Legislation to ban restaurants and bakeries from using trans fats in food production was approved Monday by California lawmakers.
Assembly Bill 97 now goes to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has not announced whether he will sign or veto it.
The measure targets a substance suspected of contributing to high cholesterol levels and heart disease.
Trans fats commonly are found in margarines, cookies, snack food and other products containing - or fried in - partially hydrogenated oils.
Assemblyman Tony Mendoza, an Artesia Democrat who proposed AB 97, predicted his bill will save lives if signed into law.
Mendoza, a former fourth-grade teacher, said many very children struggle with obesity and lack of exercise at very young ages.
"And using trans fats in fast foods and other restaurants is not helping at all," he said.
To give businesses time to adjust, AB 97 would ban use of trans fats by restaurants on Jan. 1, 2010, and by bakeries one year later.
The California Restaurant Association criticized AB 97 as a "very narrow and misleading approach to a much larger health issue."
Banning trans fats, without taking other steps, will not significantly improve Californians' health, the restaurant association said in a letter.
"Only by reducing all fats, like through diet and exercise, can we effectively reduce heart disease," the group said.
The Assembly concurred in Senate amendments to the bill Monday largely along party lines, 42-27, with most Democrats voting yes.
The only Republicans supporting AB 97 were Assemblywoman Bonnie Garcia of Cathedral City and Greg Aghazarian of Stockton.
Call Jim Sanders, Bee Capitol Bureau, at (916) 326-5539
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