(New York City) Health Board Approves Ban on Large Sugary Drinks

http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2012/08/kids-cholestorol-trans-fat

Food Industry Ditches Trans Fats, Kids' Cholesterol Levels Drop

By Tom Philpott| Tue Aug. 21, 2012 3:00 AM PDT

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Teicholz reported trans-fat production was dominated by agribusiness giants Cargill, Archer Daniels Midland, and Bunge. These companies ran a trade group called the Institute of Shortening and Edible Oils (ISEO), which "for decades" worked "behind the scenes to squelch bad news about trans fats." Teicholz reported:

As far back as 1968, the ISEO was mentioned in an internal memo written by the medical director of the American Heart Association: According to the memo, the ISEO objected to the AHA’s intention to include a warning about trans fats in its dietary guidelines; subsequently, the AHA took it out.

And the food industry, too, actively sought to repress research showing trans fats' ill effects. According to Teicholz, independent-minded scientists examining the topic had to "deal with the tidal wave of industry pressure unleashed against them at meetings, conferences, and events. Their papers were rebutted with unusual ferocity, and their research funding was scarce." The pressures came from the industry's highest levels:

With independent science about its health effects virtually nil, trans fats took on a healthy sheen, promoted by a food industry that was happy to have found a cheap replacement for butter that also worked well in deep frying. By the '70s, "margarine manufacturers used the slogan 'Healthy for Your Heart' and marketed the product like a drug to doctors," Teicholz reported.

Meanwhile, damage to public health was severe. Teicholz cited Harvard epidemiologist Walter Willett, who reckoned that "of the half million Americans who die prematurely each year from heart disease—the leading cause of death in this country—at least 30,000 are killed by trans fats."

The breaking point came in 2002, when a panel convened by the National Academy of Sciences produced a scathing report on the effect of trans fats. Spurred by the NAS document, the FDA had little choice but to move on labeling, which it began to require in 2006. Then came bans on using trans fats in restaurants in New York City, Philadelphia, and California. The drop in trans fat consumption was swift—a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study found that trans-fat levels in the blood of white adults plunged by 58 percent between 2000 to 2009. (The fats the industry has seized upon to replace trans fats, palm oil and interesterificated vegetable oil, may present their own problems, both to health and the environment, but that is a topic for another post.)

Although a long time in coming, the melting away of trans fats in the American diet shows that progress can be made—that when independent science can cut through industry-induced fog, and when regulators are compelled to do their job—the American diet can improve. But as the Journal of the American Medical Association article shows, things are still dire. Kids' cholesterol levels are coming down, the article notes, but obesity and overweight levels remain stubbornly high.

That unhappy fact, I think, stems from another practice the food industry picked up in the late '70s—adding massive amounts of empty sweeteners to processed food. As the journalist Gary Taubes has shown, the food industry has largely managed to bury a growing body of research on the harms of that habit.

LICENSE DESCRIPTION:
Any room, place, or space in New York City in which patron dancing is permitted in connection with the restaurant business or a business that sells food and/or beverages to the public requires a Cabaret license.

Five of the Dumbest Laws in New York City (Besides the No-Brunch Law)

As news spread this morning that New York's city council is considering changing the law that prevents sidewalk cafes from opening before noon on Sunday -- they can open earlier on other days -- we know what went through the minds of many of you: That's a law, really?
Apparently, city councilman Dan Garodnick has been working for some time on a bill that would change the strange law, which makes us think we're living in Kansas or someplace else where drinking on a Sunday morning is for some bizarre reason frowned upon.

So that got us thinking, what other crazy laws do we have in this city? After the jump: five of the dumbest, most outdated local laws still on the books.


The No-Dancing Law

In the early 90's Mayor Giuliani began using an outdated Jazz Age law that prohibited dancing in nightclubs or bars without a cabaret license. The law states that a business must have a cabaret license if, "three or more people are found dancing" in the establishment. Giuliani didn't have to enforce the law, but he hates it when other people have fun. Despite a Million Mambo March protest and a 2003 repeal attempt the law is still on the books today.


The Fatty-Hamburger Law

Beef connoisseurs may appreciate this law, which makes it illegal for butchers to sell hamburgers that contain more than 30 percent fat. The punishment? Up to thirty days in jail. That's a pretty hefty punishment for a little bit of extra fat.


The No-Spit Law
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The No-Mask Law
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The No-Wine-With-Your-Groceries Law
…
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