King County May Ban Trans Fats At Restaurants
The ban would affect 10,000 licensed kitchens in the county. "We can see no good reason to --- absolutely zero good reason -- why they should continue to put that stuff in any food product," said Julia Patterson of the King County Board of Health.
According to a recent study by the Harvard School of Public Health, replacing trans fats with unsaturated fats would prevent 30,000 to 100,000 premature deaths nationwide every year. Some major restaurant chains have switched, including McDonald's, Wendy's and KFC.
Some local restaurants like Beth's Café on Aurora Avenue in north Seattle have changed. Dick's Hamburgers has been experimenting with alternative cooking oils, but the local chain hasn't found one that meets its standards, according to the Seattle Times.
The Health Board is scheduled to vote on the trans fat ban on July 19. The restriction would be phased in over nine to 18 months.
New York City, Philadelphia, Montgomery County, Maryland and Brookline, Mass. have all passed measures that will require restaurants to phase out their use of trans fats, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest.