No shirt, no shoes, no trans fat
February 26, 2007
State Rep. Lee Gonzales met with members of the Michigan Restaurant Association Wednesday to gain support for his proposed legislation to eliminate trans fat from restaurant menus by 2008.
Andy Deloney, the MRA director of public affairs, stated that the Association opposes the legislation because a higher demand for substitute oils would increase prices, mainly on corn oils, considering the recent high demand for ethanol as a substitute for gasoline.
“You can’t simply mandate the removal of trans fats,” he said. “Essentially you would be removing a piece of the pie which would create supply and price problems.”
But Gonzales, a Democrat representing Genesee county, believes there are healthier oil options that don’t contain corn, and most importantly, don’t force industries to return to equally unhealthy options like butter or lard. “We’re not going down the road of saturated fat. We’re going to push for healthier oils,” he said.
The legislation, proposed to the House on Feb. 1, consists of four bills. The first bill requires restaurants to provide warning labels on menus for foods that contain trans fat. The next two bills aim to phase out the use of trans fat in menu items for chain restaurants initially, and eventually in all Michigan restaurants. The final bill requires state agencies to give preference to contractors who offer food with higher nutritional values for consumption in public cafeterias in state facilities.
Deloney argues that this legislation is unnecessary. “This is not a new issue,” Deloney explained.
“Industries are aware of it and already phasing out trans fat on their own,” he expanded.
He cited McDonald’s fast food restaurants as an example. The company is testing trans fat-free frying oil in a select number of restaurants. However, the plan has yet to materialize in an East Lansing McDonald’s on Grand River and Cedar. Store manager Neil Frost said the first time he heard about the introduction of the trans fat-free oil was on television, and he has yet to hear anything on the subject from the company.
The process used to create trans fats, known as hydrogenation, is cheaper than using healthier options according to Dale Romsos, a professor of nutrition and nutritional sciences coordinator at Michigan State University.
He fears such a strict focus on health issues related to trans fat will send the wrong message to consumers.
“If you take trans fat out of French fries, does that make it a healthy food?” Romsos asked. “People might think now I can super size, which is not the healthy message to deliver,” he said.
Deloney also believes the legislation is too narrow to decrease health risks, and offers a false sense of security.
“A healthy lifestyle is one that incorporates physical exercise, balanced eating, and moderation,” he stated. “Simply removing trans fat won’t make a person healthier unless balance and moderation are mandated as well.”
However, the removal of trans fat from a person’s diet has been proven to lower the level of LDL or “bad” cholesterol according to the Food and Drug Administration. High LDL cholesterol levels can increase susceptibility to type 2 diabetes as well as coronary heart disease. According to the FDA, more than 500,000 Americans die of CHD every year.
Gonzales’ interest in trans fat regulation actually began with his father’s premature death that was linked to type 2 diabetes.
“I started reading about New York’s legislation on trans fats, and it got me interested in asking about hydrogenated vegetable oil,” Gonzales stated. “The more I read, the more I wanted to read. I started to realize this is a big problem. There is an obesity problem which I think we all agree about, and we need to look at it.”
Gonzales and his supporters are not alone in their effort to end trans fat consumption. Gonzales says several other states have proposed bills that would ban trans fats in restaurants. The trend began when New York City passed a citywide ban on trans fat use in restaurants in the fall.
Both Gonzales and Deloney state that they plan to continue talking. “Even though we oppose the legislation, it’s not to say we don’t think this is important,” Deloney commented.
“If we can create a conversation concerning trans fats, we can allow people to live healthier lifestyles and promote public health. We want the MRA and different big companies to come to the table to help to solve these issues,” Gonzales stated.
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