Being aware of your vendors' trans fat usage shows that you care about your attendees' well-being.

What is trans fat? Trans fatty acids are created when hydrogen is added to vegetable oil. This process turns liquids into solids. Your body does not process artificial fat, and the residue clogs your arteries.

Trans fat can be found in vegetable shortenings, margarines, crackers, cookies, snack foods, and other foods made with or fried in partially hydrogenated oils.

Margarine, which is only one molecule away from being plastic, was originally manufactured early in the 19th century to fatten turkeys. It killed the turkeys, but investors were still looking for a return, so they added yellow coloring and sold it as a healthy alternative to butter and animal fats.

Why Should You Care?

Since the introduction of trans fats, obesity and heart disease have been on the rise in the United States. Research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that trans fats could be a leading cause.

Ingestion of trans fats has also been positively correlated with coronary artery disease, Alzheimer's, liver dysfunction, diabetes, cancer, and infertility.

Despite the statistics, partially hydrogenated fats are widely used because they can be heated to a higher temperature, which means fried foods come out crispier. They're also generally less expensive and increase the shelf life and flavor stability of foods.

What Is Being Done?

More and more restaurant and hotel companies are banning trans fats. Starbucks recently announced that it is phasing them out. Wendy's completed its switch last August, and now uses a soy-corn oil blend with virtually no trans fats. The switch was cost-neutral, and they haven't had problems with supply. Smaller, independent restaurants such as Sylvia's in Harlem decided to get rid of trans fats a year ago. Sylvia's found a supplier that provides a trans fat-free version of the soy cooking oil that the restaurant had been using for years, at a price that was not much higher. Sylvia's also found that its fried chicken, its most popular dish, tasted the same with the healthier oil.

On the hotel side, fried foods in Marriott International hotels are no longer made using partially hydrogenated oils. This change, made in February, was the last step in an eight-year effort to remove trans fats from food served at more than 2,300 Marriott International hotels in the U.S. and Canada. By April, Loews Hotels had eliminated the use of trans fats in all frying oils, salad dressings, pastry items, and frozen foods. In March, Royal Caribbean International became the first cruise line to eliminate trans fats from its menu.

If the suppliers you are considering have not banned trans fats, ask if they can adjust their menus. If enough planners request the elimination of trans fats, it will soon become the norm.

Patti J. Shock, CPCE, is professor and chairwoman, Tourism and Convention Administration Department, Harrah College of Hotel Administration, University of Nevada—Las Vegas. To learn more about her, visit tca.unlv.edu/shock.html or send an e-mail to patti.shock@unlv.edu.

Banned!

Some cities, counties, and even entire states have taken action and banned trans fats. Among them: NEW YORK | PHILADELPHIA | MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD. | ALBANY COUNTY, N.Y. | KINGS COUNTY, WASH.

Proposed bans are also in the works in: CHICAGO and the states of MARYLAND | CALIFORNIA | VERMONT