Targeting bad fats

Monday, Dec. 11, 2006 | 7:31 a.m.

New York City's Board of Health approved a measure last week that requires restaurants to stop using artery-blocking trans fats by 2008.

The ban includes barring restaurants from frying with oils that contain the artificial fats and from using the fats in cooking or baking. It does make exceptions for foods that are served in the manufacturer's original packaging.

Typically used in frying, baking and in such processed foods as cookies and crackers, trans fats lend desirable textures and extend the shelf life of foods. But they also contribute to heart disease by raising bad cholesterol and lowering good cholesterol. It is this effect that led health agency officials to unanimously approve the ban.

Restaurant industry representatives oppose the measure, saying it is unrealistic and that it bars the use of a product that has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Public debate over the nation's obesity epidemic and the effects trans fats already has led fast-food giants such as McDonald's , Wendy's, KFC and Taco Bell to work on developing healthier alternatives . The fact that some fast-food chains already have switched, or are planning to, illustrates that alternatives do exist.

While New York City's ordinance seems extreme, it is evident that some public health officials believe drastic measures are needed to improve the dining public's health. Perhaps it is indicative of how poor our nation's eating habits have become.

If New York City's trans-fat ban sticks, maybe it will remain outrageous enough to gain the attention of restaurant owners across the nation, who just might decide to voluntarily make the switch to healthier fats before someone tells them they have to do so.