13/1/07 (Frorida Today) - Panera Bread got rid of trans fats last year.

Starbucks plans to cut them out at half its stores this year, with the eventual goal of eliminating them completely.

McDonald's and other fast-food leaders hope to follow in the next year or so.

Almost overnight it seems, trans fats have become pariahs of the restaurant industry, joining tobacco as a big no-no as far as health and diet. Lately, it's hard to find a news article mentioning trans fats that doesn't also carry the phrase "artery-clogging."

Some communities want to ban trans fats -- or at the very least require restaurants to list the amount of trans fats in menu items.

But weighty questions loom, particularly for small restaurateurs and independent bakeries where partially hydrogenated oil -- the culprit behind trans fats -- is commonly used because of its relatively low cost, its ability to hold flavor and texture, and the fact that it has a longer shelf life than other oils.

Some owners of small eateries are taking their time in deciding about trans fats and whether to tinker with their menus. And the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association hopes to quash any type of New York City-type legislation that ban trans fats.

"We're kind of taking the position that most people know what kind of food they're eating," said Lisa Oldenettel, general manager at Laggoonz Family Restaurant in Cocoa.

Switching from vegetable oil to, say, canola oil, could double costs, she said.

"We're a small business, and we have to watch expenses," she said.

Tom Hietpas, owner of the Palm Cafe in Indian Harbour Beach and president of the local chapter of the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association, agrees.

Most restaurants operate on a very narrow profit margin, and to add more regulation and bureaucracy just means more expense, he said, adding the issue will be a hot topic at the association's state meeting later this month.

Hietpas said his position is that the food police should back off.

"We shouldn't legislate how people should eat," he said.

The war against trans fats has loomed for several years, particularly involving makers of cookies, crackers, margarine and other food products.

Dietitians say trans fats, like saturated fats, elevate the level of LDL cholesterol -- bad cholesterol -- while lowering the beneficial HDL cholesterol.

That one-two punch puts people at greater risk for coronary heart disease, they say.

Last year, New York City officials kicked the battle up a notch, so to speak, when the Board of Health there approved a measure requiring Big Apple eateries to phase out trans fats by July 1, 2008.

Others cities started introducing similar proposals, including Boca Raton in Florida.

Now more and more major chain eateries also are jumping on board, volunteering to eliminate or reduce trans fats on their menus.

And, on Jan. 3, Royal Caribbean International said it would begin remove trans fats from its menus beginning March 1, culminating in a fully trans-fats-free menu fleetwide by the end of this year.

The Miami-based cruise line has three ships based at Port Canaveral.

"Vegetable oils that have undergone hydrogenation result in a type of fat that doctors have linked to serious health risks, including high blood pressure and increased cholesterol levels," said Michael Bayley, Royal Caribbean's senior vice president of total guest satisfaction.

"If we can offer guests a healthier serving of the foods they love by switching to trans-fat-free oils, while maintaining the same level of satisfaction, why wouldn't we make the switch?" Bayley asked.

Panera Bread, with three restaurants in Brevard County and 976 throughout the country, became trans-fats-free about a year ago. By all accounts it has been successful.

It was about a yearlong process to make the switch, said Julie Somers, a Panera spokeswoman.

"The best sign is that our customers continue to enjoy our menu offerings without noticing any changes in taste and texture," Somers said.

Linda Ovitsky, Wuesthoff Health System's assistant director of food and nutrition, said all the talk and proposals regarding reducing trans fats are welcome.

But it will take awhile for eateries, especially the smaller mom-and-pop operations, to follow because of the costs involved.

"I think it's a good thing, but it's going to be a difficult thing," Ovitsky said. "When you rely on commercial prepared or manufactured products, it's going to be hard."