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Loews Hotels banning trans fats

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NEW YORK (AP) -- Loews Hotels has announced a chain-wide ban of trans fats, including food served in its restaurants, meeting facilities and through room service.

The ban follows New York City's decision to ban all restaurants from using artificial trans fats. City health officials created the unprecedented new requirements December 5.

Loews, which has 18 hotels and resorts, is pledging that all of its fried foods will be free of trans fats by February 1, with all salad dressing and pastries free of trans fats by April 1, and all remaining food products free of trans fats by June 1.

Loews' New York City hotel would have had to comply with the Big Apple's trans fat ban anyway. The city's regulations apply to virtually every venue that serves food to the public, including all hotel restaurant, catering and room service operations.

But Loews' self-imposed ban will also apply to its other hotels in Denver; Nashville; Annapolis, Maryland; Coronado and Santa Monica, California; Miami Beach and St. Pete Beach, Florida; Orlando (where there are three Loews properties); Philadelphia; Washington; Tucson, Arizona; New Orleans; Las Vegas; and Quebec City and Montreal, Canada.

Under the New York City ban, restaurants will be barred from using spreads and frying oils containing artificial trans fats by July 1. Foods covered in that first round include french fries and fried chicken.

All other foods, including doughnuts, cookies and pies that use partially hydrogenated vegetable oil for texture, will have to be free of trans fats by July 2008.

The city's gigantic food-service industry opposes the new rule. Some restaurant companies have hinted that they might challenge them in court.

The ban won't apply to grocery stores or restaurants that serve prepared foods in the manufacturer's original packaging.

Some restaurants, mainly fast-food operations, will also have to list calorie counts for their offerings on their menus. The calorie disclosure rule will apply only to restaurants that serve standardized portion sizes and make nutritional information available voluntarily. About 1 in 10 of the city's restaurants are expected to be affected.

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