"TransFats" news and stories

Dairy and meat products have small amounts of naturally occurring trans fats in them, but they are exempt from the federal laws that require trans fats to be identified on nutrition labels because those laws are aimed at artificially produced trans fats. Some companies, like Starbucks, want to be able to assure their customers that their products are entirely trans fat free and have required their bakers to switch from butter to trans-free margarine and palm oil. The bakers aren't happy about this, but consumers shouldn't notice a difference in flavor because of careful testing.

New York may be far from Texas and the Carolinas, but you can find some great barbecue in the city. This is good news for the millions of barbecue lovers who don't have too much of a problem finding excellent smoked meats, tender and slow cooked chickens, and piles of pulled pork.

Chodorow isn't the only one upset about his restaurants' reviews. Other restaurants have been known to sue critics for simply giving their opinion on their food.

Frank Bruni eats at Sfoglia and gives it 2 stars.

The TurboChef is one impressive - and expensive - oven.

Mark Bittman, the minimalist, makes a thai-inspired Winter Squash in Coconut Milk.

Harold McGee, the curious cook, makes fried fish with vodka and beer batter.

Source

Convenience is, well, convenient, but it comes at a hefty price. Upscale markets like Whole Foods and Metropolitan Market in Seattle that provide prepared foods are charging an arm and a leg, but consumers don't seem to mind.

Crisco has gone the way of trans-fat free. Seattle Times provides answers to common questions about trans fats and recipes using the delicious, and now healthier, stuff: Classic Buttermilk Biscuits, Basic Pie Pastry, Apple Crumb Pie, and Currant Scones.

Out on the restaurant scene, everybody's favorite Chinese restaurant Doong Kong Lau heads to Central America and turns into El Salvadorean Mi Chalateca II.

Starbucks is the latest chain to try to jump on the no-trans fats bandwagon, trying to demonstrate to customers how much they care about health and nutrition. Starting this week, approximately half of the stores in the US, including those in Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Diego, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Portland, Oregon, will have zero trans fats on their menus.

The company says that they have been planning the switch for two years now and that their nationally distributed pastries, primarily seasonal items like the Gingerbread loaf cake, are already trans-fat free. The rest of their pastries are baked by regional bakeries, which Starbucks contracts to provide pastries for their stores. These pastries vary from region to region, as do the recipes for them, so not every supplier has yet made a switch, but Starbucks seems to anticipate that it will not be long before they do.

So, if you're not located in one of the aforementioned areas of the country, does that mean you need to worry about trans fats at Starbucks? Not where drinks are concerned. According to the nutritional information on their website, very few of their drink products contain trans fats and those that do have only a very minimal amount. The pastries, on the other hand, vary widely by region, but judging from a random sampling of regional nutritional data (offered by zip code on the Starbucks website) your best bet will be a muffin or loaf cake if you want to minimize your trans-fat intake without cutting out pastries all together, at least until your area is declared trans-fat free, too.

Source

Earlier this year, Disney announced that their theme parks would start selling healthier fare. The said that they would eliminate trans fats, place limits on the number of calories per portion and limit fat and sugar for snacks, sides and main dishes. Not wanting to be left behind, or accused of not caring about the health of their visitors, Universal Studios has announced that they will also be eliminating trans fats from their park menus.

The first phase of the switch officially took place on Christmas Eve, though the foods have been in development for some time, and now over 90% of the foods at Universal Studios locations are cooked in trans-fat free oils. The few items that are still cooked with trans fats, including churros, will be trans-fat free by the end of next year.

The parks will also be offering other healthy options, like fruit bowls and skim milk, both on kids and regular menus.

Source

Health officials in Los Angeles and Philadelphia are considering enacting legislation that would restrict or ban the use of trans-fats in restaurant foods. These announcements come after Washington State announced a similar plan earlier this week.

In Los Angeles, a committee has been formed to investigate the feasibility of such a ban. That committee has 45 days to make their recommendation. If enacted, a ban would affect all of Los Angeles County. An additional piece of legislation, modeled directly from the New York rule, would require "fast food restaurants" to post nutritional data on their menus.

Philadelphia is not planning to venture in to the calorie-counting aspect of this trend, but lawmakers are seriously considering instituting a ban that will take effect in 2008. Their proposal, like the New York law, would inclue all food service venues but would exempt manufacturers and processed food that is served, at restaurants, in its original packaging