After the Food and Drug Administration unveiled a proposal Thursday to essentially eliminate the use of trans fats, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg released a statement declaring the city’s 2006 trans fat ban he pushed for served as a “model for the nation.”
“Seven years ago we became the first city in the nation to prohibit restaurants from using trans fats. Since then, at least 15 states and localities have followed suit and banned trans fats – and more than ten fast food chains have eliminated trans fats entirely,” Bloomberg said. “Today, we’re greatly encouraged that the FDA proposed measures that would virtually eliminate the artery-clogging and unnecessary ingredient from our nation’s food supply.”
Bloomberg went on to describe the trans fat ban, his push to get restaurants to display calorie counts, and his anti-smoking regulations as measures that faced strong opposition and later earned “widespread acceptance and support.”
“Our prohibition on trans fats was one of many bold public health measures that faced fierce initial criticism, only to gain widespread acceptance and support. Smoke-free restaurants and bars are now the norm in much of the country and increasingly around the world. Calorie counts are now required at all restaurants chains in the United States,” said Bloomberg. “The groundbreaking public health policies we have adopted here in New York City have become a model for the nation for one reason: they’ve worked. Today, New Yorkers’ life expectancy is far higher than the national average, and we’ve achieved dramatic reductions in disease, including heart disease.”
