Friday, July 25, 2008

Trans Fat Non Grata

A small step in fighting malbouffe, but a great step for Society.
"California, a national trend setter in all matters edible, became the first state to ban trans fats in restaurants when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill [today] to phase out their use," writes the NYT. "Having the requirement imposed on the most populous state’s 88,000 restaurants, as well as its bakeries and other food purveyors, is a major gain for the movement against trans fats."

The California Restaurant Association "vigorously opposed" the legislation, as the LAT reports, but the lameness of their arguments equated to tacit approval. Many Golden State eateries had already banned the artery-clogging fat from their products anyway. The new law, which requires all trans fats to be excised from restaurant products by 2010, and baked retail goods by 2011, makes it official. Unfortunately, packaged goods will be exempt, which means continued in-depth examination of labels, but we are lucky enough in the "Land of Fruits & Nuts" that we can find plenty of fresh fare.
illustration via smartplanet.com