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NYC trans fat ban passes

It's official. New York City has become the first in the nation to ban the use trans-fats at restaurants. The members of the Board of Health voted unanimously for the ban and heath advocates are already applauding the decision. Restaurants will have until July 2007 to switch to trans-fat free frying oils - meaning that all french fries in the city, as well as other fried foods will have to be trans-fat free by that time - and will have until July 2008 to remove all trans-fats from their food.

Trans-fats, which have been called "chemical abominations" by some health officials, are known to raise bad cholesterol and lower good cholesterol, changes which can contribute to an increased risk of heart disease. According to FDA estimates, "the average American eats 4.7 pounds of trans fats each year" in spite of the reductions that food processors have made with their use. They are favored in the restaurant and food processing industries because they are easy to work with, have a long shelf life and can increase the shelf life of foods that use them.

Predictably, the representatives from the restaurant industry are calling the ban "burdensome and unnecessary," but since the same burden is placed equally on all restaurants, there is no way to claim that some will have advantages over others when it comes to eliminating the fats. Some worry that customers won't eat the updated foods, but the chances that the entire city of New York will cease to eat french fries are incredibly slim, to say the least. Besides, fast food chains - the most well-know outlets for trans-fat containing fries and fried foods - are already making strides in eliminating trans fats and their changes will probably be reflected across the country and not limited just to NYC.

Chicago is the next city that has its eyes set on trans-fats as a public health hazard and is considering restricting their use in restaurants there, but we'll have to watch the NY restaurant scene to see how the changes play out.

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