Jul 2 2007
Although July 1st was officially the day New York City's trans fat ban came into effect, 85% of restaurants had already changed to alternative cooking oils which meet the new trans fat guidelines of less than half a gram of trans fat per serving for either frying or in spreads.
Those who violate the new legislation will be fined, but restaurants using baked goods, prepared foods, and oils for deep-frying dough, have until next year to modify their recipes to eliminate trans fatty ingredients.
The health department says it will not issue fines, which range from $200 to $2,000 until October 1.
Restaurants are now also obliged to clearly display the amount of calories in their foods and some restaurant chains such as Burger King, McDonald's and Wendy's have already made the change to healthier oils and say most customers never noticed.
Trans fat increases the so-called bad cholesterol in food and clogs arteries and a diet high in trans fats can increase a person's risk for diabetes and heart disease.
New York city is the first in the U.S. to act on legislation to this degree and it is expected that more cities across the country will eventually adopt a similar plan.
Some New Yorkers however have said it is not the job of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who proposed the plan last year, to decide what they eat.