Louisiana House Committee Votes Against Trans Fat Bill

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana (AP) - A state House committee has decided that Louisiana restaurants shouldn't have to disclose on their menus food made with artery-clogging trans fats.

The committee voted overwhelmingly against a bill that would have required such disclosure, after the restaurant industry voiced its opposition.

Representative Walker Hines of New Orleans said his proposal would have helped people know more about the food their eating, and make healthier choices.

Under the bill, restaurants would have had to include on their menus a statement that cautions when a product contains trans fats. Hines said that would have been defined as any food fried in partially hydrogenated vegetable oil.

Tom Weatherly, with the Louisiana Restaurant Association, said restaurants know they need to phase out trans fats from their menus. But he said they need time to transition to healthier oils -- rather than be encouraged to quickly change to less healthy items just to get the trans fat designation off their menus.

Hines said he'd try the bill again next year.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)