I thought this was cool, it's been all over my news in So California. It's about time they start moving forward to start making healthier food.

" LOS ANGELES, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Los Angeles County on Tuesday launched a campaign to drive trans-fat food, which is blamed for triggering heart diseases, out of the restaurants in the region.

Under an agreement between the county and the Californian Restaurants Association (CRA), 34,000 restaurants will be encouraged to phase out trans-fat food over the next 18 months.

Los Angeles County restaurants that voluntarily stop using the partially hydrogenated oil will receive a decal that can be put up at the establishment based on certification by the health department of the county, according to the program.

Health officials also plan to convene a task force to educate the public on the harmful effects of the substance, and instruct eateries in county buildings to limit the amounts of trans-fat in food. "

The rest of the article can be found here: Xinhua - English

they did this in new york recently and it honestly ticks me off...

we know that trans fats are bad for us but it's a perfectly legal substance -

- it's up to us as the consumer to decide what we do or do not put in our bodies - not the government.

the only good thing it might do is raise awareness...

That's true. The raising awareness thing is the best thing, but it would be nice if every restaurant provided nutritional information. I can't tell you how many times I tried to look for certain restaurant's nutritional info and came up empty.

there is NO mcdonalds in the USA or Canada now that cooks with trans fats as of LAST NIGHT!! hooray!

the food at mcdonalds -trans fat or not - is still nutritionally vapid...

read the book - fast food nation by eric schlosser - you will never want to eat tehre again

I watched supersize me and i havent eaten there since


IF YOU HAVENT SEEN IT! SEE IT!!!!!

I think the huge point is is that they are at least starting to move a bit further in providing healthier food and educating the public. Even if the restaurants still aren't healthy.

Seny, I have seen Supersize me and it's disgusting, lol. Anyone could gain weight and feel horrible eating stuff like that every single day. The guy wasn't getting in any kind of exercise, and he was eating McDonalds for every single meal. Most people don't eat like that every single day. But it doesn't matter what it is, if you overeat like he did, then you will gain weight.

But at least the video provided some excellent points, and at least educated some people into changing their lives. I love, love, when he visited the school where the kids ate healthy nutritious meals that weren't processed, but freshly made. I wish more schools were like that...

What has happened to our free country. It's just so sad what is going on with our rights.

Chip

As of last week my restaurant, even though its just a small bar/grill in WI, we switched to trans fat free oil. The only differences I have incountered were the fact that it costs twice as much but it is supposed to last twice as long (ie it doesn't break down as fast as "regular" oil) I dunno...my $.02

I don't understand why you would want trans fats when they have no known health benefits (unlike some other fats) and a heap of negative effects. It's not as if the food will taste any different.

my opinion is that i don't want them - i couldn't tell you the last time i went to mcdonalds or ate anything fried - i just don't like the taste - what i strongly object to is the government deciding health issues for people. If we had national healthcare there might be some form of argument to be had -but since we don't - i pay for my healthcare - so therefore the governemnt doesn't have the right to tell me what i can or cannot eat...

It is only about one thing to me as an American. FREEDOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our freedoms are being taken away from us. If we don't stand up our country will be gone. Yes I do believe it is going in that direction.

Chip

I'm still lost - sorry. If a food fried in trans fats tasted exactly the same as food fried in fat that hasn't been treated the same way, what are you losing? Okay, so the freedom to eat trans fats is being removed - but who would want to eat trans fats when food fried in other fat tastes the same but doesn't cause so many health problems?

it's government interferance in a person's daily life.

Again - I have no interest in fried foods so I could give a rats ass about it - it's more principal. If the government can do this - what's to stop them next month from banning the practice of putting milk in coffee?

People need to be responsible for what they put in their bodies. They don't want trans fats? dont have them - don't patronize the restaurants that serve them and let that be a message to the company. The company will then change at customer request.

One of my personal pet peeves is how people insist it should be the law that companies post nutrtional info - yes, it's a good idea but the company should do it because they want to - not because they have to - I will not go to Quiznos anymore because they do not have nutritional info available and the email I sent to their customer service department said so... Customers requests should be the reason for change -not because big brother said they had to

I can see your point, but an awful lot of people do not know or care what is in food. Do they deserve to be eating a fat that could cause them heart disease when there are perfectly acceptable alternatives? The fast food places are frequented by kids - shouldn't they be protected?

I live in the UK and there is barely any knowledge about trans fats over here. It is not included on labels, and I wouldn't expect a lot of staff in restaurants to have any clue about whether it is used in products. I would be really pleased to see it banned.

Trans fat seems to me like a pesticide that has it's licence removed because negative health effects are apparent after it has been used a while.