Transgate 2006

By Andrew Jenkins in Food on Dec 6, 2006 7:25PM

As if fighting terrorism wasn’t tough enough, it looks like America’s war on trans fat has reached its breaking point. But not to worry, Chicago aldermen have devised some strategies for success that will enable us to win this war — and they don’t even involve talks with Iran. In the wake of New York City’s blanket ban on the use of cooking oils with trans fats in all restaurants, Chicago may very well be heading in the same direction. Ald. Ed Burke posed a watered-down ban on trans fats earlier this year that would apply only to restaurant chains with $20 million in annual gross sales. NYC’s comprehensive ban has brought the issue back to the forefront as the Chicago City Council’s licensing committee is currently reviewing Burke’s ban.

There are a couple of wrenches in the works here, namely the National Restaurant Association. In a statement released yesterday, that group said, “There are serious legal concerns about a municipal health agency banning a product or ingredient the Food and Drug Administration has already approved.” That’s a pretty decent point, we thought. Apparently the FDA hasn’t been reading the papers lately.

NYC’s new ordinance, set to go into effect July 1, 2007, will also require restaurants that publish calorie information to do so on menus or menu boards where anyone can read it. Burke told the Tribune that he'd like to see Chicago restaurants be required to do the same. It has yet to be seen whether Chicago will use Burke’s plan to target “big box” restaurants or lean more toward the over-arching ban seen in New York. What has been seen is that Chicago missed an opportunity to take the lead on a national issue, albeit a pretty lame one.

Image via princeton.edu.