New York Trans-Fat Ban Kicks in Full Gear Tomorrow
Starting tomorrow, New York City's ban on trans fat will take full effect. With it, the Big Apple will become the first city in the U.S. to adhere to such a rule. Fast food places were hit the hardest when the ban was initially implemented last year, but now it will extend to prepared food in restaurants, bakeries, salad bars, cafeterias and food carts. A three-month grace period will be allowed, and violators will face a fine starting at $2,000 starting October.
What's interesting about this is that it essentially changes the nature of what we find delicious in New York City. Local bakers and pastry-makers have been monkeying with their recipes to replace the now-verboten fat, and:
"There is a little difference in taste," acknowledged Mauricio Vasquez, general manager of Ariola Foods, which has been turning out pastries in Queens for 85 years. But, he added, "If you weren't familiar with the [cannoli] shell beforehand, you'd never know the difference."
And just as California cities led the way with smoking bans in the '90s, I think it's safe to say that other U.S. cities will be looking to Gotham as a testing ground for banning trans fats. The cannoli (pictured), among other treats, is being affected in New York, but how will Boston cream pies fare? What about Tastykakes in Philly? It's an interesting issue that's worth thinking about.
