City of Toronto considering trans fat ban

Posted by Lorraine Fleck on February 18, 2009 · 1 Comment 

Toronto’s public health department, Toronto Public Health, is considering regulating the trans fats content of food absent federal regulation.  Toronto Public Health recently announced a survey of the trans fat content of food available at Toronto grocery stores and restaurants.

Canada’s federal government, via Health Canada, launched a voluntary food industry program (the Trans Fat Monitoring Program) aimed to reduce trans fats to specified levels within two years.  The two year period expires in June.

The Toronto survey’s goal is to determine whether Toronto grocery stores and restaurants have reduced their use of trans fats since the start of the Trans Fat Monitoring Program. Toronto’s medical officer of health warned that other options – such as a ban on trans fats within Toronto – may be explored if the survey results are not satisfactory.

A number of jurisdictions have regulated, or are in the process of regulating, trans fats in food. Those jurisdictions include: the province of British Columbia; the city of Calgary, in Alberta, Canada; the state of California; and New York City.

Filed under Consumer product regulation · Tagged with Consumer product regulation