ANNAPOLIS (AP) — A state lawmaker who wants Maryland to become the first state in the nation to ban trans fats in restaurants proposed a panel to study the idea for one year.
Delegate James W. Hubbard, Prince George’s Democrat, tried last year to ban the artery-clogging fats, but the bill failed. Now he is trying to assemble a task force to examine how a ban could be implemented statewide.
Montgomery County started implementing a countywide ban at the beginning of the year, and Mr. Hubbard says the study panel should look at Montgomery and cities with trans fat bans, such as New York City, for guidance.
“My bottom line is to come back in 2009 with a recommendation to ban trans fats in the state of Maryland,” Mr. Hubbard told a House committee reviewing his plan yesterday.
Lawmakers also heard from health advocates who called for more work on banning trans fats. The fats are made when hydrogen is added to vegetable oil, and the fats increase a person’s level of so-called “bad cholesterol,” which increases the risk of coronary heart disease.
“Trans fat is a deadly substance and should be removed from our food supply,” said Julie Greenstein, deputy director of health promotion policy for the D.C.-based Center for Science in the Public Interest.
The Montgomery County council member who sponsored that county’s ban, Duchy Trachtenberg, told lawmakers that restaurants can stop using trans fats and still turn a profit.
“There is an adequate supply of healthy alternatives” in cooking, she said.
The Restaurant Association of Maryland, which fought Mr. Hubbard’s ban last year, supported his idea for a study panel. Melvin Thompson, the group’s head, told lawmakers that restaurants are ready to discuss a possible statewide ban.
“There’s an old saying in our business: If you’re not at the table, then you’re on the menu,” said Mr. Thompson, calling the study panel “the right approach.”
Lawmakers did not vote on Mr. Hubbard’s idea. A dietitian at the hearing urged them not to delay.
“We have to take action to improve the nutritional status of Americans,” said Jackie Marlette-Boras, president of the Maryland Dietetic Association.
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