Trans fat bans grow, one eatery holds out

After the reduction of trans fat use in cities like New York, Portland is following the trend and working to become trans fat free, but some restaurants are holding out.

Original Halibut’s in Northeast Portland still uses trans fats-cooking oils or shortening that have been partially hydrogenated to increase shelf life of foods. Owner David McKay said he thinks that trans fat use is not the key behind the social health problem, but poor diet and lack of exercise.

“What’s happening now is a political thing,” McKay said. “I’ve tried several oils for my deep-fried halibut, and it’s never been an issue of trans fat or non-trans fat-it’s just a matter of what makes the fish taste the best in Portland.”

Multnomah County Commissioner Lisa Naito is at the forefront of decreasing the use of trans fats in Portland. Deep fryers are the most common place to find these oils, as well as butter substitutes and shortening such as Crisco in baked goods.

“A lot of media portrayed this as a ban, but what we’re asking for is an ordinance regulating the use of trans fats,” Naito said. “We want their use to be at minimum levels. It’s an artificial substance and all the research points to it not being healthy at all.”

Most Portland restaurants and food companies have already begun seeking alternatives and diminishing their trans fat use. The Portland State food provider, Sodexho, uses no trans fats in any of its products. There are few restaurants in Portland willing to disclose their use of trans fats, and currently, Multnomah County health officials have no formal way of tracking which eateries are using trans fats and which are not.

“The biggest opponent has been doughnut shops,” Commissioner Naito said. “One captive audience has been Portland public schools, and that creates a compelling argument against the use of trans fats.”

The Cheerful Tortoise, a popular on-campus bar, was accused of using trans fat oils for their deep-fried products, but kitchen manager Matt Sellers said that there is no truth to these claims.

“We’ve always used trans-fat free oil, given that it’s healthier,” Sellers said. “If there is a ban or regulation on the use of them, it wouldn’t really affect us. Vegetable oil is what we’ve always used and it’s what we’re going to keep using.”

McKay said he is aware of the bad press that trans fats are receiving and has begun to explore alternatives, though he also says that the issue is much bigger than simple trans fat use. He said he is looking for another non-trans fat oil that could replace the oil with trans fats, but he said that everything he has tried drastically changes the flavor and taste of his food.

“It’s a recipe and this is a restaurant-these sort of things are secrets that stay in my kitchen. Let food be the food eater’s choice,” McKay said. “This ban is insidious and just like marijuana or cigarette decisions, [the city should] get a ballot going and let the public vote on it-don’t make it political and start banning stuff.”

In 2003, www.BanTransFat.com-a group lobbying against the use of trans fats-filed suit against Kraft for their use of the harmful fats in Oreos. The final result was that Kraft eliminated trans fat use in Oreos, which had a domino effect on trans fat use throughout the food industry.

Taco Bell began to reduce their use of trans fats last November and now claim their menu to be nearly trans-fat free. Starbucks Coffee, once known for the use of trans fat in pastries, has drastically reduced the amount of trans fat oils and margarine in their baked goods. As of Jan. 3, all Starbucks locations in Portland and Southwest Washington have ceased the use of trans fats.

New York City furthered the anti-trans fat trend when it recently voted on and passed two key initiatives against trans fat use, the first being a faze-out period for restaurants across the city to reduce and replace their trans fat products. The fazing out period began on the Dec. 5, 2006 and will end on June 1, 2008. The second initiative would require restaurants to place caloric content on their menus and menu boards.

“When NYC tried a voluntary reduction, it didn’t work at all,” Naito said. “We want an ordinance in place for Portland that keeps use to trace amounts. Nothing would go into effect until December 2008, giving local restaurants plenty of lead time.”

Officials in Naito’s office stated that they hope to pass a resolution that would have health officials research the use of trans fats in Portland by Jan. 25 and hope to begin a fazing out period by April or May.