Fwd: Group tackles McDonalds over trans fat promise

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From: "califpacific" Tue, 05 Oct 2004 13:24:23 -0000 Group tackles McDonalds over trans fat promisehttp://foodqualitynews.com/news/ng.asp?id=55097 & n=wh41 & c=wokvpgxagwnympqGroup tackles McDonalds over trans fat promise01/10/2004 - A US consumer group has come down heavily on fast-foodgiant McDonalds claiming the firm has failed to fulfill promises toeliminate artery clogging trans fats from foods.Running a full-page ad in The New York Times this week, the Center forScience in the Public Interest (CSPI) urged McDonalds to complete apromise it made in 2002 to stop frying in partially

hydrogenatedvegetable oil (PHO).Pressure is mounting on food industry players to remove trans fattyacids (TFAs) from food formulations due to ongoing research thatsuggests trans fats raise LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, causing thearteries to become more rigid and clogged. An increase in LDLcholesterol levels can lead to heart disease."America's favorite French fries are about to get even better,"claimed McDonald's in a 2002 press release announcing that the companywould reformulate its cooking oil with less trans fat.In 2003, the fast-food firm issued a statement that said it would"extend the timeframe" for the change, which has not yet occurred.McDonald's is currently being sued in California by BanTransFat.com,for misleading the public about the abandoned switch.Formed when liquid vegetable oils go through a chemical process calledhydrogenation, TFAs are common in a range of food products –

biscuits,chips, doughnuts, crackers. Hydrogenated vegetable fat is used by foodprocessors because it is solid at room temperature and has a longershelf life.But a raft of manufacturers are switching to non-trans fatalternatives. Kraft foods said earlier this year that it had launcheda trans fat free version of its iconic Oreo biscuit. The move followeda court case against Kraft's owner Nabisco – which attracted massivemedia attention in the US - whereby BanTransFats called on the firm toremove the biscuits from sale because of the harm trans fats couldcause to children. Swiss food behemoth Nestle is also working toreduce trans fat presence."We have taken the decision to reduce trans fats levels to less than 1per cent of total food energy, the level recommended by the WorldHealth Organisation," a spokesperson from the firm recently toldFoodNavigator.com.From January 2006 food manufacturers working in the US

market willhave to label trans fat content on food products. Europe has yet tointroduce a similar rule, but consumer organisations are pressing forsuch transparency.Last year Denmark became the first country in the world to introducerestrictions on the use of industrially produced trans fatty acids.Oils and fat are now forbidden on the Danish market if they containtrans fatty acids exceeding 2 per cent.Please pass this message or article on to someone else so that they may learn also.Community Newsletters.http://www.alternative-medicine-newsletter.infoCommunity Message Boards.http://www.alternative-medicine-message-boards.info"Do not let either the medical authorities or the politicians mislead you. Find out what the facts are, and make your own

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