HARTFORD CONN. —Connecticut could become the first state in the nation to mandate menu labeling and ban artificial trans fats in restaurants if two bills recently passed by the state Senate are adopted by the House of Representatives.
However, at least seven other states are considering the same two restrictions but have yet to bring them to a vote. Those states include California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Tennessee and Vermont, according to the National Restaurant Association. In addition, many other states are dealing with either one issue or the other. —Connecticut could become the first state in the nation to mandate menu labeling and ban artificial trans fats in restaurants if two bills recently passed by the state Senate are adopted by the House of Representatives.
NRA spokeswoman Sue Hensley, commenting on the trans-fat and menu labeling measures across the nation, said: “We see both as issues of concern, and we’ve been working with state restaurant associations on them both. —Connecticut could become the first state in the nation to mandate menu labeling and ban artificial trans fats in restaurants if two bills recently passed by the state Senate are adopted by the House of Representatives.
“In particular, we’ve seen some positive trends on the trans-fat issue in places like Baltimore, Boca City, Fla., and Los Angeles which are looking at a more voluntary approach.” —Connecticut could become the first state in the nation to mandate menu labeling and ban artificial trans fats in restaurants if two bills recently passed by the state Senate are adopted by the House of Representatives.
Operators also would prefer to let the market—not legislators—continue to force change on both the trans-fat and menu labeling fronts. Many companies already have banished trans fats from their kitchens, and more chains announce such intentions regularly. In addition, many chains already make nutritional information available on their websites and in brochures. —Connecticut could become the first state in the nation to mandate menu labeling and ban artificial trans fats in restaurants if two bills recently passed by the state Senate are adopted by the House of Representatives.
James Greco, chief executive of Burlington, Vt.-based Bruegger’s Enterprises Inc., which has eight outlets in Connecticut, said he opposes government mandates. —Connecticut could become the first state in the nation to mandate menu labeling and ban artificial trans fats in restaurants if two bills recently passed by the state Senate are adopted by the House of Representatives.
“It’s not the best solution,” he said. “It would be better to address the issues voluntarily. It’s always much better when the industry can take steps as a community to preempt the government from having to take actions like this.” —Connecticut could become the first state in the nation to mandate menu labeling and ban artificial trans fats in restaurants if two bills recently passed by the state Senate are adopted by the House of Representatives.
Much of the menu labeling and trans-fat legislation that is being hotly debated in statehouses around the country was sparked by an ordinance passed late last year in New York City. The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene banned artificial trans fats in all of the city’s 20,000-plus foodservice establishments while requiring that some restaurants provide calorie counts on their menu boards and menus. —Connecticut could become the first state in the nation to mandate menu labeling and ban artificial trans fats in restaurants if two bills recently passed by the state Senate are adopted by the House of Representatives.
Soon after the New York ordinance was enacted, the Philadelphia City Council also passed a similar trans-fat ban. Like New York City and Philadelphia, the Connecticut Senate moved rapidly to address the two restaurant-related issues. Earlier this month, the Connecticut Senate enacted a measure prohibiting restaurants from using oils containing artificial trans fats by a vote of 26 to10. The bill would require that all operators eliminate frying oils containing trans fat by June 1, 2008, and jettison all menu items containing artificial trans fats by Dec. 31, 2008. The trans-fat ban was attached at the last minute to a bill addressing the restoration of a swimming pool in the historic district of Manchester, Conn. The chamber earlier this month also passed a bill by a vote of 28 to 7 requiring “chain restaurants” to list the calorie count for each food item on menu boards. The measure defines a chain restaurant as being part of a company having 10 or more locations nationally. Simon Flynn, president and chief executive of the Connecticut Restaurant Association, called both measures “bad legislation,” and said the CRA opposes them both. —Connecticut could become the first state in the nation to mandate menu labeling and ban artificial trans fats in restaurants if two bills recently passed by the state Senate are adopted by the House of Representatives.
“In our opinion, anything that affects part of the marketplace affects the whole market,” he said. “If the public finds menu labeling in some restaurants, they will want it available everywhere.” Flynn said the association also opposes the measures because they exclude grocery stores from the pending prohibitions. —Connecticut could become the first state in the nation to mandate menu labeling and ban artificial trans fats in restaurants if two bills recently passed by the state Senate are adopted by the House of Representatives.
“Initially, grocery stores were included in the bills, but they were stripped out before the Senate passed them,” he said. Calling the move “troubling,” Flynn maintained that supermarkets should be regulated by the same rules that restaurants had to follow. He noted that a newly opened Stew Leonard’s market in Newington, Conn., also operates a 200-seat restaurant on the premise. —Connecticut could become the first state in the nation to mandate menu labeling and ban artificial trans fats in restaurants if two bills recently passed by the state Senate are adopted by the House of Representatives.
“They won’t have to comply with the rule,” he said, “and that’s patently unfair.” —Connecticut could become the first state in the nation to mandate menu labeling and ban artificial trans fats in restaurants if two bills recently passed by the state Senate are adopted by the House of Representatives.
He also criticized the way in which the trans-fat ban was attached as an amendment to the swimming pool bill. —Connecticut could become the first state in the nation to mandate menu labeling and ban artificial trans fats in restaurants if two bills recently passed by the state Senate are adopted by the House of Representatives.
“It just underscores the irrationality of the measure,” Flynn said. “Why can’t [the trans-fat legislation] stand on its own merits? Because it has no merits.” —Connecticut could become the first state in the nation to mandate menu labeling and ban artificial trans fats in restaurants if two bills recently passed by the state Senate are adopted by the House of Representatives.
Shott maintained that the passage of the trans-fat ban as a last-minute amendment to an unrelated bill did not “allow for thorough debate, and both issues are complex and deserve public debate.” The NRA advocates that a voluntary approach be taken in the case of both issues. —Connecticut could become the first state in the nation to mandate menu labeling and ban artificial trans fats in restaurants if two bills recently passed by the state Senate are adopted by the House of Representatives.