542437 Fri Jul 25 16:53:05 -0700 2008 16 33 Food Media and News 0 3902357 http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-transfat26-2008jul26,0,2161554.story The governor signed the law banning trans fats in restaurants today. "The law, AB 97 by Assemblyman Tony Mendoza (D-Artesia), will ban cooking with artificial trans fats in restaurants by Jan. 1, 2010, and bar their presence in baked goods by Jan. 1, 2011." I think it's good news. What are your thoughts? Fri Jul 25 16:53:07 -0700 2008 52342 alliebear 1 3902864 As long as it's only artificial/manufactured transfats. Transfats occur naturally in butter, without butter, why live? Fri Jul 25 21:52:51 -0700 2008 3902357 13150 babette feasts 2 3902934 My thoughts exactly Will we be allowed to consume butter with our toasts , biscuits and pancakes? Fri Jul 25 23:03:31 -0700 2008 3902864 141107 JiyoHappy 2 3904753 Agreed. Would love to see them do that here in Ontario or all of Canada for that matter. DT http://davwudsfoodcourt.blogspot.com Sat Jul 26 21:19:40 -0700 2008 3902864 11291 Davwud 2 3906910 Yes. Only artificial transfats. I completely agree about butter being essential. Sun Jul 27 21:22:23 -0700 2008 3902864 52342 alliebear 3 3909622 I don't think anyone has ever proposed banning butter. I imagine people might not go for that. Mon Jul 28 17:42:56 -0700 2008 3906910 12460 Chowpatty 4 3909887 I recall when NYC banned them, there was concern from bakers about not being able to use butter & having to use a substitute in things like croissants. I guess they worked it out? http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/07/dining/07tran.html Mon Jul 28 19:26:27 -0700 2008 3909622 13150 babette feasts 5 3909984 butter is not a trans fat; it is a saturated fat. trans fats are unsaturated fats, like vegetable oil, that have been hydrogenated to give them a solidified consistency and stable shelf life - think margarine or shortening. bakers will still be able to use the old basics like butter and lard, which are saturated, but, natural, animal fats. Mon Jul 28 20:15:45 -0700 2008 3909887 174054 trishyb 6 3910313 Butter has small amounts of naturally occuring trans fats, hence the initial overreaction when the NY ban went into place. See link, above. Tue Jul 29 00:45:30 -0700 2008 3909984 13150 babette feasts 7 3922970 in ca, the law specifically references synthetic trans fats. the amounts in butter and other animal fats are very small. if you look at the nutrition label on a pound of butter, for example, it will say 0 trans fat, because it falls under the required minimum amount for reporting. everyone here (in ca) is worried about the artificial trans fats that have been linked to heart disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes, etc. Fri Aug 01 14:56:40 -0700 2008 3910313 174054 trishyb 8 3928344 Here's to good health! Mon Aug 04 08:47:46 -0700 2008 3922970 13150 babette feasts 7 3928462 Humans evolved eating the naturally-occurring trans fats in butter and beef, and studies to date don't suggest that they have the same health consequences as artificial trans fats, most of which do not exist in nature. http://www.wvu.edu/~agexten/forglvst/humanhealth.pdf It's bad that the FDA lumps them together on labels, and that when a "serving" contains 0.49 grams of artificial trans fat it can be rounded off to zero. Hence misleading claims such as, "McDonald's is NOW serving 0 grams Trans Fat (per labeled serving)." Mon Aug 04 09:24:54 -0700 2008 3910313 11369 Robert Lauriston 1 3912813 Artificial transfats.... hmmm. How's this effect bakeries that make pies? What would you use instead of shortening? Lard? Tallow? Butter? What about processed foods stuff shipped into CA? It just seems to hurt local, small businesses who have to redevelop their formulas, but big businesses have the money and resources to modify their formulas. Will this even benefit the general population where their diets and exercise habits are non-existent? It just seems like a feel-good measure that doesn't address the true causes of obesity, heart disease and diabetes (Type II). Tue Jul 29 16:22:39 -0700 2008 3902357 56054 dave_c 2 3913716 "Will this even benefit the general population where their diets and exercise habits are non-existent? It just seems like a feel-good measure that doesn't address the true causes of obesity, heart disease and diabetes (Type II)." I'm not sure I agree with the statement that this is just a feel-good measure. There is some pretty strong evidence against transfats. This new law is also a chance to educate the general population about transfat and other health issues. I certainly agree that there are many other issues about diet and exercise that need to be addressed. But to say that a transfat ban is an ineffective measure seems a bit extreme. I also agree that this law will be a PITA for many smaller businesses, and I am sympathetic. Tue Jul 29 21:53:04 -0700 2008 3912813 89969 moh 1 3915964 I read somewhere that "death can be caused by swallowing small amounts of saliva over an extendedperiod of time."..George Carlin I believe Wed Jul 30 13:25:35 -0700 2008 3902357 11562 Hue 1 3923719 i see many people here didn't agree with this decision. this is a ubiquitous and unhealthy artificial fat, and it is NOT something that people can choose not to eat in a restaurant. restaurants don't' carry nutritonal labels, processed food does. if the data on HCFS were stronger, they should ban that too. Fri Aug 01 21:49:14 -0700 2008 3902357 11190 fara 1 3926388 Natural substitutes for artificial trans fats in pastry include lard, coconut oil, and palm oil. You can also make pastry with butter or oil, but the texture's different. Artificial substitutes such as the reformulated Crisco are a mix of fully hydrogenated vegetable oil (a waxy substance) and vegetable oil. Switching is not a significant problem or expense for small businesses. Anyplace using Crisco has already switched. Costco's regular deep-fryer mix is $29.86 for 35 pounds; the trans-fat-free version is $30.30. Sure, to avoid obesity etc. people should eat less pie, but artificial trans fats are much worse for you than lard or butter. This topic has some more about that: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/539089#3872355 Before vegetable shortening, pie crust was usually made with lard. Hydrogenation's first commercial application, by William Proctor and James Gamble in 1907, was to turn cottonseed oil into a substitute for lard and tallow (which at the time were monopolized by meat packers) in the manufacture of soap and candles. A few years later it occurred to P&G to market it as a substitute for lard in the kitchen as well, and Crisco was born. After the health issues were discovered in the 1950s, P&G worked hard to suppress and counter the facts, much like the tobacco industry did for smoking. More historical info: http://www.westonaprice.org/motherlinda/fats_crisco.html http://www.westonaprice.org/knowyourfats/oiling.html Sun Aug 03 10:37:32 -0700 2008 3902357 11369 Robert Lauriston