The city is trying to break New Yorkers of their many bad habits. Since Michael Bloomberg became mayor, New York City has banished smoking from all commercial establishments and banned talking on mobile phones while driving. Now the city’s Board of Health wants to remove trans fat from restaurants. Trans fat often lurks in partially-hydrogenated vegetable oils, margarines and shortenings used in manufactured baked goods. Trans fat increases insulin resistance and heart disease, killing some 50,000 people each year, according to Harvard?s School of Public Health.
The city’s proposal would give New York’s 24,000 restaurants 18 months to stop using artificial trans fat. Scientists and doctors backed the ban at a hearing on October 30th, with one Harvard professor calling artificial trans fats ?the most dangerous ingredient in our diet.? But critics say the government should not tell people what to eat. Trade groups?including the New York State Restaurant Association, the National Restaurant Association and the National Council of Chain Restaurants?claim 18 months is not enough time to find suitable substitutes. If the Board of Health approves the proposal in December, it would be the first such ban in America. But the tide against trans fat is not unique to New York. In October KFC, a fast-food chain, announced it would eliminate trans-fat oils from most of their foods by April 2007. Keeping its eye on local waistlines, New York is also weighing a law requiring some restaurants to post calories on their menus.
A positive move I would have thought, even if the Big Brotherism is a little uncomfortable.
good in thought but I dont like it how damn lazy is the society coming. We can make the choice to eat the crap or no. If I want some greasy trans fat loaded fries everyonce and again its my choice.
PPL need to take a little responsibility in their own life diet included.
[quote]hardwork wrote:
You guys know that McDonalds hamburgers are 25% beef? WTF is the other 75%??? Also, some other fast food chains (the only one I think of off the top of my head is Taco Bell) use Grade D meat, the same quality as dog food. Better think twice before that next taco…
[/quote]
You got references to back these claims up, dude? I used to work at Taco Bell so my interest is piqued.
I look forward to continue to be able to brag to other people that I was born in NYC.
[quote]BFBullpup wrote:
hardwork wrote:
You guys know that McDonalds hamburgers are 25% beef? WTF is the other 75%??? Also, some other fast food chains (the only one I think of off the top of my head is Taco Bell) use Grade D meat, the same quality as dog food. Better think twice before that next taco…
You got references to back these claims up, dude? I used to work at Taco Bell so my interest is piqued.
I look forward to continue to be able to brag to other people that I was born in NYC.[/quote]
I remember hearding about the class D meat at Taco Bell, and that it’s the same as what’s used in dog food too.
I think I read it in Fast Food Nation, but I’m not 100% on that.
I actually just wrote a policy brief on the obesity and prescription drug epidemics for my university and in it I supported the ban on trans fats. In the research I did, I actually found that McDonald’s and Wendy’s have done tests on making their foods without trans fats. They also removed trans fats from their foods in a couple of other countries that banned trans fats and there was no noticeable taste difference.
The bottom line is trans fats are worthless and there are cheap and healthier substitutes that are easily accessible to these companies. Which is why you dont see much of an uproar from them other than because of the increase in funds spent on research for a short period of time. Restaurants will probably have the tougher time adjusting rather than fast food chains.
[quote]Phill wrote:
good in thought but I dont like it how damn lazy is the society coming. We can make the choice to eat the crap or no. If I want some greasy trans fat loaded fries everyonce and again its my choice.
PPL need to take a little responsibility in their own life diet included.
If we’re going to live in a nanny state in which the government protects us from ourselves, then at least they can be consistent by enforcing more measures like this.
[quote]FightinIrish26 wrote:
Phill wrote:
good in thought but I dont like it how damn lazy is the society coming. We can make the choice to eat the crap or no. If I want some greasy trans fat loaded fries everyonce and again its my choice.
PPL need to take a little responsibility in their own life diet included.
Just my 2 cc
Phill
Agreed.[/quote]
I do believe people need to take responsibility for what they eat/do.
However,I also believe some foods just aren’t and shouldn’t be consumable.
There’s a fine line between food on the market and poison.
If we put rat poison on the market I’m sure people wouldn’t be arguing about taking it off the shelves,why not pull this dangerous,man-made fat off of the shelves too?
I think it’s sad how the FDA won’t do anything about trans fat,but they’ll take Ephedra off of the shelves.
I’m sure more people will die of heart disease and heart attacks, due to their high trans-fat-rich diets, than anyone did ephedra.
[quote]BFBullpup wrote:
hardwork wrote:
You guys know that McDonalds hamburgers are 25% beef? WTF is the other 75%??? Also, some other fast food chains (the only one I think of off the top of my head is Taco Bell) use Grade D meat, the same quality as dog food. Better think twice before that next taco…
You got references to back these claims up, dude? I used to work at Taco Bell so my interest is piqued.
I look forward to continue to be able to brag to other people that I was born in NYC.[/quote]
I don’t know about that,or Mcdonalds being 25% meat,but I remember being 16 and working at McDonalds and bringing in the boxes that said “contains 75%” meat" on them.
Made me wonder what the rest was.
[quote]Cthulhu wrote:
FightinIrish26 wrote:
Phill wrote:
good in thought but I dont like it how damn lazy is the society coming. We can make the choice to eat the crap or no. If I want some greasy trans fat loaded fries everyonce and again its my choice.
PPL need to take a little responsibility in their own life diet included.
Just my 2 cc
Phill
Agreed.
I do believe people need to take responsibility for what they eat/do.
However,I also believe some foods just aren’t and shouldn’t be consumable.
There’s a fine line between food on the market and poison.
If we put rat poison on the market I’m sure people wouldn’t be arguing about taking it off the shelves,why not pull this dangerous,man-made fat off of the shelves too?
I think it’s sad how the FDA won’t do anything about trans fat,but they’ll take Ephedra off of the shelves.
I’m sure more people will die of heart disease and heart attacks, due to their high trans-fat-rich diets, than anyone did ephedra.
Just my 2 cents.[/quote]
I hear you, but then make the government stop selling cigarettes or dip or alcohol.
Ban those first, then worry about banning foods…it just seems ass backwards to me.
(Not that I want them to ban alcohol by any means. At all. Ever.)
I do believe people need to take responsibility for what they eat/do.
However,I also believe some foods just aren’t and shouldn’t be consumable.
There’s a fine line between food on the market and poison.
If we put rat poison on the market I’m sure people wouldn’t be arguing about taking it off the shelves,why not pull this dangerous,man-made fat off of the shelves too?
I think it’s sad how the FDA won’t do anything about trans fat,but they’ll take Ephedra off of the shelves.
I’m sure more people will die of heart disease and heart attacks, due to their high trans-fat-rich diets, than anyone did ephedra.
Just my 2 cents.[/quote]
I dont totally disagree. I agree its shit food and poison. BUT so is say alcohol, and I dont feel they should take it away. I enjopy a nice bourbon from time to time thats my choice. Its also my choice not to ober consume it. i know the concequences and im a big boy and would rather be able to make my own educated choice. Same for say a cigar, hell yes its really nothing but bad but I want to be able to choose to have one if and when I like.
Educate us then let us choose dont regulate us and limit our rights. If some fool wants to live off trans fats and and poor quality foods so be it its thier choice.
I say take this money and use it to aid farmers and others. Maybe make the healthy choices a bit less exspensive. more visible. Use this to make a change in palces where choice arent available like elementary schools. Bring quality food there. To hospitals have you seen the crap they shill out in there to patients OMG.
I just dont feel policing us is going to help. well it, may but damn I just dont like the idea we have enough of that all ready I want to be able to choose. To make an effort to live the lifestyle and eat healthy its not that damn hard but if i want to eat crap from time to time then will do so.
Maybe instead of attacking the restuarants with policy go right for the source. The ones making the trans fats the poison. the hydrogenated oils stop that go after the root. I can see that. no damn need for that crap.
hard topic, so many veiws and hard to get a fine line
No good comes from trans fats. We don’t drink them to feel good or relax. They are a cheap artificial “food” that has proven to be far more harmful than originally thought. Time to remove them from the food supply.
No one will be smuggling in trans fats when they are banned.
Another thing is that if alcohol was recently developed and had to get through the FDA it wouldnt stand a chance. Its a very weird and unique scenario. You can die from overdose and withdrawal, and there are many banned drugs that you cant die from withdrawal from. Health insurance even covers treatment for alcohol withdrawal to this day.
Look at it this way, there is no use whatsoever for Trans Fats in food. No enhance in taste and certainly no health or nutrient benefits. It can only hurt and has 0 benefit. Now, with the recent obesity epidemic within the past decade or two, the government is being pressured into making changes in things that affect the health of our nation. Banning Trans fats becomes a no brainer for them.
Replace a cheap hydrogenated oil with something healthier that is also cheap that will have health benefits over the course of time. A very easy and sensibile decision. Nobody is losing the right to eat unhealthy foods, companies are just starting to lose the right to put useless ingredients in our food, which is certainly step in the right direction.
[quote]Zap Branigan wrote:
I disagree with equating alcohol with trans fats.
No good comes from trans fats. We don’t drink them to feel good or relax. They are a cheap artificial “food” that has proven to be far more harmful than originally thought. Time to remove them from the food supply.
No one will be smuggling in trans fats when they are banned.[/quote]
ah but they are what has made it cheap to create those tasty fries and doughnuts etc without scorched oil lol. if I want a Krispy cream or order of MCCY d’s fries from time to time LOL
I hear you though. but I think the comparison is equal some ppl do feel good eating the foods that are readily available from trans fats. some of the same may hate alcohol and how they feel on it.
Pick your poison jaut allow me to pickj the poison I want LOL