On Jan. 1, California will become the first state in the country to ban trans fats, which have been linked to an increase in bad cholesterol, obesity and heart disease. The law, AB 97, was approved in January 2010, and gave bakeries one year to adapt to the new rules. But although it might be good for people's health, the change isn't doing any favors for the health of small businesses, reports La Opinión.
In a story called "Cutting the Fat, But Raising the Price of Bread," Sacramento correspondent Araceli Martinez Ortega reports that some Mexican bakeries are planning to increase the price of baked goods in order to cover the increased cost of baking without trans fats.
California's ban on trans fats will increase bakeries' costs by an estimated 10 percent, according to Miguel Barrios, who along with his mother owns the bakery La Mexicana in Sacramento. La Mexicana's prices currently range from 50 cents for the least expensive baked good to $3.50.
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