Question of the Month
February
2007
Have any states
passed legislation to ban the use of trans fatty acids?
As of January, 12 states — none in
the Midwest — were considering banning trans fatty acids, prompted
largely by the publicity following New York City’s December 2006
order to ban the use of trans fats in all restaurants. Though New York
was touted as the first city to make this move, a California
community, Tiburon, enacted such a ban in 2003.
Manufacturers began using trans fats in
the 1950s as a way to increase shelf life, flavor and texture of
foods. The substance is made by "hydrogenating" vegetable
oil to make it solid. In the 1990s, research began to indicate that
the fatty acid contributes to heart disease by clogging arteries.
The Harvard School of Public Health
estimates that "replacement of partially hydrogenated fat in the
U.S. diet with natural unhydrogenated vegetable oils would prevent
approximately 30,000 premature coronary deaths per year, and
epidemiologic evidence suggests this number is closer to 100,000
premature deaths annually."
Trans fat, shown on food labels as
"partially hydrogenated" vegetable or other oil, is commonly
found in processed foods such as cookies, chips and baked goods. It is
also used at restaurants to fry foods. Starting in January 2006, the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration began requiring food manufacturers
to include the amount of trans fats on their nutrition labels.
In December, Massachusetts became the
first state to ban the fatty acid. California, Florida and Texas are
considering legislation that would bar trans fat from public-school
menus. Most bans of this type exempt prepackaged foods such as
crackers and baked goods, applying only to fresh-cooked foods.
As many states consider universal
health plans, some see banning the unhealthful substance as part of an
overall plan to lower health care costs.
A number of nationally known chain
restaurants are getting ahead of the trend by voluntarily banning
trans fats. For information on the health effects of trans fats, visit
the American Heart Association Web site, www.americanheart.org.
For
more information on this or any other public policy issue, please call
630-925-1922 or complete the online
form for research services.
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