Support strong for trans fat ban at State House hearing - 07/11/2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – July 11, 2007
Boston – Doctors, nutrition experts and restaurant owners testified today at a State House hearing in support of legislation that would ban the use of trans fats in Massachusetts restaurants, a move that could help dramatically reduce heart disease in the Bay State while saving millions of dollars in health care costs.
Koutoujian’s bill require restaurants to remove oils, shortenings and margarines containing trans fats used for frying or in spreads within six months of passage of the act. Oils or shortenings used for deep frying of yeast dough or cake batter, and all other foods containing trans fat, shall be eliminated a year after passage of the act.
“Trans fats account four nearly a quarter of all heart disease events in the United States,” said Koutoujian. “They not only raise bad cholesterol, but lower the body’s good cholesterol. The tide is definitely turning toward the use of healthier cooking oils. This bill would not only help Massachusetts residents live healthier without negatively affecting the taste of many foods we enjoy, but it will save lives as well.”
Several area restaurants, conscious of the quality of food they offer, have already eliminated cooking oils that include trans fat from menu items.
“We have always been mindful of health trends for our customers,” said Joe Nocera, president of The Chateau restaurant in Waltham. “What is happening is our industry is changing to the use of trans fat-free oil.”
Nocera said the Chateau has seem a spike in some its fried seafood offerings since noting on the menu the restaurant no longer uses trans fat cooking oils.
Not far away at Sal the Family Restaurant, a popular Waltham eatery that specializes in Pizza, chicken wings and other American favorites, owner Sal Pinzone said he made a conscious decision to only use healthier cooking oils. In fact, he proudly displays a sign in the restaurant window that reads ‘Trans fats: never here, never will be.”
“I will not serve customers anything I wouldn’t serve my family,” he said.
At Donohue’s Bar & Grill in Watertown, owner John Donohue went trans fat free without informing customers until a few months later.
“It’s something that everyone in the (restaurant) industry is going to have to be open to eventually,” he said. “I see how the trends are in society. People are a lot more health conscious.”
- Studies have shown that trans fats are responsible for one in four coronary events in the United States.
- A Harvard School of Public Health study blames trans fat consumption for 1,440 to 4,560 Massachusetts deaths each year.
- Trans fats raise bad cholesterol and lower good cholesterol
- Several Massachusetts restaurants, including fast food chains such as Burger King and Wendy’s are either already trans fat free or are in the process of eliminating them.
- New York City went trans fat free on July 1. The city has 8.2 million restaurants and 20,000 eating establishments.
- Restaurants can switch to healthier cooking oils with incurring significant cost increases or adversely affecting the taste of their foods.
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