Pure Pedantry : MA jumps on the NYC Trans-fat ban wagon`

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Jake Young is a MD/PhD student at Mount Sinai School of Medicine focusing in Neuroscience. He is due to graduate in 2032. He received a BS and a MS in Biological Sciences from Stanford University -- where he spent most of his time drinking heavily and building vegetable catapults instead of learning information that would now be eminently useful. When he is not failing terrifically to perform his sworn duties, he enjoys watching bad movies, ethnic food, and running.

Pure Pedantry is a blog about science -- social sciences and otherwise -- as well as academic and scientific culture. No one can live on science alone, so I also like to dwell on pop culture, periodically explore the humanities, and indulge in other types of geeky goodness.

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MA jumps on the NYC Trans-fat ban wagon`

Category: Obesity and Heart Disease
Posted on: December 20, 2006 11:11 AM, by Jake Young

This is never going to end:

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.

Comments

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.

Posted by: Al Fin, MD | December 20, 2006 7:35 PM