A lawmaker introduced a bill on Tuesday that would make Massachusetts the first U.S. state to ban artificial trans fats from restaurants, closely following New York City's ban of the artery-clogging oils.
"We have an opportunity to vastly improve public health by directing restaurants to switch to healthier alternatives," Peter Koutoujian, a Democratic representative in the Massachusetts Legislature, said in a statement.
The bill uses language similar to new regulations announced this month by New York City, but marks the first effort to force restaurants in an entire state to stop frying foods in oils that contain high levels of trans fats.
All those NYC Health Board members who lust after the dubious honor of being first to meddle in people's lives are getting their wish.
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What you have to understand about the trans-fat controversy is that there are several big money class action lawsuits pending. Whenever there is big tort money to be made, the news media (including many "science journalists") and a lot of politicians will stand on their heads to assist the tort attorneys in creating public outrage. True risk assessments are virtually impossible in such an environment.