From today’s New York Times:
The New York City Board of Health voted unanimously yesterday to move forward with plans to prohibit the city’s 20,000 restaurants from serving food that contains more than a minute amount of artificial trans fats, the chemically modified ingredients considered by doctors and nutritionists to increase the risk of heart disease.[...]
The city would set a limit of a half-gram of artificial trans fats per serving of any menu item, sharply reducing most customers’ intake. The fats are commonly found in baked goods, like doughnuts and cakes, as well as breads and salad dressing.
Officials said that the typical American diet now contains 5.8 grams of trans fats per day, and that a single five-ounce serving of French fries at many restaurants contained 8 grams of trans fats.
You know, I can appreciate a health department wanting to encourage the citizens it serves to eat better, and a little goading of restaurants to find healthier ways to prepare the food they serve is certainly welcome. However, doesn’t this smell a little too much like excessive government meddling?
The regulation is up for public debate at the end of October and a final vote in December, according to the NYT article. I wonder if a black market for bagels, doughnuts, and french fries will be cropping up in the city this winter.