Our World

New York City bans trans fats

Tuesday, New York City passed a ban on trans fats in food. All restaurants must get rid of foods containing this artery clogging oil by July of 2008. The only exception is if the restaurant serves the food in the way it came from the manufacturer. Trans fats are not only found in foods like chicken fingers and french fries, but also in foods like crackers, pancakes and hot cocoa mix. The FDA estimates that the average person eats about 4.7 pounds of trans fats a year. Many people are comparing this ban, to the ban placed on smoking three years ago. Chicago is also considering a ban like this, but is limited to the restaurants that make over 20 million dollars in sales a year.

Now I consider myself a very health-conscious person, but I think this is just ludicrous. This is crazy! I understand these oils are very bad for you, but I think that if you want to go out and enjoy some nice juicy chicken fingers with fries and some hot cocoa, you should be able to! People are trying to compare this to the smoking ban, which I am a full supporter of, but I believe the comparison is wrong! Smoking also affects the people around you, but I believe that it is your own prerogative to monitor your health and be responsible for it; an eater should know their limits. I do not think it is the government’s right to say what people can and cannot eat. If trans fats were really all that bad for you, the FDA would ban them… Other countries are still allowed to serve foods with trans fats and their residents are healthy. I think we need to stop telling people what not to eat, and teach people the right portions for foods with trans fats in them. Am I just an opinion extremist? What are your views on this issue? The full article is below if you would like to read it.

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posted by Anonymous @ 12/05/2006 11:12:00 PM