Readiness and Perceived Barriers to Removing Artificial Trans-Fat from Restaurant Menus

In July 2008, the California State Legislature and the Governor's Office answered this call, passing Assembly Bill (AB) 97, which banned trans-fat use by restaurants, starting in 2010.2 To assess the food industry's readiness to comply with the law, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LACDPH) recently conducted a regional needs-assessment survey of restaurant managers from more than 400 food establishments. Twenty per cent to forty per cent of respondents expressed concerns about the impact of removing trans-fat on food taste and costs (perceived barriers), 41 per cent and 61 per cent of restaurants in the respective samples reported they were knowledgeable about ways to eliminate trans-fat from their menus - changing recipes, preparing food using cooking oils without trans-fatty acids, and so on - with 73 per cent and 84 per cent reporting openness to starting to eliminate trans-fat before AB 97 goes into effect in 2010.