Trans fats ban applies to all New York eateries

Jul 1, 2008, 18:36 GMT

New York - New York City's ban on use of trans fats launched a year ago became universal on Tuesday, the city's Department of Health said.

The ban is enforced in the city's estimated 20,000 restaurants, bakeries and cafes. Even pretzel and hot dog carts cannot use trans fats, which are derived from the addition of hydrogen to vegetable oil to give it a more solid substance when used in the cooking.

Trans fats are responsible for raising the levels of bad blood-vessel clogging cholesterol, which triggers heart disease and death from heart attacks.

The ban was partially applied in the past year. But many health conscious restaurants in the city of 8 million inhabitants had taken steps to switch to non-trans fats oil in the kitchen. Chefs in some restaurants had found ways to keep their foods appetising when not using trans fats. Trans fats keep foods crispy and moist in frying.

'We think that this can keep New Yorkers healthier,' said Lynn Silver, assistant commissioner of the Department of Health, quoted by a local television network.

'Trans fat was like lead in paint,' Silver said. 'It was very unhealthy. It was completely replaceable. And I don't think anyone is missing it. They certainly haven't missed it in the first phase. And I don't think anyone is going to miss it as the second phase goes into effect.'

News reports said the Department of Health had given restaurants a three-month grace period to comply with the ban. Fines will be given out to violators.

But they said the department had found that more than 98 percent of restaurants inspected so far were already in compliance with the first phase of the ban.

The ban on trans fats followed a more stringent anti-smoking ban in all restaurants and public places in the city when Mayor Michael Bloomberg decided in 2004 to drastically raise taxes on each pack of cigarettes.

Depending on the brand, a pack of cigarettes could cost more than 7 dollars, prompting smokers to shop in neighbouring states for expensive brands with less taxes.