Current state law prohibits Los Angeles County from banning artificial trans fats in restaurants or requiring restaurants to disclose nutritional information in menus, according to a report released Friday by the county Department of Public Health, the Los Angeles Times reports. The county Board of Supervisors asked a task force to conduct the report.
The report recommended that the board create a voluntary program to encourage restaurants to eliminate trans fats, perhaps by offering a decal program that certifies restaurants as trans-fat-free. The report also said a ban would face difficulty in low-income neighborhoods, where businesses would be more "resistant to change."
Jonathan Fielding, county director of public health, said a voluntary program would be a step toward an eventual ban because it would raise consumer awareness and pressure businesses.
Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, who recommended the report, said supervisors will begin enacting voluntary measures and a public awareness campaign about the health effects of trans fat (Barboza, Los Angeles Times, 1/27).