More than 23,000 New Yorkers die from heart disease and stroke each year.
Trans Fat Free NYC
Trans fat is the most dangerous type of dietary fat – it increases the risk of heart disease, the leading cause of death in New York City and the rest of the nation. The majority of trans fat in our diet is industrially-produced and fully replaceable with other healthier oils. Leading health organizations - including the American Heart Association, the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine – recommend that people strictly limit consumption of trans fat. However, when dining in restaurants, this is all too often an impossible task.
To address this issue, in December of 2006, the NYC Health Department took regulatory action and the NYC Board of Health amended the health code to restrict the use of artificial trans fat in all NYC food establishments, including restaurants, caterers, cafeterias, park concessions and food carts. At this time, up to one-fifth of heart attacks and 30,000 or more related premature deaths nationally were estimated to be due to trans fat.
To support restaurant compliance, a private grant to the Fund for Public Health in New York (FPHNY) allowed the NYC Health Department to launch the Trans Fat Help Center. The Help Center assisted restaurants, food service establishments and their suppliers to switch from artificial trans fat to healthier oils and fats while maintaining the same taste and texture of food. The Help Center offered a telephone helpline, classes and web resources in multiple languages, all at no cost to restaurateurs. The NYC Health Department teamed up with the CUNY College of Technology's esteemed culinary training program to house the Help Center and convened a group of local and national culinary experts to act as technical advisors.
By December of 2008, six months after the regulation was fully in effect, over 90% of restaurants were in full compliance with the regulation and this high rate of compliance remains today. Around the country, 14 jurisdictions including Philadelphia, Seattle and California, have passed similar regulations to restrict trans fats in restaurant food and 31 others are considering similar restrictions. The restaurant industry has also followed suit, with nearly 40 restaurant chains, as well as airline food providers and theme parks, such as Disney and Universal Parks, implementing similar reductions in trans fat use.
The Help Center played a critical role in the successful implementation of the City's regulations and high compliance by NYC restaurants. The Help Center website, www.notransfatnyc.org, is now a repository of research and materials produced during its operation. It continues to be accessed by people in New York City as well as from across the country and around the world, acting as a valuable resource to other food establishments and health departments as they replace artificial trans fat in their foods.