Lawyers for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and LA City Council advised the officials that a local ban on trans fats would not be permitted by state law, so the group of officials manufactured an alternative: a voluntary ban by restaurants on trans fats.
Such a plan would be bolstered by incentives, such as window decals that would indicate to a potential customer whether an establishment is trans fat free or not.
The stickers �could help consumers decide if they want to go into a restaurant,� said Director of Public Health for Los Angeles County, Dr. Jonathan Fielding.
The non-law may not be necessary, according to some.
�I haven�t received one call from a restaurant saying it doesn�t want to make a change,� said Andrew Casana, spokesman for the California Restaurant Association.
�It�s a health issue that restaurants can�t ignore,� said Charlotte Austin-Jordan, who manages M&M�s Soul Food in downtown LA.
In August, Wendy�s announced that it will be cutting all trans fats from its menu. Taco Bell, Kentucky Fried Chicken, MacDonald�s and Starbucks have stated that they will follow suit.
"This is a creative solution for encouraging restaurants to eliminate trans fats from their menus," said consumer health advocate Mike Adams, author of "Poison In the Food: Hydrogenated Oils."
"Until trans fats are banned nationwide, which may take a long time due to FDA negligence, voluntary local bans may indeed prove to be very effective at protecting the public from this harmful dietary substance."
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