Arnold banishes trans fat

SACRAMENTO — Artery-clogging trans fats are out in such food-loving cities as New York and Philadelphia. On Friday, California became the first to try to kick the trans fat habit on a statewide scale.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation that will ban restaurants, bakeries and other retail food establishments from using oil, margarine and shortening containing trans fats.

"Today we are taking a strong step toward creating a healthier future for California," the governor said in a statement, noting that consuming trans fat is linked to coronary heart disease.

AB 97 signed by Schwarzenegger will take effect Jan, 1, 2010, for oil, shortening and margarine used in spreads or for frying. Restaurants could continue using trans fats to deep fry yeast dough and in cake batter until Jan. 1, 2011.

The bill's author, Democratic Assemblyman Tony Mendoza of Artesia, said he hoped the legislation would lead to similar laws in other states.

"They've come to the realization that this is something that Americans want, that Californians want," he said. "People are just more health conscious about what they eat."

All three Mid-Valley legislators — Assemblymen Rick Keene, R-Chico, and Doug LaMalfa, R-Richvale, and Sen. Sam Aanestad, R-Grass Valley — opposed the bill.

Owners and managers of three Yuba-Sutter restaurants, along with a bakery owner, mostly took the legislation in stride, saying they never used trans fats, have already removed them or are planning to remove them soon.

"We were already prepared for it," said John Hammell, manager of Dancing Tomato Caffe, in Yuba City. "We knew when they did it in New York it wouldn't be long before it happened in California."

Ron Carlos, owner of Casa Carlos restaurant in downtown Marysville, said his establishment doesn't use margarine, though it does use some oil that is partially hydrogenated.

"I don't know what will fall under this category," Carlos said. "But I guess my suppliers will address that same issue."

Russ Clark, owner of Carl's Jr outlets in Marysville and Yuba City, said the chain has already started switching from trans fats and "experimenting with different blends."

"I agree with (columnist) John Stossel that we are the 'nanny state,'" Clark said. "It's just one more thing.

"Most of the national chains have been switching over anyway since so many states have started doing that," he said.

Jan Emerson, owner of The Cake Lady bakery in Yuba City said her business has never used trans fats.

"It won't affect me businesswise," she said. "But personally I think it's taking one more choice away from us. That infringes on our freedom."

"I wish that people of their own volition would recognize the harm to health and choose" not to use trans fats. "But it's a choice."

New York City, Philadelphia, Seattle, Baltimore and Montgomery County, Md., have ordinances banning trans fats, with some exceptions for bakeries. California is the first state to adopt such a law covering restaurants, said Amy Winterfeld, a health policy analyst for the National Conference of State Legislatures.

California and Oregon already have laws banning trans fats in school food, she added.

Richard Garcia, a spokesman for Mendoza, said the delay would give restaurants more time to find trans fat-free margarine and shortening used in baked goods.

Trans fats occur naturally in small amounts in meat and dairy products. Most trans fats are created when vegetable oil is treated with hydrogen to create baked and fried goods with a longer shelf life.

Stephen Joseph, a Tiburon attorney who was a consultant to New York City in developing its ban, said trans fat is a larger health risk than saturated fat because it reduces so-called good cholesterol.

A 2006 review of trans fat studies by the New England Journal of Medicine concluded there was a strong connection between consumption of trans fats and heart disease. Studies also have linked trans fats to diabetes, obesity, infertility in women and some types of cancer.

Community Editor Leticia Gutierrez contributed to this report.

WHAT IS TRANS FAT?

Basically, trans fat is made when manufacturers add hydrogen to vegetable oil — a process called hydrogenation.

Hydrogenation increases the shelf life and flavor stability of foods containing these fats.

Trans fat can be found in vegetable shortenings, some margarines, crackers, cookies, snack foods, and other foods made with or fried in partially hydrogenated oils. Unlike other fats, the majority of trans fat is formed when food manufacturers turn liquid oils into solid fats like shortening and hard margarine. A small amount of trans fat is found naturally, primarily in some animal-based foods.

Trans fat, like saturated fat and dietary cholesterol, raises the LDL cholesterol that increases your risk for coronary heart disease.

Source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration

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For more details on AB 97, go to: www.leginfo.ca.gov/bilinfo.html