One reason that restaurants started using now-vilified trans fats in the first place (other than the fact that they were once considered a healthier alternative to animal fats) is that they're cheap. And, predictably, as food prices rise, those Canadian trans fat backsliders are responding to economic pressure:
An increasing number of restaurants are finding it tough to use healthier alternatives, including canola and other vegetable oils, which have been steadily rising in cost in recent months. Some restaurants and industry associations say prices for various types of vegetable oils have risen from 10 to 50 per cent in the past few months, and expect they will continue to go up as demand increases. …
The situation reflects a larger problem that is taking shape across Canada as restaurants and other food providers struggle to cope with sharp increases in the price of cooking oil, a base ingredient in many menu items.
On the other hand, what do you expect from a country that invented poutine–fries covered in gravy and sprinkled with cheese curds? Keep fighting the good fight, my brothers and sisters in the Frozen North!
More on the grand trans fat battle here, here, and here.
