The King County Board of Health today appointed a working group to identify options to eliminate trans fats and encourage restaurants to label their menus with nutrition information. The Committee on Nutrition was created after the King County Board of Health announced that they intend to take action on both strategies, to reduce obesity.

“We are considering legislation that will have a county-wide impact on restaurant nutrition, and we must ensure that stakeholders have had a sufficient opportunity to influence and perfect the new, proposed law,” said Board of Health Chair Julia Patterson. “This committee will provide them with that opportunity.”

“Focusing on nutrition is the first step we can take in limiting trans fat and improving food labeling in King County,” said Board of Health member Larry Phillips. “The public has a right to know what ingredients are in the food they consume, and they have a right to know about the harms associated with ingredients such as trans fat.”

The Committee on Nutrition will meet over the course of the next few months, and will provide a review of option and recommendations at Board of Health meetings, including draft legislation for the board to consider. The Committee is made up of the following members:

• Chair, Julia Patterson, King County Councilmember and Chair of King County Board of Health
• Mayor Ava Frisinger, City of Issaquah, Board of Health member
• Councilmember Sally Clark, City of Seattle, Board of Health member
• Anthony Anton, President of the Washington Restaurant Association
• Dr. David Fleming, Director of Seattle-King County Public Health
• Owner/Chef of a local restaurant (to be named)
• Nutrition Expert from the American Heart Association (to be named)

“It is important that labeling is easily implemented and convenient for the food industry, because nutritional labeling clearly benefits the public’s health by allowing informed decisions about food,” said Board Member and Issaquah Mayor Ava Frisinger. “In order to accomplish this goal, the Board of Health will benefit from an analysis, provided by the Exploratory Committee, on what models other cities have used when passing legislation on food labeling.”

Last fall, the King County Board of Health received a briefing on trans fats, the type of fat formed when liquid oils are chemically altered in such a way that, at room temperature, they are in solid form. This artificial process increases the shelf life of foods such as crackers, cookies, donuts, cakes and other baked goods. However, there are severe health impacts associated with eating foods containing trans fats, most importantly a significant increase in heart disease.

"We know trans fats are a hazard to public health," said Board Member and Seattle City Councilmember Sally Clark. "Trans fats contribute to obesity, diabetes and heart disease, and result not just in higher public health spending and lost productivity, but also lost lives. People in Seattle and King County deserve better."

In January, menu labeling expert Dr. Margo Wootan, Director of Nutrition Policy at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, briefed the King County Board of Health on menu labeling benefits and options for local action. Cities such as New York City, Philadelphia and Chicago, and the state legislatures in Arizona, California, Vermont, Hawaii, New Jersey and Tennessee, have or are considering passing legislation on menu labeling, including requiring chain restaurants (having more than 10 locations nationally) to label menu items with calorie, fat, sodium and carbohydrate content.

The King County Board of Health, after receiving briefings on trans fats and menu labeling, recognized the importance of learning more and potentially taking action to incorporate both obesity prevention efforts into countywide policy. Legislation will be drafted by the Exploratory Committee in May, with action likely in July of 2007.