Washington, DC – Today the nonprofit Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) scoffed at the New York City Board of Health’s proposal to ban trans fat from all of the city’s food service outlets, and its intention to mandate that restaurants list calories on their menu boards.
“Beware of hysteria, New Yorkers,” said CCF Executive Director Richard Berman. “Margarine and trans fats are not food safety issues. E. coli in spinach is a food safety issue.”
Berman continued: “Trans fats are simply the latest in trendy food panic. Right now the restaurant and food industries are moving away from these partially hydrogenated oils and seeking healthier alternatives as new science emerges and as the public demands it. The market will take care of banning trans fats; we don’t need government to do it.
“Posting calorie information on menu boards will not make New Yorkers healthier. Give consumers some credit. They already know the difference between a banana and a banana split, or a milkshake and a diet soda. There is no shortage of information, just a deficit of common sense from the government bureaucrats.”
Richard Berman is available for interviews on the New York City Board of Health proposals.
