California bans trans fats from restaurantsCalifornia bans trans fats from restaurants

SACRAMENTO Calif. California became the first state in the nation to ban trans fats from restaurant foods when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill on Friday that outlaws the artery clogger in a multi-year process.

As of Jan. 1, 2010, restaurants will be prohibited from using margarines, shortenings or frying media that contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, the source of artificial trans fatty acids. A one-year exemption is provided for oils used to fry yeast dough and cake batters, an exception apparently aimed at giving the makers of doughnuts and churros more time to find a trans-fat-free alternative.

All foods prepared in restaurants must be free of trans fats by Jan.1, 2011. The ban would not extend to products that are served in a manufacturer’s packaging, such as the crackers that are provided with soups.

Places that fail to heed the law would be subject to fines that range from $25 to $1,000.

Similar trans fat bans have been approved or put in force within a number of counties and cities, including New York, but the bill signed by Schwarzenegger is the first statewide prohibition.

The measure had been opposed by the California Restaurant Association. CRA spokesman Daniel Conway was quoted by the Associated Press as saying that trans fat regulation should be regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, not states.