The Bloomberg Administration's proposed ban on most trans fats in New York City restaurants is a sensible approach that would improve the nutrition and health of New Yorkers of all economic backgrounds, testified advocates with the New York City Coalition Against Hunger earlier today.

Joel Berg, Executive Director of the Coalition, made three basic points in his public testimony:

1. The Coalition Against Hunger generally supports the proposed ban on artificial trans fats at food service establishments.
2. Such a ban should occur only as part of a much broader effort by the City to: expand nutrition education; make nutritious foods more available and affordable in low-income neighborhoods; and work with the Federal and State government to improve nutrition labeling on all food products.
3. Because such a ban could actually reduce the overall amount of food provided to hungry New Yorkers by the city’s already under-resourced soup kitchens and food pantries, funding for the City’s Emergency Food Assistance Program (EFAP), managed by the City’s Human Resources Administration (HRA), should be significantly increased by the Mayor and the City Council to make up for the food lost due to this policy change and to meet the growing overall demand for emergency food.

The full text of the Coalition’s testimony can be found at http://localhost/drupal/media/public-testimony

The New York City Coalition Against Hunger (NYCCAH) represents the more than 1,200 nonprofit soup kitchens and food pantries in New York City and the more than one million low-income New Yorkers who are forced to use them. The Coalition works to meet the immediate food needs of low-income New Yorkers and enact innovative solutions to help them move "beyond the soup kitchen" to self-sufficiency.