ANOTHER VOTE FOR BETTER HEALTH

New York, December 5, 2006 (The New York Times)- The New York City Board of Health voted today to ban artificial trans fats in the city’s eateries, establishing more rigorous limits than any American city.

Dan Fleshler, a spokesman for the National Restaurant Association, said today that the city’s proposals were “an attempt at misguided social engineering by a group of physicians that don’t understand the restaurant industry.”

You don’t get it Mr Fleshler, do you? It is not the restaurant industry and its health that the Mayor was concerned about; rather, it is the health of and, more specifically, the prevalence of heart disease in, New Yorkers. And far from being advocated just by “a group of physicians,” the measure has widespread public support. The American Heart Association, the American Medical Association, and the American Cancer Society all supported the plan. Mayor Bloomberg was most wise to introduce the bill.

Trans fats, also known as hydrogenated fats, are man-made or processed fats. Trans fats pose a higher risk of heart disease than saturated fats, which were once believed to be the worst kind of fats. While it is true that saturated fats -- found in butter, cheese, and beef, for example -- raise total cholesterol levels, trans fats go a step further. Trans fats not only raise total cholesterol levels, they also deplete good cholesterol (HDL), which helps protect against heart disease.

If you want to get an understanding of trans fats, think pouring bacon grease down your kitchen sink. Trans fats are used in foods such as vegetable shortening, some margarines, crackers, candies, baked goods, cookies, donuts, snack foods, fried foods, salad dressings and many processed foods.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned about the direct, proven relationship between diets high in trans fat content and LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels and, therefore, an increased risk of coronary heart disease – a leading cause of death in the US.

There is no nutritional need whatsoever for these man-made fats. The fact that their use is pervasive simply serves the interests of the food industry. Food manufacturers started putting them in products because they allow for a longer shelf life. Crackers, for example, can stay on the shelf and stay crispy for years in part because of the hydrogenated fats in them.

Instead of advocating the adoption of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats (such as olive oil, canola oil, soybean oil, and corn oil), which are beneficial to health, Mr Fleshler would rather we think this ban is “misguided.” To help us decide whether this ban is indeed “misguided,” it is helpful to know who is behind most products which will be affected. The trans fat powerhouse is Kraft Foods. Kraft Foods is a fully-owned subsidiary of Altria. And, for those of you who don’t know Altria, the company that goes by a name which conjures up altruism, until recently it used to be known as Philip Morris. Yes! Trans fats are brought to you courtesy of the very same nice folks who have been bringing you Marlboros, Benson & Hedges, Parliaments, Virginia Slims, Murattis, Larks, and so on.

Here’s to you Kraft! Here’s to you Altria! You are truly my heroes.

Kraft Foods North America Brands

Beverages

Cheese

Coffee · Carte Noire** · Chase & Sanborn** · Dickson's** · Famous Inn** · General Foods International · Gevalia · London House** · Maxim · Maxwell House · Maxwell House Cafe** · Melrose** · Nabob** · National House** · Quartier** · Sanka · Seattle's Best Coffee* · Starbucks* · Tazo* · Torrefazione Italia* · Yuban Frozen Treats · Kool-Aid Slushies Hot Chocolate Mix · Baker's** Juice Drinks · Del Monte** Powdered Soft Drinks · Country Time · Crystal Light · Kool-Aid · Kool-Aid Kool Tea** · Quench** · Tang Ready-to-Drink · Capri Sun* · Country Time · Crystal Light · Fruit2O · Kool-Aid Bursts · Kool-Aid Jammers** · Tang · Veryfine Tea · Nabob** Convenient Meals Bacon · Oscar Mayer · Louis Rich Cold Cuts · Oscar Mayer · Louis Rich Dinner Kits · Taco Bell* Frozen Pizza · California Pizza Kitchen* · DiGiorno · Jack's · Tombstone Hot Dogs · Oscar Mayer Lunch Combinations · Lunchables Macaroni & Cheese Dinner · Back to Nature · It's Pasta Anytime · Kraft · Kraft Easy Mac · Velveeta Meat Alternatives · Boca Meat Snacks · Tombstone Pastas and Sauces · DiGiorno · Kraft** · Kraft Dinner** · Primo** Pizza Kits · Kraft** Frozen Pizza · Delissio** Snacks Cookies · Animal Crackers** · Back to Nature · Barnum's Animals · Biscos · Café Crème · Cameo · Chips Ahoy! · Coffee Break** · Cookie Barz** · Dad's · David** · Dream Puffs** · Famous Chocolate Wafers · Family Favorites · Fudgee-O** · Ginger Snaps · Honeymaid** · Lorna Doone · Mallomars · Marshmallow Twirls · Melting Moments** · National Arrowroot · Newtons · Nilla · Nutter Butter · Old Fashioned · Oreo · Pantry Cookies** · Pecanz · Peek Freans** · Pecan Passion · Pinwheels · Pirate** · SnackWell's · SnackWell's CarbWell · Social Tea · Teddy Grahams · Wild Thornberry's* Crackers · Air Crisps · Bacon Dippers** · Back to Nature · Better Cheddars · Bits & Bites** · Cheese Nips · Crispers** · Crown Pilot · Doo Dad · Flavor Crisps · French Onion** · Harvest Crisps · Honey Maid · Nabisco Grahams · Nabs · Premium · Rice Thins** · Ritz · Royal Lunch · SnackWell's · Snackwiches** · Sociables** · Sour Cream & Chives** · Stoned Wheat Thins · Swiss Cheese** · Toppables** · Triscuit · Uneeda · Vegetable Thins** · Wheatsworth · Wheat Thins · Zwieback Ice Cream Cones · Comet Cups Packaged Food Combinations · Handi-Snacks · Lunchables Refrigerated Ready-to-Eat Desserts · Jell-O · Handi-Snacks · Magic Moments** Snack Bars · Balance** · Balance Gold** · Honey Maid · Newtons · Planters CarbWell · SnackWell's CarbWell Snack Nuts · Corn Nuts · PB Crisps · Planters Confectionery · Jet-Puffed · Cote D'Or** · Kraft Caramels · Terry's · Toblerone

Cheese Cubes · Back to Nature · Kraft Cold Pack Cheese · Woody's Cottage Cheese · Breakstone's · Knudsen · Light n' Lively Cream Cheese · Back to Nature · Philadelphia · Temp-tee Grated Cheese · Delissio** · Kraft Hummus · Athenos Natural Cheese · Athenos · Casino** · Churny · Cracker Barrel · Delissio** · DiGiorno · Handi-Snacks · Harvest Moon · Hoffman's · Kraft · MacLaren's Imperial** · Polly-O · P'tit Quebec** · RSVP** Process Cheese Loaves · Kraft Deluxe · Old English · Velveeta Process Cheese Sauce · Cheez Whiz Process Cheese Slices · Back to Nature · Darifarm** · Extra Cheddar Deluxe** · Kraft** · Kraft Deli Deluxe · Kraft Free Singles · Kraft Singles · Kraft 2% Milk Singles · Velveeta Process Cheese Spread · Easy Cheese Shredded Cheese · Back to Nature · Kraft Grocery Baking Chocolate/Coconut · Baker's Baking Powder · Calumet · Magic** Barbecue Sauce · Bull's-Eye · CarbWell · Kraft Breakfast Beverage · Postum Canned Vegetables/Fruit/Tomatoes · Aylmer** · Aylmer Accents** · Del Monte** · Ideal** Cereal Bars · Post CarbWell · Post Honey Bunches of Oats Coating Mix · Shake ‘n Bake · Shake ‘n Bake Perfect Potatoes** · Oven Fry Condiments · Aylmer** · Coronation** · Grey Poupon · Kraft · Oscar Mayer** · Primo** · Sauceworks Cooked Cereal · Cream of Wheat Dips · Kraft Dry Packaged Desserts · Bird's** · Dream Whip · D-Zerta · Jell-O · Knox Gelatine · Minit** · Minute · Whip 'n Chill** Energy Bars · Balance · Balance CarbWell Fruit Preservatives · Ever Fresh Frozen Whipped Topping · Cool Whip Ice Cream Topping · Kraft Jellies/Jams/Spread · Aylmer** · Kraft** · Kraft Double** · RSVP** No-bake Dessert Mix · Jell-O** Pasta Salads · Kraft Peanut Butter · Kraft** Pectins · Certo · Sure-Jell Pickles/Sauerkraut · Aylmer** · Claussen · Coronation** Pie Crusts · Honey Maid · Nilla · Oreo Ready-to-Eat Cereals · Back to Nature · Post ·Alpha-Bits · Banana Nut Crunch · Blueberry Morning · Bran Flakes** · Cinna-Cluster Raisin Bran · Cranberry Almond Crunch · Frosted Shredded Wheat · Fruit & Fibre · Golden Crisp · Grape-Nuts · Great Grains · Honey Bunches of Oats · Honeycomb · Natural Bran Flakes · Oreo O's · Pebbles* · Raisin Bran · Shredded Wheat · Shredded Wheat ‘n Bran · Shreddies** · Spoon Size Shredded Wheat · Sugar-Crisp** · Teddy Grahams** · The Original Spoon Size Shredded Wheat** · Toasties · Waffle Crisp · 100% Bran Salad Dressings · Classic Twist** · Good Seasons · Kraft · Kraft CarbWell · Light Done Right** · RSVP** · Signature Collection** · Seven Seas Sour Cream · Breakstone's · Knudsen Spoonable Dressing · Kraft Mayo · Miracle Whip Steak Sauce, Marinade, Worcestershire · A.1. · A.1. CarbWell Stuffing Mix · Stove Top Soups · Aylmer** · Primo**