News & Events
City Tech Partners with NYC Health Department for Trans Fat Help Center
The New York City Health Department has partnered with New York City College of Technology (City Tech) to launch the Trans Fat Help Center to assist restaurants in switching from artificial trans fat to healthier oils while maintaining the same taste and texture of food.
Playing an active role in the Trans Fat Help Center are, from left to right: City Tech's Professor Louise Hoffman, Hospitality Management Department Chair Elizabeth Schaible, the Center's coordinator, Laura Stanley, and Professor Joanne Jacus. Photo credit: Alberto Vargas.
Supported by a grant from the American Heart Association, the Trans Fat Help Center -- which is housed in City Tech's Department of Hospitality Management -- offers a telephone help line, classes and web resources in multiple languages, all at no cost to restaurateurs.
The center was developed to help restaurateurs comply with the December 2006 New York City Board of Health requirement that restaurants must remove artificial trans fat from food. As of July 1, 2007, restaurants cannot use trans fat for frying, pan-frying (sautéing), grilling or as a spread unless these ingredients contain less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving. Trans fat-containing oils and shortenings may be used for deep frying cake batter or yeast dough until July of 2008, when stricter regulations go into effect, including the elimination of trans fats from baked goods.
As the home for the Trans Fat Help Center, City Tech will be intimately involved in research, staffing, technical support and instruction for New York City food service operators. To facilitate this, the College has hired Laura Stanley as the coordinator. Stanley, a food media professional and culinary educator with a strong interest in public health, has held senior-level editorial staff positions at Wine Spectator magazine and Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. She has professional culinary training from the Institute for Culinary Education.
She will rely on City Tech Professors Elizabeth Schaible, Louise Hoffman and Joanne Jacus -- who have expertise in food service, confectionery arts and recipe reformulation, respectively -- for assistance in shaping and refining the content of brochures, the website and course curricula.
Among the food service industry advisors to the Help Center are two City Tech alumni, Michael Lomonaco, executive chef/partner of Porter House New York, and Michael Romano, chef/partner, Union Square Café and Blue Smoke. Others include Joseph Barbosa, chef-consultant, Institute for Urban Family Health; Keith Cook, purchasing director, Tom Cat Bakery; Chris Giarraputo, executive chef, B.R. Guest; and Andy Yeung, general manager, Shun Lee Restaurants.
Institutional advisors include Brooklyn College's Department of Health and Nutrition Sciences and the American Institute of Wine and Food (AIWF), of which City Tech's Professor Schaible is vice president of the New York chapter's executive board.
"We are very pleased with our partnership with the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and to be of service to New Yorkers in providing information, advice and technical assistance on how to replace or eliminate trans fats from what is served in restaurants, bakeries and other establishments," said City Tech president Russell K. Hotzler. "Our students and faculty in hospitality management and throughout the College have a long tradition of public service, and this is a natural involvement for the college of technology of The City University of New York."
According to Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, “We want to make it easy for any restaurant that is still cooking with artificial trans fat to make the switch. There are many alternatives to trans fat, and the Help Center will provide guidance and resources. Restaurant operators can call 311 and ask for the Trans Fat Help Line if they have any questions about going trans fat free.”
“The American Heart Association applauds the effort by the Health Department to phase out trans fats in restaurants,” said Dr. Robert Eckel, the organization’s immediate past president. “The Help Center presents a unique opportunity to provide relevant guidance and comprehensive tools to restaurants to encourage the use of healthy alternatives to trans fat.”
The Trans Fat Help Center consists of the following components:
- The Help Line: Restaurant operators and suppliers can call 311 and ask for the Trans Fat Help Line to obtain information on the new regulation and for advice on how to adjust recipes. The Help Line is open Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. In addition to English, assistance is available in Chinese, Spanish and nearly 150 other languages with interpretation services. Brochures with specific tips on topics such as frying or baking without artificial trans fat are in development and will be available through the Help Line.
- The Website - www.notransfatnyc.org: The website features easy-to-use resources, available to restaurants 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Restaurant operators may download “0 grams trans fat” product lists that provide alternatives to products containing artificial trans fat. They may also refer to a “Frequently Asked Questions” section, access information about classes or link to web resources.
- Classes for Restaurant Operators: Restaurant operators can call to sign up for free classes taught by culinary specialists on cooking and baking without artificial trans fat, as well as classes on trans fat-free ethnic cuisine. Most classes will take place in a kitchen classroom, where restaurateurs can sample foods made without artificial trans fat, get tips for reformulating recipes and receive guidance on complying with the regulation.
The Trans Fat Help Center will also conduct several case studies with individual restaurants to assist in the process of switching to healthier oils, fats and spreads, such as margarine, in restaurants. The Health Department has invited nominations for case study participants from restaurant associations and community groups, and has conducted outreach to local restaurants for their participation.
Artificial trans fat increases the risk of heart disease and death by increasing bad cholesterol and decreasing good cholesterol in the blood. At present, consumers have no way of knowing whether their food contains trans fat when they dine out. For more information on trans fat, please visit www.nyc.gov/transfat.
For more information, please contact the Department of Health's Andrew Tucker (atucker@health.nyc.gov)/Sara Markt (smarkt@health.nyc.gov), 212.788.5290; 212.788.3058 (after hours) or City Tech's Michele Forsten (mforsten@citytech.cuny.edu), 718.260.5979.
