Cities are taking the lead on banning trans fats from restaurants. New York City enacted the first ban of the dangerous cooking oil and Philadelphia soon followed suit, although it later exempted bakeries after complaints that alternative oils yield a shorter shelf-life for pastries. This seems to be a weak argument, however, given that even a Twinkie, with a possible shelf-life of 30-years, surprisingly has zero trans fats. (The Twinkies' longevity likely earned it space in the nation's millenium time capsule in 1999.) Elsewhere, Montgomery County, MD, and Albany County, NY, have passed trans fats bans and the Louisville, KY, Metro Council is pursuing a ban along with a consumer education campaign.
Opposition to banning trans fats has been driven by the National Restaurant Association, which has helped keep the state proposals off the books. Although the Association says outright bans are too difficult for restaurants to comply with, New York City's over 10,000 restaurants have already made the switch to safer cooking oils, like canola oil, with relatively little fanfare or protest. States where bans have been proposed include: California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont and Hawaii.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) is leading the fight against trans fats in our foods. Several lawsuits by CSPI have prompted national fast-food chains to switch to safer cooking oils, including McDonald's, KFC, and Starbucks. CSPI recently filed another lawsuit to force Burger King to make the switch.
Broader Policy Implications for Health Disparities: Eliminating trans fats from restaurants is a key policy goal to reducing rates of obesity, diabetes and heart disease. This is especially important in low-income communities and communities of color where access to healthy food options is limited, compared to white and higher income communities. A comprehensive report, Healthy Food, Healthy Communities: Improving Access and Opportunities Through Food Retailing, by the non-profit research and action institute PolicyLink documents the racial, ethnic, and economic disparities in access to healthy food options. One multi-state study found that wealthy communities had 3-times as many supermarkets as low-income communities and predominantly white neighborhoods had 4-times as many markets as African-American neighborhoods. Although the report focuses on food retailing, it makes clear that low-income communities and communities of color have less access to healthy food. These problems are compounded when limited access to mass-transit and other transportation needs of low-income communities are factored in.
