Food Bans

Chicago Weighs New Prohibition: Bad-for-You Fats

By MONICA DAVEY
Published: July 18, 2006
CHICAGO, July 14 — In Grant Park, this city’s front yard along Lake Michigan, a dizzying pack of people filled the streets evening after evening, all holding their gazes firmly on the little plates in their hands, loaded with catfish beignets, curly fries smothered in cheese, pirogies with sour cream, beer-battered artichoke hearts, and fried dough buried in berry sauce and whipped cream.


Peter Thompson for The New York Times
Hot dogs and cheese fries are standard fare in Chicago, where the City Council may make it illegal for restaurants to use oils that contain unhealthy trans fats.


Peter Thompson for The New York Times
Alderman Edward M. Burke proposed the ban.
This was the Taste of Chicago, an annual rite of summer that ended last weekend and was one more chance to eat in the city of Broad Shoulders — and, in many cases, broader bellies, hips and chins. But Chicagoans, who complained (reflexively if not convincingly) when Men’s Fitness magazine proclaimed theirs the fattest city in the nation not long ago, may have healthier deep-fried mozzarella sticks in their futures.

Edward M. Burke, who has served on the Chicago City Council since 1969, when cooking oil was just cooking oil, is pressing his colleagues to make it illegal for restaurants to use oils that contain trans fats, which have been tied to a string of health problems, including clogged arteries and heart attacks.

If approved, nutrition experts say, the ban will be the first in a major city, following the lead of towns like Tiburon, Calif., just north of San Francisco, where restaurant owners have voluntarily given up the oils. In truth, while the proposal’s prospects are uncertain, Chicago officials have been on a bit of a banning binge these days in what critics mock as City Hall’s effort to micromanage residents’ lives in mundane ways.

The aldermen voted in April to forbid restaurants to sell foie gras. They have weighed a proposal to force cabbies to dress better. And there is talk of an ordinance to outlaw smoking at the beach.

Even Mayor Richard M. Daley, who often promotes bicycle riding and who not long ago appointed a city health commissioner who announced he was creating health “report cards” for the mayor and the aldermen, has balked at a trans-fat prohibition as one rule too many.

“Is the City Council going to plan our menus?” Mayor Daley asked.

But Mr. Burke, pointing to increases in obesity, diabetes and heart disease, is unapologetic. He does not profess that better oils would suddenly make Chicago skinny but says that they would at least begin to alleviate some of the related coronary concerns.

“If it were just about adults, I would say, ‘O.K., we should butt out,’ ” Mr. Burke said in an interview. “But youngsters are assuming diets that are unhealthy.”

And if the City Council had agreed to simply steer clear of peoples’ bad habits, said Mr. Burke, an influential alderman who long pushed to ban smoking in indoor public spaces, Chicago might never have passed the smoking ban that went into effect this year (it gives taverns and restaurants with bars until 2008 to comply). “We may be the last civilized city in the world to ban it,” he said.

Under Mr. Burke’s proposal, establishments that failed to remove “artificial trans fats” from their kitchens would be fined $200 to $1,000 a day. In the crowd at the Taste of Chicago on a recent evening, most people seemed amused at the prospect that City Hall might legislate their waistlines. Others chuckled at what they considered naïve earnestness, to think that a city’s long love affair with big, tasty, greasy food could be undone with a simple vote of 50 aldermen (some of whom appear to have some appreciation of the affair).

Ben Swetland, 26, pointed to an array of stark issues facing the city, including federal convictions last week in a growing corruption scandal at City Hall.

“Maybe if everything else is perfect, O.K., then we can start talking about our diets if they really want to,” Mr. Swetland said. “But it seems to me the aldermen have some more serious things to worry about right now.”

Elsewhere, oils with trans fats — mostly the partially hydrogenated variety — have become a target, too. The federal government recommended last year that people get less than 1 percent of their calories from trans fats, and a nutrition advocacy group sued KFC last month, accusing the fast-food chain of frying its secret-recipe chicken in a dangerous substance.

Tiburon, home to fewer than 9,000 people, has proclaimed itself a trans-fat-free town now that its restaurants all use alternative oils. And last year in New York City, the health department asked restaurants to change their ways voluntarily and switch to other oils.

But outlawing the oils altogether is another matter, Chicago’s nervous restaurant owners say. One Chicago pizza establishment, which uses oil with trans fat in its dough, predicted that its costs would leap by $50,000 a year if it used a substitute oil.

“The sad reality is there will be restaurants that will be hurt: your mom-and-pop restaurants and your ethnic restaurants,” said Colleen McShane, president of the Illinois Restaurant Association. “A lot of them cannot afford other types of oils.”

More than that, some asked, did Chicago really intend to entrust Mr. Burke and the other elected leaders with how such a change might affect taste?

“I probably would be in a pickle if they outlaw it,” said Dolores Reynolds, the owner of Army & Lou’s, a soul food restaurant on the city’s South Side for more than 60 years and a favorite eating spot of many politicians, including the late Mayor Harold Washington.

Over the years, Ms. Reynolds said, she has watched as people have made their own health choices. Some, for instance, now pick the herb-baked chicken over the more popular fried.

“If they want to have herb-baked chicken five days a week and then fried chicken on Sunday as a treat, I don’t think you should write anybody a ticket,” Ms. Reynolds said. “That’s called a choice.”

Faced with criticism, Mr. Burke said he was willing to consider changes to his proposal as it heads to a City Council committee, where its fate is anyone’s guess. If mom-and-pop restaurants would be unfairly harmed, he said, perhaps he would agree to rewrite the legislation to single out only fast-food chains.

Despite his wish to make Chicago healthier, even Mr. Burke — who appears trim, though he said that he, like most people he knows, would not mind losing 10 pounds — balked at the claim that it was the fattest city. Having seen the crowds at Walt Disney World, he said, he rather doubted that Chicago deserved the distinction.

Back at the Taste of Chicago, a spokeswoman for the festival said she was not qualified to comment on what might become of the summer event, in its 26th year, if trans fats were banished. She was also unable to say how many of the delicacies were cooked with oils containing trans fats.

Still, she pointed out, correctly, that there were booths selling fresh fruits and vegetables. Yet among the statistics city officials proudly announced as the festival closed after a 10-day run: 20,000 servings of fried dough were sold, as were 70,000 pirogies and 150,000 plates of fried cheese.

New York City announces
proposal to ban trans fats!

On September 26, 2006, the New York City Health Department proposed for public comment two separate initiatives that will affect New York City restaurants.

The first initiative is a partial phase-out of artificial trans fat in all New York City restaurants. This proposal allows restaurants six months to switch to oils, margarines and shortening that have less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving. After 18 months, all other food items would need to contain less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving. Packaged food items still in the manufacturer’s original packaging when served would be exempt.

Dr. Walter Willett, Chair of the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, said, "If New Yorkers replace all sources of artificial trans fat, by even the most conservative estimates, at least 500 deaths from heart disease would be prevented each year in New York City – more than the number of people killed annually in motor vehicle crashes. Based on long-term studies, the number of preventable deaths may be many times higher. Trans fat from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil is a toxic substance that does not belong in food."

Switching to trans fat-free frying oil does not increase costs. The trans fat-free frying oils available today taste just as good and have fry lives just as long as partially hydrogenated oils. There is no justification for continuing to use partially hydrogenated oils. Period. If you are a restaurant owner or manager and you need information about obtaining trans fat-free oils, contact us.

Why not encourage restaurants to switch to trans fat-free products volunatarily? In fact, New York City has had a voluntary program since August 2005, based on educating restaurant owners and managers about the problem. However, the results have not been positive. The City states in its press release:

The Health Department conducted a year-long education campaign to help restaurants voluntarily reduce trans fat. Information was provided to every restaurant in New York City and training was provided to help restaurants and food suppliers make the change. Restaurants were surveyed before and after the campaign. While some restaurants reduced or stopped using artificial trans fat, overall use did not decline at all. In restaurants where it could be determined whether trans fat was used, half used it in oils or spreads both before and after the year-long campaign. A year after this voluntary effort, New Yorkers are still being exposed to high levels of dangerous trans fat.

The second initiative would require restaurants that already make calorie content publicly available on or after March 1, 2007 to also post it on their menus and menu boards.

There will be a public hearing on the initiatives on October 30, 2006.

Click here for the New York City Health Department media release.

Click here to read the New York City Health Department trans fat proposal, including instructions on how to submit comments.

Click here for a New York Times article in which restaurant owners in New York who have switched to trans fat-free oils are interviewed and report that there is no change in taste or increase in costs.

Click here to listen to a National Public Radio interview with the New York City Health Commissioner regarding the proposed ban.


Other trans fat-free cities news


Tiburon, California:
America's first trans fat-free city!

Tiburon, California was America's first trans fat-free city. Project Tiburon was conceived and completed by BanTransFats.com in 2004. We went to every restaurant and talked with the owners or managers. We assisted those that were using partially hydrogenated oils in making the switch to trans fat-free oils.

Westchester County is doing it

Another trans fat-free zone has been formed in Westchester County where 125 restaurants have agreed not to use partially hydrogenated oil.

I told you anti-tobacco/freedom loons that this was next...

[Happy Monkey]

Asbestos, lead paint, leaded gas, radioactive pottery, and trans-fat? What will we have to give up next? Damn Nazis.

[headsplice]

This from the man that doesn't completely freak out about the suspension of Habeus Corpus. And you're complaining about food bans? Jesus Christ in a tiny canoe, where are your priorites?

[9th Engineer]

If he gets his way at least we won't have to listen to people claim that the fast food industry owes it to us to provide healthier food...

An average of 114 people EVERY DAY are killed in car accidents. I think we should ban the automobile. We would save lives at home and overseas, as well.

Let's also ban sugar, salt, and caffeine. In fact, it should be a law that people who have a family history of heart disease be subjected to genetic testing and undergo sterilization procedures if they fail the test.

Our so-called health care system in this country is a disgrace. I find this concern with transfats ironic as hell.

[headsplice]

<demon voice>Take away the caffeine and suffer my wrath!</demon voice>

[headsplice]

And by wrath, I mean a scathing post on the Intarwebnetutronicle.

[Happy Monkey]

Originally Posted by marichiko

An average of 114 people EVERY DAY are killed in car accidents. I think we should ban the automobile. We would save lives at home and overseas, as well.

I have a better idea - seatbelts, airbags, DUI laws, car inspections, car manufacturing standards, and required drivers' licenses.

[glatt]

Originally Posted by Happy Monkey

I have a better idea - seatbelts, airbags, DUI laws, car inspections, car manufacturing standards, and required drivers' licenses.

can I add one?

Consistent enforcement of traffic laws.

[Flint]

On-the-spot death sentence, citizen enforcable via car-mounted laser-guided sniper rifles, for failure to use a turn signal. The package will include a video camera, like cop cars have, to document the offense. Drivers must take a short written test to qualify as a turn-signal-enforcer. Failure to pass the test will result in the immediate smashing-in of your head by a large robotic hammer in the testing booth. (We're looking for a few good men, not a bunch of dumbasses...)

[Happy Monkey]

Originally Posted by glatt

can I add one?

Consistent enforcement of traffic laws.

Hey, you're messing with my irony! I was listing things that already exist!