for once in your pathetic troll-like existence, try to add something substantive to a thread instead of just taking cheap potshots. You might like it. I did add substance. You are a left wing liberal hailing from the most liberal city in San Francisco. So, I understand why you agree with such a heavy handed government law. You are in lock step with your beliefs. Congratulations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Predicto Posted December 6, 2006 Share Posted December 6, 2006 Wouldn't it be true that there are allowable levels of contaiminents(including lead or arsenic or fecal matter),which is judged safe or at least not worth bothering with? Yes, that is a practical necessity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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