In Brief- NDP's Martin fights trans fats
An NDP campaign against the Liberal government's refusal to ban trans fats from foods is headed for Winnipeg streets. Pat Martin, the NDP MP for Winnipeg Centre, will be on the street in front of Harry's Foods at 905 Portage Ave. from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. He's gathering signatures on a petition asking Ottawa to ban the trans fats. Trans fats are a preservative and stabilizer that extend the shelf life of processed foods and have been linked to health risks including heart disease. Trans fats are the additives that make peanut butter stiff, for example. The federal government will not ban trans fatty acids but will instead move to mandatory labelling of foods that contain them, Health Minister Anne McLellan has said. Critics say Canada is lagging behind on regulating the dangerous fats that are found in many snacks. For instance, Denmark has legislation that limits trans fats to two per cent of total fats in processed foods. Martin said he's encouraging the other 13 NDP MPs to circulate similar petitions. He plans to present the signatures to Paul Martin, when he takes over as prime minister. The first of the labeling regulations do not take effect for two years; it will be five years before all the regulations are in place.
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