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Restaurants return to trans fats as food costs soar

CARLY WEEKS

From Wednesday's Globe and Mail

Latest comment posted at 9:24 AM EDT 04/05/08

Prices of healthier alternatives have risen from 10 to 50 per cent in the past few months ...Read the full article

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  1. Murray Braithwaite from Canada writes: The article correctly notes that some trans fats occur naturally in foods but attributes the difference to the method by which the fatty acids are hydrogenated. It makes no difference how the molecule is hydrogenated--what makes the difference is the type of molecular is created. Different trans fats have different metabolic properties--just as omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids have quite different effects. For example, so-called "natural" trans fats are typically biohydrogenated by bacteria (butyrivibrio fibrisolvens) in the gut of grass-fed ruminants and further modified by enzymes in mammary glands to add beneficial trans fats to milk, such as cis-9 trans-11 C18:2 (conjugated linoleic acid). It is the chemical structure of CLA that makes it beneficial, not the way it was produced.
  2. the vegan ninja from Canada writes: Don't eat deep fried food!
  3. Gardiner Westbound from Canada writes:
    Pubs charge exorbitant prices for booze and water down mixed drinks. It's hard to imagine them having difficulty with canola cooking oil prices.
  4. Mike Quinlan from Gatineau QC, Canada writes: Lets not forget that key budget saver, repeatedly recycling of used cooking oils, by quite simply not changing it or not changing it as often.
  5. Roland 2008 from Canada writes: food crisis will cause more problem, not only starving, but lower quality now.
  6. Mike Veracity from GTA, Canada writes: So he won't reveal which restaurants have sold out our health. Too bad, because now all restaurants will be suspect. I, for one, will stop eating at any of them . Hmmm, healthier AND also saves money.
  7. Rollo Tomasi from Pass Buck, Belgium writes: Gardiner Westbound from Canada writes: Pubs charge exorbitant prices for booze and water down mixed drinks. It's hard to imagine them having difficulty with canola cooking oil prices.
    ==============

    I can see them blending in cheaper cooking oils in the basement, beside the the baking soda and the bottle-capper for making natural water, from the tap.
  8. Jorly fuster from Canada writes: If you're eating deep fried food, what do you care how it's fried it's bad for you anyway.
  9. Comments closed, censored, deleted or made to disappear from Mini Bushland, Canada writes: If it were only in restaurants this problem arose!... But it will first arise in homes, where people will not be able to afford healthy food in large enough quantities to feed their families (believe it or not, there are such homes and such people in Canada...). That will result in Canadians being less healthy... in overall health costs rising... and in this country being financially and humanly all the "poorer". Anybody cares? WHO? Since when?
  10. Cosmo Spacely from Canada writes: MMMmmmm trans fat...now add a little msg and the flavor is back in the food!!!!!
  11. F/A josquin from van, Canada writes:
    Cosmo MSG never left, it is in loads of products and well known food items, under different names.

    Numerous large studies have been done in recent years, completely debunking the MSG allergy myth. However, the urban myth part is proving impossible to erradicate.

    They have all found no reaction to massive amounts of the stuff (a naturally occurring product), except by a very few.

    Hypochondriacs that we are, we prefer the 70's chinese restaurant hype to explain our bad health, than recent science.
  12. Dick Garneau from Canada writes: Trans fats are believed to cause 50% of heart disease. Restaurants who use trans fats should be forced to print that fact on their menu's and let the customers decide.
  13. lary waldman from Qualicum Beach, Canada writes: This comment will likely not make the giant food suppliers happy, but if you buy a pick up truck or van, and purchase your oils and other things at Costco etc.,
    haul them back to the restaurant yourself, you will not believe the savings.
  14. Rain Couver from Canada writes: Maybe restaurants should have to announce that they are using trans fats so the public can make an informed decision.
  15. Paul Warburg from TO, Canada writes: I dont know how anyone can say canola is healthy. Every time I eat it I get sick. Heart burn followed by arthritic joints. Anyone else?
  16. Timothy Nessus from Somewhere, Canada writes: "There has been a significant push across Canada to get restaurants and food manufacturers to eliminate the use of hydrogenated oils, which contain trans fats and may pose an increased risk of heart disease and other health problems."

    Gee.. that's a thoughy..... I dunno... what is the HEALTH CARE cost of synthetic trans-fatty acids??? I would be in the BILLIONS!!!

    So... JUST FRIGGING BAN THEM!!! and use the excess cash to subsidize healthier oil prices!

    The country will save tons and tons of $$$ in the medium to long term!!

    But NOOOOO..... it's the "fredom of choice"

    FINE!

    But then, if you eat trans-fats, don't bother showing-up at the hospital with a trans-fat relate ilness!!!

    I don't see why WE, the SOCIETY need to pay for the stupidity of other people!
  17. Globular Cluster from United States writes: Mike Quinlan: You make an excellent point regarding the reuse of cooking oil. This process generates harmful fats, even if the original wasn't. In fact, any time you heat oil, even if it's below its "smoke point", you break up its molecular chains and risk creating "bad fat". There is no way this practice can easily be policed, in contrast to, say, that of using "off-the-shelf" trans-fats.
  18. Timothy Nessus from Somewhere, Canada writes: To: Globular Cluster

    "There is no way this practice can easily be policed, in contrast to, say, that of using "off-the-shelf" trans-fats."

    Sure it is! Among other things re-heating oil produces many un-natural and tale-tale molecules. Such molecules can easily be detected via IR spectroscopy. And before you go balistic with the notion that it is not a good idea to have a 60.000$ IR spectrophotometer in your car, there ARE cheap, single vawemeter IR spectrophotometers that can do quantitatiave work.

    So, it's easy. Show at the restaurant, sample the oil, stick it or rub it on the instrument's target, measure concentration. Above a permitted level? BIG FINE!

    WHAT'S SOO difficult with that????
  19. slapdash dapoint from Canada writes: sweet, i hope mcd's goes back to their old oil - the fries taste like crapola or something
  20. Bert Fegg from Canada writes: Timothy Nessus from Somewhere -

    Have another smoke and calm down.

    FEGG
  21. Terry F from Edmonton, Canada writes: Back to real butter and olive oil for me.
  22. Brian Lilly from Canada writes: I guess that is why I don't eat out in restaurants that often. Last year I ended up in the hospital for 3 days with food poisoning after eating a salad prepared with tainted lettuce in a chain restaurant, however, I couldn't prove it, as the evidence was flushed away!
    Ya just can't beat good old home cookin' by using sane, sensible nourishing ingredients, and save tons of moula in the process.
  23. Real bean counter from Langley, BC from Canada writes: Grape seed oil taste good and is also very reasonably price. In come cases 1/3 the price of olive oil and also does not break down into carcinogenic free radicals if heated under 485 degree Farenheit.
  24. The Oracle from Caiman Islands, Canada writes: Just make the damn stuff illeagal. It's poisen.
  25. Jennifer Menna from Canada writes: This is not surprising as the price of Canola oil from supplier has risen $0.50 a liter in the past 8 months.

    Soya Oil has also risen as well and both will continue to do so. Comments about Olive and Grape Seed are silly since neither are cost effect for business. Olive oil also has a very low smoke point.

    Personally I am getting tired of This will kill you, that will kill you. The reality is that we are all going to die at some point. Truly toxic items should be removed. However for others we should be encouraged to limit intake for good health.
  26. Alonso Garnet from Canada writes: Hey "Comments Closed", it's probably cheaper to eat healthy (buy fruits, vegetables, cereals) than a lot of the food that is consumed by the "low income" people you say are going to be harmed by rising food prices (gosh, yes, the price of fuel is going to make those delivered pizzas and Chinese food even more expensive). This might be a blessing to the low income. Nice rant though.
  27. emilio D from Vancouver, Canada writes: Maybe the food crisis is the better way to combat obesity, diabetes, hypertension and other diet related diseases. People will eat less in restaurants and will only eat what they can afford. Bring it on!
  28. R. M. from Regina, Canada writes: The health geeks will NOT pay the prices they have foisted upon the restaurant industry and its customers but that won't stop them from stamping about and hollering and saying that everybody else should.
  29. Wing Lover from Canada writes: We run 2 take outs and have a couple of comments and our personal 'solution' to the problem.

    Grape seed oil would be great - if it were practical.

    Good or bad, fried foods taste terrific. They are not going away anytime soon so lets advocate the use of trans fat free cooking oils.

    Everything in moderation - fried foods included.

    Price of cooking oil has gone thru the roof. Our solution - we bought a diesel vehicle last week. In the process of setting up a simple system that will recycle used cooking oil into biodiesel to run our car. We anticipate having enough used oil for conversion to biodiesel so that we will not have to purchase it from any outside source.
  30. Jorly fuster from Canada writes: This new manufactured food crisis is the best thing to happen to the food industry. they get to raise prices and serve and do whatever they want because you know they can blame it on the food crisis.
  31. Crusty Curmudgeon from Ottawa, Canada writes: Chris Edwards, I sort of agree with you ..... but the people who smoke, drink, use trans fats etc. end up in the hospital system -- and are chewing up my tax dollars.

    Maybe to solve the hospital dilemma, we introduce standards -- if you weigh 300 lbs or more and have a heart attack -- sorry tough, if you smoke and are dying of lung cancer -- too bad, if you go skiiing (a rather dangerous sport), and break a leg -- you're on your own buddy -- get the picture?

    It is a tough problem.

    The government is limiting things through regulations not because it cares about people -- but because it impacts their bottom line.
  32. Adam Smith from Canada writes: Crusty Curmudgeon from Ottawa, I kind of agree.

    If you drive and get into an accident...
    If you ride a bike and fall off...
    If you run and twist your ankle...
    Don't get me started on walking and blisters.

    If we work this right, we can still say we have universal health care (Canada's pride and joy) and not have to pay for anyone to use it!
  33. Gogh Forit from Canada writes: Restaurants should have two menus. One with foods prepared with trans fats and one without and the prices for the dishes prepared with or without trans fats and have the patron decide. Since using non trans fat oils will cost more, those menu items will have higher prices and the consumer decides.
    Let people make the choices.
  34. L F from Canada writes: Is lard better than shortening? One is animal one is vegetable.One is hydrogenated one is not.
  35. Bill Smith from Canada writes: It's time for the government to set a standard. How is a person having a meal in a restaurant supposed to know what's being used in their meal?
  36. Michele K from Ottawa, Canada writes: If restaurants and food manufacturers won't commit to doing away with trans fats, then it's time to legislate them away - period.

    These are harmful, dangerous products that should not be on the market at all, and really needn't be - check out Denmark and other European countries. I mean, what gives food producers the right to push the cost of their dangerous products onto us and the healthcare system to bear?

    Next, let's start putting limits on sodium - yes, a cheap preservative to be sure, but a huge cost to us and our healthcare system.
  37. Proud New Brunswicker from NB's Golden Triangle, Canada writes: Don't forget, people, that most of those who have unhealthy lifestyles and "gobble up our tax dollars at the hospital" are taxpayers too...If I can't use it, I'm not going to help pay for it.. then where will the 3% health nuts be? Hopefully in their sterile room eating organic foods cooked in tasteless organic oils.. not deep fried though... and breathing filtered air while consuming natural spring water thinking they are oh so healthy. but is that really living?
  38. Will Farnaby from writes: Sounds like a great strategy to lose business.

    And as another poster stated: "Ya just can't beat good old home cookin' by using sane, sensible nourishing ingredients, and save tons of moola in the process."
  39. Cowtown boy from Calgary, Canada writes: "legislate them away - period"

    And while were at lets legislate hamburgers
    And while were at lets legislate pizza
    Same with all candy, alcholol, and tobacco

    Pretty soon we will all have to submit to random banned food testing.

    Maybe we should just start to legislate "common sense"
  40. Laura B from London UK, Canada, Canada writes: Bill Smith from Canada writes: It's time for the government to set a standard. How is a person having a meal in a restaurant supposed to know what's being used in their meal?

    well, I find it hard to believe the government has to set standards for greasy fried foods. a person sitting down to a meal of french fries, a greasy burger or other fried food at a restaurant cannot seriously argue that they dont know how their meal is prepared or what is used in it.

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