Nanny Statism Run Rampant

The People's Republic of Montgomery County Maryland wants to save you from you!! Yesterday, the Maryland county became the first county in the nation to ban trans fat.

The Montgomery County Council unanimously approved a ban on partially hydrogenated oils in restaurants, supermarket bakeries and delis yesterday, becoming the first county in the nation to restrict artery-clogging trans fats.

The move comes as health officials across the country decry a rise in bad eating habits, growing waistlines and an increase in heart disease and other ailments. The anti-trans fat bill puts Montgomery in the vanguard of a growing national movement to make it easier to obtain healthy foods in restaurants and grocery stores.

Let's take a look at that last sentence. In the past couple of weeks, a brand new organic food store has opened up in my neighborhood in neighboring Frederick County, my normal grocery store has quadrupled the space allotted to organic foods, the produce section prominently lables organically grown fruits and vegetables. A large number of organic oriented restauraunts have opened up recently and that is in Fred-neck county. Montgomery County, I am sure, leads the state in teh number of organic and health food restraunts. What I am saying is that the market place is already making the determination that trans fats are bad--there is no need for this regulation.

But wait, there is more:

The Montgomery regulation could have a broader reach because of the county's sweeping definition of what it means to be in the business of serving food. Religious establishments, schools and grocery store salad bars are subject to the county's regulation.

Okay, banning trans fat in schools is within the counties power, since the county is the vendor and I can see making private schools subject to the rule. But the annual church supper is subject to the regulation unless it gets a waiver.

The county has basically decided that its residents are too stupid to care for themselves and to make healthy decisions for themselves.

Update 11:18am: Russ Roberts comments:

There is nothing in the article that discusses the costs of the ban in either reduced freedom or higher food costs that will be passed on to consumers. There is nothing in the article about the impossibility of enforcing the regulation.