20 NYC eateries ticketed for trans-fats

NEW YORK, Oct. 12 (UPI) -- Five restaurants in New York received citations in the first five days of October for violating the city's ban on trans-fats.

One restaurant, Ballato on Houston Street, got a ticket for having oils in the kitchen that were not labeled for trans-fat content, The New York Post reported. Owner Emilio Vitolo -- who has played host to celebrities like Sophia Loren and Daniel Day-Lewis in his East Village eatery -- said he would fight the ticket because he does not use oil that contains trans-fats.

Other restaurants told the Post they were cited for having containers of margarine that had not been tossed.

New York's ban on trans-fats took effect July 1, but restaurant owners were given a three-month grace period to become familiar with the new rules.

Officials said 504 restaurants were inspected between Oct. 1 and Oct. 5 and only 20 were ticketed, suggesting that managers have learned the rules.