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Jan 19, 2007 10:54 am US/Eastern
NYC Trans Fat Ban Encourages Bans In Other States
PONTIAC, Mich. (CBS/AP) ―
Last year, the New York City Board of Health voted to ban trans fats in restaurants and to require food labels on menus at all chain restaurants that already provide calorie information. On Thursday, a suburban Detroit official has proposed that Oakland County follow New York's example.
County Commissioner Marcia Gershenson introduced a resolution Thursday to restrict food service establishments in the county of 1.2 million north of Detroit from serving foods with trans fatty acids by December 2008.
"The time is right for this," said Gershenson, adding that the change would not raise costs because restaurants could switch to healthier oils.
Trans fats are created when vegetable oil is treated with hydrogen to create foods with a longer shelf life.
Officials in Nassau County on Long Island held preliminary hearings on Thursday on a possible ban, but also said an educational campaign might be a better option.
Since January 2006, the Food and Drug Administration has required that trans-fat content be listed on all packaged foods. Trans fats, listed on food labels as partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, are believed to be harmful because they wreak havoc with cholesterol levels.
On Jan. 9, Los Angeles County supervisors voted to study the feasibility of banning trans fats from restaurants there. The Los Angeles City Council in December asked for a similar report on at least restricting it.
(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
