Big Apple 'out of control'
2006-01-13 10:27
New York - When Mayor Michael Bloomberg sat down to lunch with children during a school visit a few years ago he was disgusted by the soggy, greasy fries and other junk on their plates.
He pushed for a revamp of school menus and by the start of the next school year, fat-laden meals were being replaced by healthier versions.
That same year, 2003, the city began handing out free nicotine patches and Bloomberg won his crusade to outlaw smoking in bars and restaurants.
Now the city is going after high-calorie foods.
Experts say Bloomberg has targeted unhealthy lifestyles unlike any other administration before him.
"It's aggressive," said Dr Allan Rosenfield, dean of Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. "There's a willingness to take on unpopular, but important issues."
More than 53% of New Yorkers are overweight or obese - lower than the ballooning national 6%, but far too high, according to Bloomberg and his health commissioner, Dr Thomas Frieden.
Being overweight raises the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer and heart disease, which is New York City's worst killer.
"Oil change"
Last summer, the health department launched a campaign against trans-fats which are thought to cause cholesterol problems and increase the risk of heart disease.
After restaurant inspectors found that 30% of the city's 30 000 eateries were using oils that contain trans-fats, the department began a project urging a citywide "oil change".
Officials next want to tackle portion sizes.
Towering pastrami sandwiches, bagels with gooey schmears of cream-cheese and pizza slices that spill over paper plates may be the city's culinary landmarks, but the health department says the Big Apple is out of control.
"Today probably the biggest hazards from what you eat are not food poisoning but the caloric load," said Dr Lynn Silver, an assistant health commissioner.
Leaders of the state restaurant association - who opposed the smoking ban - have so far supported the health department's dip into nutritional education, but are eyeing it cautiously.
"It's one thing for them to recommend, it's another if they start saying, 'You must do this,' said Charles Hunt, who heads the association's New York City office.
Bloomberg, who is 1.73m, keeps a close eye on his own waistline.
In 2001, he was horrified when he saw an unflattering photograph of himself in the newspaper. Aides said he tacked the clipping next to his desk as inspiration to lose the weight, which he did.
If the 63-year-old mayor overindulges, there's a price to pay: He has a weight-loss wager with longtime friend Peter Grauer, the CEO of Bloomberg LP.
They weigh in every six weeks, and whoever is over his goal weight - Bloomberg's is 76kg - must fork over cash to charity.
- AP