http://foodconsumer.org/7777/8888/H_eart_amp_B_lood_30/072710372008_Q_A_Trans_fat.shtml :
"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill that prohibits restaurants from using trans fat in any form of fat including oil, margarine and shortening. The bill AB97 was introduced by Assembly member Tony Mendoza (D-Norwalk).
Under the new law, the use of trans fat in all California restaurants will be phased out by Jan 1, 2010 in all foods except for baked foods which will be free of trans fat by Jan 1, 2011. Violations of this law lead to fines ranging from $25 to $1,000.
Does this law solve the problem associated with trans fat in California? The law does not seem to affect packaged foods which may contain trans fat. There are some other issues about the substance that has been linked to coronary heart disease and other chronic disease such as diabetes.
Below are some common questions and answers foodconsumer.org published early and cited here for those who are interested in learning more about trans fat.
What are trans fat? Trans fat is the common term for partially hydrogenated vegetable oils that contain trans fatty acids. Natural liquid vegetable oils are transformed into solid or semi-solid trans fat in a chemical process known as partial hydrogenation - adding hydrogen atoms to the natural unsaturated fatty acids in vegetable oils. Why does the industry use trans fat? Trans fat is used widely in processed food mainly for a longer shelf-life and desirable palatability including texture and mouth feel. Sometimes trans fat also renders a particular flavor profile. Trans fat is commonly used in fries and baked goods. Solid saturated fat from animal sources may have similar functionalities. In early days, the industry actually used saturated fat such as beef tallow. Later, saturated fat was found to raise low density lipoprotein or LDL or bad cholesterol, increasing risk of coronary heart disease. Because of this, the industry shifted to using trans fats, thinking that trans fats would not have the adverse effects as saturated fat does."
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