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Side order of transfats?
posted by Mighty Staff
If you've ever taken a few extra minutes to sit outside a Costco, Price Club, PriceCo, or whatever they are called now - you will observe lots of people stocking up on massive quantities of low quality cooking fats and oils. They take these ingredients back to their restaurants and serve them to you, and you pay for them.
There isn't much transparency once you walk in the front door of a restaurant - but there is plenty of transparency observing what people are buying for their restaurants on a Sunday at the warehouse stores, or peeking in the back of a Sysco restaurant supply truck. Most kitchens are off limits to the dining public, and consumers are more than happy to turn a blind eye to the ingredients going into their food behind those closed doors - just so long as everything tastes pretty good and there are no roaches in the kitchens. Big mistake.
We've all been wrapped up in trans-fats lately, and people are actively avoiding trans-fat laden products, but what about when you eat out? While food manufacturers have been busy bees - actively stripping products of trans-fats, restaurants are not required to disclose the trans-fat content of their food and they are lagging far, far behind.
This article in the Des Moines Register quotes a spokeswoman from Yum! Brands (parent company of KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell) as saying the company is only in the "early stages of exploring" its options for transfats. Looks like you can load up on a whopping 14 grams in one sitting if you go for the KFC Chicken Pot Pie. Read the article to see what's in those Mickey D french fries, or that Nachos Bell Grande. Keep in mind the Dietary Guidelines Advisory committee recommends limiting trans fat consumption to about 2 grams per day - this includes naturally occurring trans fats in meat and dairy. So, a couple fries and it look like you're screwed.
The article primarily cites a study done by CSPI, Center for Science in the Public Interest. Read more about the CSPI survey here. Or download the PDF. Another reason to cook at home more often.
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