Sen McKinney Hopes To Ban Trans Fats In Connecticut Restaurants

HARTFORD (AP) — Artery-clogging artificial trans fats could soon be banned throughout Connecticut, thanks to the efforts of Newtown’s state Senator John McKinney.

Two weeks after the New York City Board of Health voted to make the Big Apple the first city in the nation to ban artificial trans fats in restaurant food, Senator McKinney became one of two Republican lawmakers proposing similar legislation this week.

“By forcing some of the world’s largest food chains and restaurateurs to use healthier alternatives in their food preparation, New York City has paved the way for what I hope will be a national movement to improve the health quality of the food we eat in restaurants,” said Senator John McKinney, R-Fairfield.

Senator Andrew Roraback, R-Goshen, ranking Republican on the legislature’s Public Health Committee, co-sponsored the bill. Lawmakers officially return to the Capitol on January 3 for the new legislative session.

The legislation is modeled after the New York City ban, where restaurants — with some exceptions — will be barred from using spreads and frying oils containing artificial trans fats by July 1. Foods covered in that first round include french fries and fried chicken.

Trans fats, listed on food labels as partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, are believed to be harmful because they wreak havoc with cholesterol levels.

The Connecticut bill would require restaurants to end the use of most frying oils containing trans fats by January 2008 and to eliminate all artificial trans fats from their food by July 2008.

Foods sold in sealed manufacturer’s packaging, such as potato chips, would not be affected by the proposed ban.

Steven Abrams, partner with the Max Restaurant Group, said his company, which owns six restaurants in Connecticut, started frying with nontrans fat oil about six months ago.

“We could see this coming. We pay attention to what’s going around,” he said.

Abrams said the nontrans fat oil is more expensive, but the change was worth it. Customers are already asking whether trans fats are used to cook their meals, he said.

“We decided it was healthier and we decided to do it. Our chefs agreed with us and thought it was the right thing to do,” he said, adding how other restaurants will ultimately have to make the switch for business reasons.

“I think the public is going to demand it before the law demands it,” he said.

A spokesman for the state restaurant industry cautions lawmakers not to move in haste because the marketplace is already making adjustments.

“The best people to make the decision are the restaurant owners because they are involved in their communities,” said Simon A. Flynn, president and chief executive officer of the Connecticut Restaurant Association. “There is education and there is awareness of it. The marketplace is responding,”

Forcing restaurant owners to pay the price of more expensive frying oil before they are ready could mean a loss of jobs, Flynn said. For example, Flynn said one owner told him it would cost $29,000 more a year to switch oils. The restaurants are constrained by the products that are available, he said.

“I have talked to people who want to do it but they need to move at a pace where they’re not letting people go,” Flynn said. “The issue has been tackled and what Connecticut should not do is pile on.”

He said New York City passed the legislation after a year of working with the restaurant industry.

Connecticut politicians are not the first to consider a trans fat ban in the wake of New York City’s action. A Massachusetts lawmaker proposed a similar bill this week. Bans are being considered in Philadelphia and Cleveland as well.

The Connecticut bill also calls for a new public awareness campaign to educate people about the harmful effects of trans fats.

“Education, nutrition, and disease prevention must be a part of any serious debate about health care reform in Connecticut,” Roraback said. “Research indicates we can immediately and significantly improve public health by taking this potentially deadly ingredient off the menu in Connecticut restaurants.”

Some food makers stopped using trans fats voluntarily after the FDA began requiring trans-fat content on food labels.