Los Angeles, Jan. 30 - Blocked by state law from an outright ban, the City of Los Angeles will urge restaurants to voluntarily phase out trans fats over the next 18 months.
One incentive could include an official window decal showing restaurants that have eliminated the artery-clogging substance, according to a plan unveiled Tuesday.
"Restaurants want to do the right thing," said Dr. Jonathan Fielding, director of public health for Los Angeles County. The county Board of Supervisors and the City Council backed the effort.
Studies have shown trans fats raise bad cholesterol and lower the good kind. Partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, the main form of artificial trans fats, is used for frying and baking and turns up processed foods like cookies, pizza dough, crackers and pre-made blends like pancake mix.
State law would not allow a local ban on trans fat, legal advisers said last week. And officials would not be able to force restaurants to display nutritional information on their menus, as they had wanted.
Restaurants support the plan, said Andrew Casana, spokesman for the California Restaurant Association.
"I haven't received one call from a restaurant saying it doesn't want to make a change," Casana said.
Last month, New York became the first city in the U.S. to ban restaurants from using artificial trans fats by mid-2008. Similar measures are being discussed in other cities.
Some food sellers stopped using trans fats voluntarily after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration required food labels to show trans-fat content. Wendy's International Inc. (WEN) introduced a zero-trans-fat oil in August. Yum Brands Inc.'s (YUM) KFC and Taco Bell said they also will cut the trans fats from many foods.
Coffeehouse giant Starbucks Corp. (SBUX) recently announced it was halfway through a plan to purge trans fats from its U.S. food menu. And McDonald's (MCD) said Monday it has selected a new trans-fat-free oil for cooking its french fries.