by KYW's Mike Dunn
The vote was unanimous as City Council Thursday turned a big thumbs down on trans fats. If signed by the mayor, the bill bans trans fats from all Philadelphia eateries.
All 17 City council members voted aye on a plan that bans trans fats from restaurants September 1st, and in bakeries one year later. Violators would get warnings, not fines.
Councilman Bill Greenlee says he’s wary of legislating health, but the lack of actual penalties swayed him to vote yes:
“A reasonable question is, ‘has this one gone too far?’ But I’ve thought about it, and I think its fair, particularly since you’re talking about just issuing warnings in the beginning, and not just putting fines on people.”
Mayor Street is expected to sign the bill. The sponsor, Councilman Juan Ramos, does hold out the option of amending the measure to include fines if too many restaurants keep trans fats on their menus.
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