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Death Cookies

"Should Oreos be banned in California?"

By Danny Lannon

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s Superma… no wait, it’s trans fats! And they’re coming to clog your children’s arteries — at least that’s what San Francisco attorney Stephan Joseph says. A month ago a lawsuit was filed against the Nabisco snack Foods Company for the amount of trans fats used in their snack products. Joseph wanted to ban Oreos in the state of California. Although the lawsuit was dropped later on, it brings up some interesting issues with snack foods and consumers.

Trans fats are the fat in Oreos and many other snack foods that hold it all together and make snacks last longer. It’s what keeps cookies and chips crispy. Apparently trans fats are also extremely bad for you and contribute to heart attacks and many other fat related diseases. Experts say that there is really nothing good about trans fats and consumers should watch the amount that they eat. Joseph’s lawsuit with Nabisco was eventually dropped after he saw the positive effects that the publicity surrounding the case had on the public’s knowledge of trans fats.

Joseph’s lawsuit, however, brought some questions to my mind such as, should Oreos be banned in California? Should Nabisco at least provide information on trans fats on their packaging? These are the questions that popped into my head when I read about the lawsuit.

I think banning Oreos in California is preposterous! Joseph was initially trying to get Oreos banned in California. How could he even think about doing that? I love Oreos! I eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Oreos are so unique and they have the dreamy cream filling and the chocolate cookie on the outside that just melts around in your mouth. An Oreo is just the perfect cookie.

But despite my love for Oreos, I do believe that anything containing trans fats should say so, be it on the nutrition facts label or in big bold letters with the logo; it just needs to be there. Just like aerosol cans that warn you not to inhale the contents because it can be harmful, Oreos should tell you how trans fats aren’t good for you at all and that you can’t burn off trans fats like the normal fats.

Trans fats definitely won’t stop me from eating Oreos. To tell you the truth, after I read about the lawsuit I was craving Oreos pretty hard. So I went and bought some Oreos without a care in the world about what trans fats would do to me.

Maybe next time you buy a snack you will think twice — or maybe you won’t — but you should at least know what you’re eating.

— Danny Lannon is a junior at Skyline High School in Oakland.