The Obama administration is ordering food companies to phase out the use of heart-clogging trans-fats over the next three years, calling them a threat to public health. The move will remove artificial trans fats from the food supply almost entirely. Consumers aren’t likely to notice much of a difference in their favorite foods, but the administration says the move will reduce coronary heart disease and prevent thousands of fatal heart attacks every year.
Scientists say there are no health benefits to the fats, which are used in processing food and in restaurants, usually to improve texture, shelf life or flavor. They can raise levels of “bad” cholesterol and lower “good” cholesterol, increasing the risk of heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States.
The fats are created when hydrogen is added to vegetable oil to make it more solid, which is why they are often called partially hydrogenated oils. Once a staple of the American diet – think shortening and microwave popcorn – most artificial trans fats are already gone. The FDA says that between 2003 and 2012, consumer trans fat consumption decreased an estimated 78 percent as food companies have used other kinds of oils to replace them.
But some foods still have them, and the Food and Drug Administration says those trans fats remaining in the food supply are a threat to public health. Some of the foods that commonly contain trans fats are pie crusts, biscuits, microwave popcorn, coffee creamers, frozen pizza, refrigerated dough, vegetable shortenings and stick margarines.
The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), the main trade group for the food industry, is working with companies on a petition that would formally ask the FDA if it can say there is a “reasonable certainty of no harm” from some specific uses of the fats.
In a statement after the announcement the GMA said that it is pleased with the FDA’s three-year compliance period, which “minimizes unnecessary disruptions to commerce,.” The group has not specified what the industry plans to ask for, but has said the FDA encouraged food companies to submit a petition.
This summer, Los Angeles will welcome 7,000 inspirational athletes from 177 different countries to the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games. Supporting children and adults with intellectual disabilities, the World Games is the largest sports and humanitarian event on the globe. To celebrate, The Coca-Cola Company, Founding Partner of Special Olympics, has assembled a star-studded team to record a unified song for the 2015 World Games, titled “Reach Up.” The new song will be performed during the Opening Ceremonies at the World Games on July 25.
Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) one of the world’s largest independent Coca-Cola bottlers, has released its 10th annual Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability report which includes its most ambitious commitments to date. The new targets include: reducing calories per liter across CCE’s entire portfolio by 10 percent by 2020; halving the carbon footprint of its business by 2020; and ensuring that 40 percent of the PET it uses is recycled and/or from renewable materials by 2020.
According to a recent survey conducted by the National Association of Convenience Stores, a majority of consumers expected gas prices to continue to rise during June, a period in which gas prices tend to moderate or even fall after the completion of the annual spring transition to summer-blend fuel. Nearly three in five consumers expect gas prices to go up over the summer months. Despite these rising gas prices, consumer optimism is about the overall is growing. A slight majority (52 percent) of consumers say they feel “very” or “somewhat optimistic” about the economy, up four percentage points from the 48 percent who said so in May.
The Ruderman Family Foundation (www.rudermanfoundation.org) in partnership with The Jewish Week Media Group has revealed the recipients of the inaugural “Best in Business Award.” This national competition highlights North American businesses – large corporations and small family owned businesses – that have shown exemplary practices in hiring, training and supporting people with disabilities.
Two of the recipients were supermarket operators. Wegmans, headquartered in Rochester, NY, believes that a commitment to diversity and inclusion allows them to be a great place to work and a great place to shop.
Lakeland, FL-based Publix, with 176,000 associates, has the distinction of being the largest for all people. The company feels that hiring people with disabilities is the right thing to do and aligns with the company value of respect, according to the Ruderman Family Foundation employee-owned supermarket chain. Publix makes an effort to hire people who reflect the makeup of people in each store store’s community, which includes hiring people of different backgrounds, ethnicities and abilities, the Ruderman Family Foundation says.
Other award recipients include: Long Island Marriott Hotel, Long Island, NY; Rising Tide Car Wash, Parkland. FL; Megleen Inc., Toronto, Ontario; Green Distribution, Secaucus, NJ; Ultra Testing LLC, New York, NY; Accessibility Partners, Silver Spring, MD; (words) Bookstore, Maplewood, NJ; and BagelToons, Detroit, MI.
All of the honorees have demonstrated a history of employing people with disabilities, training and supporting them and developing innovative approaches to maximizing employee’s abilities. A panel of seven experts selected the winners among the many nominations that were submitted on line according to the Ruderman Family Foundation.
Currently in the U.S., the unemployment rate of adults with disabilities hovers between 70 to 80 percent. The goal of the campaign is to shine a spotlight on these businesses and show than an inclusive workplace is good for an employer’s bottom line. Gaining a competitive edge means employing the best people available.
And since most of our readers are connected to the food industry in one way or another, the following might be of interest: North American consumers were snacking an average of 2.3 times a day in late 2013, up from 1.8 times a day in 2008. In a recent survey, by the North American Snacking Consumer Quantitative Study, nearly a quarter of consumers said they replace at least one meal a day with a snack, and they are most likely to snack late at night (24 percent), mid-afternoon (21 percent) and mid-morning (18 percent).
On average, 4.4 foods or beverages are consumed at each snacking occasion. This opens a number of new opportunity areas for manufacturers—like snack products that combine different foods and serve as mini-meals. Nuts have benefited from the increase in snacking. In the survey, consumers said they prefer to snack on nuts mid-morning, but their actual self-reported consumption is more evenly distributed across all day parts! Almonds are the nut most frequently consumed as a snack, and among almonds, salted and roasted almonds are the most common type that consumers report snacking on. Almonds are most commonly paired with apples, bananas, chocolate, salad and granola bars.
Almonds are the number one nut associated with crunch, being convenient and easy to eat, and “the perfect snack for me.” It’s no wonder that almonds are the number one nut in new snack product introduction in North America. For more information about almonds, visit Almonds.com/Food-Professionals.
My column will not appear this summer because Kathy and I and our grandkids will be vacationing on Cape Cod in the beautiful town of Orleans, Mass. You can still send tidbits for my column c/o Food World, 5537 Twin Knolls Rd., Columbia, MD 21045. If you get to Orleans, join me for a beverage at my favorite pub, Land Ho, in the center of town. Enjoy the summer season wherever it takes you.