California
bans restaurants from using trans fats
By
STEVE LAWRENCE
SACRAMENTO,
Calif. (AP) - California on Friday became the first
state to ban trans fats from restaurant food, following several
cities and major fast-food chains in erasing the notorious artery-clogger
from menus.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger
signed legislation that will ban restaurants and other retail
food establishments from using oil, margarine and shortening
containing trans fats.
In a statement, Schwarzenegger
noted that consuming trans fat is linked to coronary heart disease.
"Today we are taking a strong step toward creating a healthier
future for California," he said.
Violations could result
in fines of $25 to $1,000. Food items sold in their manufacturers'
sealed packaging would be exempt.
New
York City, Philadelphia, Seattle, Baltimore and Montgomery County,
Md., have ordinances banning trans fats, but California is the
first state to adopt such a law covering restaurants, said Amy
Winterfeld, a health policy analyst for the National Conference
of State Legislatures.
California
and Oregon already had laws banning trans fats in meals served
at schools, she added.
The
legislation signed by Schwarzenegger will take effect Jan. 1,
2010, for oil, shortening and margarine used in spreads or for
frying. Restaurants could continue using trans fats to deep-fry
yeast dough and in cake batter until Jan. 1, 2011.
Trans fats occur naturally
in small amounts in meat and dairy products. Most trans fats
are created when vegetable oil is treated with hydrogen to create
baked and fried goods with a longer shelf life.
Stephen Joseph, a Tiburon
attorney who was a consultant to New York City in developing
its ban, said trans fat is a larger health risk than saturated
fat because it reduces so-called good cholesterol.
A 2006 review of trans fat
studies by the New England Journal of Medicine concluded there
was a strong connection between consumption of trans fats and
heart disease. Studies also have linked trans fats to diabetes,
obesity, infertility in women and some types of cancer.
Trans fats are like cigarettes,
with no safe level of consumption, said Jeffrey Luther, a Long
Beach doctor who is president of the California Academy of Family
Physicians.
He said the California law,
"when it finally takes effect, will be a tremendous benefit."
The California Restaurant
Association opposed the bill. Spokesman Daniel Conway said the
federal Food and Drug Administration rather than individual
states should be developing regulations on trans fat use.
He said, however, that the
association has no plans to challenge the law, in part because
restaurants already are phasing out trans fats to satisfy customers.
Several major fast-food chains have announced that they have
eliminated trans fats from their menus or intend to so do in
the near future.
"We're confident that
California restaurants can meet the mandates of the bill,"
Conway said.