Last week, Brookline voted to ban trans fats from the town’s restaurants, bakeries, caterers, vending machines and schools. (For more information about trans fats, see our earlier entry on the controversy.) Institutions that use trans fats in frying or spreads will have until November 30, 2008 to comply with the ban. Those using trans fats to fry yeast dough or cake products (i.e. donuts), will have five extra months to figure things out, as they will not have to comply with the ban until April 30, 2009. One town meeting member also discussed the possibility of exempting kosher (and, presumably, halal) eateries from the ban, since compliance might be harder for such establishments.
While we’re not terribly surprised that Brookline voted in favor of the ban (the town has always been more in favor of government controls than most), we are a little blown away by the wide margins of the vote. 194 attending the town meeting voted in favor of the ban with a mere 11 voting against it. Are Brooklinians really so health-conscious that they don’t mind sacrificing the deliciousness of their donuts or was the vote due to a turnout push from anti-trans-fat-activists? Perspectives (most especially from those present at the town meeting!) are welcome.
Brookline [MenuPages]
Brookline Becomes First In State to Ban Trans Fats [Brookline Tab]
Brookline OKs Trans Fat Ban [Boston Globe]
Banned In Brookline: Trans Fats? [MenuPages: Boston]
