On the trail of trans fat

Will New York’s recent trans fat ban work its way to the Midwest? Who knows. But given the lobbying power either side has, the issue promises to heat up.

In an article about upcoming trends for 2007, star chef Anthony Bourdain was quoted as saying, “The health Taliban will continue to chip away at traditional eating methods and production techniques. The general notion is that the American public is too stupid or infantilized to decide what they should put into their mouths.”

Now that we’ve got more than a month of 2007 under our belts it seems apparent that the biggest issue being policed this year will be trans fats. Especially given that 30 days isn’t all that’s under our belts. In many cases there are unwanted, and often unhealthy, pounds that have the FDA, HMOs and other heavy hitting acronyms starting to crack down on what we’re putting on our plates. At Minneapolis’ Willie’s Wine Bar & Cuisine, owner Cathy Simonson put her own ban on trans fats from day one. “I’ve always been a label-reader and health conscious, so I’ve been very aware of the issue for quite some time now. As a restaurateur I wanted our product to be healthy and good.”


An element at the table

I’m going to go ahead and bet that Bourdain’s quote refers more to the regulation of foie gras than to a chemically manipulated item like partially hydrogenated oil, but it’s a starting point that could lead to other edicts on edibles. (Anybody checked out the health benefits of butter or bacon lately?) The New York Board of Health’s recent ban of trans fats from restaurants by July 1 of this year was accompanied by another requiring primarily fast-food restaurants to prominently display caloric information. Issues related to what we eat are gonna get hotter than a Fryalator before all’s said and done, especially given the big money and lobbying power that both for and against have.

When it comes to the topic at hand—trans fats—there’s really not much that can be said in favor of them, especially given the evidence mounting against them. The basic gist is that they increase bad cholesterol and can be directly affiliated with an increase in coronary disease. Developed to help bring a longer shelf life to cooking oils, trans fats are created by partially hydrogenating an oil, making it more solid and increasing its shelf-life. Some say that it also provides a flavor or mouth-feel and that given all of the above, can be tough to replicate. KFC just spent more than 18 months to find a substitute oil. The trick was to find one that was widely available (they have more than 5,000 restaurants to support, after all) and didn’t impact the food’s flavor. The New York Restaurant Association, a vocal dissenter of the timeline the Board set forth, has brought forth many compelling arguments to the table, chief among them that no one likes to have anything jammed down their throats. Sure, they’re not good. Yes, we’d like to get rid of them, but give us some time, already. It’s just not as easy as flipping a switch. “I’m already hearing the many restaurateurs in New York don’t know what they’re cooking with and if you’re not looking, it’s an item that’s in a lot of foods, from bread and peanut butter to pizza dough and chocolate syrups, and it can easily be missed,” says Simonson.


Not in my Dining Room

The increasing dabbling of regulatory agencies in restaurants is a tricky business and the hotly contested question at dining tables, City Halls and even Congress will be: What do we get to decide what goes into our mouths and when will it be mandated by others?

Willie’s owner Simonson, obviously a staunch proponent of eliminating trans fats from menus says that it’s something she doesn’t believe should be government mandated. “It makes people jump through unnecessary hoops and we (restaurateurs) all know that we’ve got plenty to do already. If restaurateurs don’t know about trans fats, they should educate themselves and look around for alternatives. Food can taste just as good without them.” Could it be that other restaurants will make the decision to eliminate trans fats from menus on their own, or that diners, (gasp), just might even be able to police their own plates? Hopefully we’ll get that opportunity.