My butter cream is my livelihood! exclaimed Rachel Dott, owner of Coccadotts, on Central Avenue in Colonie, on Monday, June 8, urging members of the legislature to vote in favor of an amendment to a law passed last summer that would ban trans fats from all baked goods on July 1.
But despite Dotts plea, the Albany County Legislature rejected the amendment, which was proposed by Minority Leader Christine Benedict, R-Colonie, that would exempt bakeries from the law.
The trans fat ban was introduced by Majority Leader Frank Commisso, D-Albany, in August 2008 as a two-part plan to rid Albany County from trans fat cooking and curb obesity and other related diseases.
The first phase, which took effect June 1, involved taking trans fat out of oils, shortening and margarine that were used in restaurants in the county. The second phase, scheduled to take effect July 1, involved eliminating trans fats from all baked goods.
Many county bakers, including those from Bella Napoli, Schuyler Bakery, Zachary’s Bakery and Coccadotts have expressed concern about the ban, saying that they cannot produce their products the same way without the use of trans fats.
Dominic Mainella, owner of Bella Napoli, said he has spent over $9,000 on zero trans fat substitutes to use in his baking, but the product simply does not come out the same.
`There is no direct substitute for vegetable shortening,` he said. `[This] will damage our product.`
As one baker later explained, shortening is used in a lot of cakes, and, for instance with a wedding cake, if shortening is not used, the cake could melt on a hot day.
Mainella said his customers have seen the difference and complained about the absorption in his donuts and the texture in his danishes.
`For commercial baking, it’s very difficult,` he said. `People go to a bakery just to treat themselves.`
Mainella asked the legislature to exempt the bakeries in the county from the ban `until there is a suitable replacement` for trans fat, at which point Commisso stood and told Mainella that the legislature would be granting the bakeries a six-month extension for the ban to take effect, with the possibility of even another six month extension to follow, so that the bakers would have enough time to find this suitable replacement.
But Commisso stressed that his ban law is not intended to hurt the bakeries in the county, but that it is meant to help people remain healthy.
`We’re talking about a health hazard that starts at toddlers,` he said. Commisso said he has visited many bakeries in New York City that have already conformed to trans fat-free baking and has found a list of over 60 different shortenings that work and do not contain trans fat. He said he can provide that list to the bakers so that they can try the different shortenings and during the six-month extension, find something that works.
Still, Mainella, and other bakers, were pessimistic.
`Six months-it’s not going to work. Six months after that-I don’t know if that’s going to work,` said Dott.
Dott said even tweaking the bill might not help the situation, and that bakers need to be able to use shortening that simply will not hold up as well without trans fat.
She urged the legislature to not only think of the baked goods, but to think about the small business owner and the damage this law could have on them.
`If this were you, and you were worried about your business, I would do it for you,` she said.
Products with trans fats will still be allowed to be sold in supermarkets and convenience stores throughout the county, causing an extremely unfair competition, Dott said, between county bakeries and grocery stores.
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