Proposal to study a ban on trans fat elicits cheers and jeers from eateries.When Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke introduced a motion to study the effects of a trans fat ban, health critics cheered and restaurant owners sneered. And some restaurants have decided to give it up on their own. CKE CKE Clock Enable (memory signal) CKE Carl Karcher Enterprises, Inc. (restaurant chain) CKE Certified Kitchen Design Educator CKE Catia Knowledge Engineering CKE Content and Knowledge Engineering Restaurants Inc., which owns Carl's Jr., Hardee's, La Salsa, and Fresh Mexican Grill restaurants said it would begin testing trans fat-free cooking at its Carl's Jr. and Hardee's restaurants soon. Universal Studios effectively eliminated trans fats from its menu last month, after the Walt Disney Co. said it would slowly phase out trans fats at all of its parks. It's a philosophical debate for some chefs, however. Many chefs, even those who have eschewed low-grade, fatty ingredients, balk balk the action of a horse when it refuses to obey a command to which it usually responds. See also jibbing. at being told how to cook. "One of the things that does scare me about this is the precedent that the government is going to determine what we can or can't eat, even if it's for the sake of everyone involved," said Kris Morningstar, chef at Blue Velvet in downtown L.A. He doesn't use trans fats in his cooking, but is strongly opposed to the possible ban of foie gras, the fatty livers of ducks who have been force fed. The California Restaurant Association shares Morningstar's take. "We have a fundamental concern about the government banning what amounts to household items, approved by the FDA FDA abbr. Food and Drug Administration FDA, n.pr See Food and Drug Administration. FDA, n.pr the abbreviation for the Food and Drug Administration. ," said Jot Condie, president of the association. "Consumers are smart enough to know that items that are fried or baked goods are not health foods and ought to be consumed in moderation." Trans fats are created by the hydrogenation hydrogenation (hīdrôj`ənā'shən, hī'drəjənā`shən), chemical reaction of a substance with molecular hydrogen, usually in the presence of a catalyst. of oils. The process was created in the 1950s to extend the shelf live of foods. Trans fats are particularly prevalent in baked goods, salad dressings and deep-fried foods. Trans fat bans or partial bans have already been approved in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of and Chicago. The proposal to the L.A. County Board calls for a study by the Public Health Department. Los Angeles-based California Pizza Kitchen California Pizza Kitchen (NASDAQ: CPKI, known within the food industry as CPK) is a casual dining restaurant chain that specializes in California-style pizza. The restaurant was started in 1985 by attorneys Rick Rosenfield and Larry Flax in Beverly Hills, California, Inc. said it has already eliminated trans fats from its menu and wouldn't be affected the ban. The chain began reducing its trans fat content in 2003. IHOP IHOP International House Of Pancakes (restaurant chain) iHOP Information Hyperlinked Over Proteins IHOP International House of Prayer IHOP International H2O Project IHOP International House of Pain Corp. and La Brea Holdings Inc. declined to comment for this story. The study, which will include input from community health organizations, restaurants and fast food purveyors and a nutrition task force, will be presented to the board on Jan. 30 and a vote will be taken later. BY EMILY BRYSON YORK Staff Reporter |
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