Posted on 09/29/2006 11:14:56 AM PDT by lowbridge
De Niro Has Role in NYC Trans Fat Debate
NEW YORK -- Days after city health officials proposed outlawing trans fats in eateries, Mayor Michael Bloomberg defended the ban and tried to drag Robert De Niro into the debate because the actor's restaurants do not use the man-made oil.
De Niro, an owner and investor in several culinary hotspots, went to City Hall on Thursday for a news conference related to his Tribeca Film Festival, but stayed for the mayor's general press briefing, at which Bloomberg was asked about the health department's trans fats ban.
The proposal is raising questions about whether the government should be playing head chef, causing restaurants and bakeries citywide to consider makeovers for the Big Apple's favorite treats.
Confessing his love for french fries and oily popcorn, the mayor said everyone could still enjoy those snacks because they can be made without the artificial trans fatty acids, which are thought to cause cholesterol problems and increase risk of heart disease.
Experts say corn, canola and soy oils are safer but generally taste and cost the same as the trans fats.
"You're getting an ingredient out that nobody's going to miss," Bloomberg said.
With De Niro standing behind him, the mayor pointed out that many food makers already have eliminated trans fats, following the Food and Drug Administration's requirement this year that ingredient labels show trans fat content. Companies including Frito-Lay and Kraft have reconfigured recipes for many of their most popular packaged goods, including Doritos and Oreos, replacing the trans fats, which are typically listed as partially hydrogenated oil.
Many restaurants have done the same. The example was already set by some city eateries that never used artificial oils in the first place, such as De Niro's Nobu and Tribeca Grill.
"If you look at some of the best restaurants in this city, including Robert De Niro's, they do not use trans fats because they don't need them in their food and there's no reason to have them," Bloomberg said.
De Niro, who won Oscars for his roles in "The Godfather: Part II" and "Raging Bull," appeared slightly surprised by the mayor's plug for his restaurants but the 62-year-old actor did not add anything to the argument. A spokeswoman confirmed later that the mayor was correct.
"We don't use man-made oils, we use natural oils," said Tanja Yokum, a spokeswoman for Myriad Restaurant Group. "There really isn't a price difference, so it's not a difficult decision, and it has been our chefs' practice all along."
If the ban is approved by the end of this year, the city Department of Health would require restaurants to strip trans fats from their food by July 2008.
The city chapter of the New York State Restaurant Association says the law would create culinary nightmares for chefs and maintains Bloomberg is going too far in trying to outlaw an ingredient.
http://www.gothamist.com/archives/2006/09/29/mayor_b_loves_f.php
"they do not use trans fats because they don't need them in their food and there's no reason to have them," Bloomberg said".
Please do try to suppress your inner tyrant, Mr. Mayor.
Nanny-State Alert.
Think they'll stop at trans-fat, or will they move on to lard, sugar, etc?
Hey, some people want to be fat. Let them. Granted, it's unsightly seeing a bunch of lardasses walking around in malls, down the streets, etc., but if they really want to keep on eating their way to death, then that's their prerogative.
Bigggggggggggggg people. Beware!
Better to chase the trans fats out of the restaurants rather than the illegal aliens.
They started with cigarette smokers. Now they're going after fat people. It won't be long before some liberal starts demanding state-sponsored eugenics so "every child is born healthy."
...and the National Socialist (Nazi) dream will have come true.
Liberals are all for partial birth abortions for the newborns and euthanasia for the sick and elderly, calling them "freedom of choice". But god forbid we do anything with our bodies in between infancy and old age that we find pleasureable like smoking cigarettes, eating trans fats, and junk food of all sorts. Then by God, they must bring the government heel down on our necks in order to stop us because we might kill ourselves.
They started with gun owners. THEN they went after the cigarette smokers.
When they came to confiscate peoples guns, I didnt protest because I wasnt a gun owner. Then when they came after the cigaretter smokers, I didnt protest because I wasnt a cigarette smoker. When they came for the trans fats, I didnt protest because....
Trans fats are nasty, but that's not what law is for.
No foi gras allowed in Chicago.
June twenty-ninth. I gotta get in shape. Too much sitting has ruined my body. Too much abuse has gone on for too long. From now on there will be 50 pushups each morning, 50 pullups. There will be no more pills, no more bad food, no more destroyers of my body. From now on will be total organization. Every muscle must be tight.
You are, of course, correct. All my life, the second amendment has been under vociferous attack by the anti-American left. As an unfortunate consequence, I can't remember a time when the foremost right that preserves all of our other rights wasn't under some kind of unconstitutional assault by these nanny-statists.
"Beware of little men.."
I think there are plenty of ways to get fat without trans fats. In fact, I recall reading about the problem of people who gain weight on low fat/no fat foods because they're full of carbs (hey, they have to have something in them) and because a lot of people thought (understandably from the hype) that there's no reason for moderation if you stick to low fat/no fat. (Also, fat satisfies hunger better than carbs.)
I'll use whatever oil I darn well please...
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