Thursday, September 28, 2006

US Transfat ban... w00t!

By Daniel Trotta

New York - A proposal to ban most artery-clogging trans fats from New York's restaurants could save thousands of lives at little cost to restaurateurs, supporters of the initiative said on Wednesday.

But a leading industry group called for dialogue with city authorities to modify their "Orwellian regulation", which comes as many fast-food restaurants are already trying to reduce transfats in response to shifting consumer demand.

The New York City Board of Health on Tuesday proposed a near total ban on artificial trans fats - those that are made synthetically when food processors harden fat to make it more like butter in a process called hydrogenisation.

Such oils gives french fries their crunch
Such oils gives french fries their crunch. They also contribute to heart disease by raising the body's "bad cholesterol" and reducing the "good" cholesterol.

The initiative faces what promises to be a contentious public hearing on October 30 and approval or denial before the end of the year, potentially affecting everything from the finest restaurants to doughnut carts pushed by recent immigrants.

"We're going try to get into a dialogue with the health department where perhaps we can convince them to modify their proposal where it's not a broad-brush, one-size-fits-all, Orwellian regulation," said Charles Hunt of the New York State Restaurant Association.

The proposal would give restaurants six months to switch to oils, margarines and shortening that have less than 0,5 gram of trans fat per serving. After 18 months, all other food would also need to contain less than 0,5 gram of fat per serving.

"This is a very appropriate for a city health department that is responsible for food safety in restaurants. Clearly trans fats are causing large numbers of premature deaths and disability," said Walter Willett, a leading US nutritionist at the Harvard School of Public Health.

'Customers cannot tell the difference in taste'
"Restaurants are really the primary source of trans fats for most people, so we've calculated that this could really prevent thousands of deaths per year, just in the New York area," he said.

Willett called on the US Food and Drug Administration to enact a similar measure nationwide.

America's fast-food chains, whose foods are among the most laden with trans fats, are moving toward voluntary reduction.

Wendy's International has reduced trans fats by switching to a different cooking oil, while McDonald's has been trying since 2002 to reduce trans fats in its french fries.

The Dunkin' Donuts chain in 2004 started removing trans fats from its bagels, muffins, and cookies and is researching alternative ways to make the poster child of trans fats - doughnuts - healthier while still satisfying customers.

"We've served million of servings, and customers cannot tell the difference in taste," said Bob Bertini, a spokesperson for Wendy's. "It was cost-neutral to us - using the new oil costs no more than the old oil."

Saturday, September 23, 2006

The Cellphone Self checkout Postulate


(See the nice lady? She is making a concerted effort to get the hell outta there!)

Todays rant is on "One reason the self checkout doesn't work" or the "Cellphone Self checkout Postulate". What is the CPSCP? It is a formula that I have discovered after years of grocery shopping. It says "The speed of self checkout is inversely proportional to the retardation of the operators of the self checkout machines". I believe we can all agree that the radiation emitted by cellphones causes humans to become 8 to 10 degrees MORE retarded than they were before cellphone use (and it's not actually the phone, but the speaker and microphone that cause this).

So, next time you have to check out with just a six-pack of Schlitz and a turkey kielbasa look for that person with the cellphone pinched between her head and shoulder. Watch how casual she is when she scans her bread... how lackluster her performance is when she reaches for the eggs to scan next. If a REAL cashier was on duty she'd hardly have time to hit the quick-dial.

I say HECKLE THESE PEOPLE! When you see them taking their SWEETASSED time, speak up! "Hey! It's quicker for all of us when you're not talking on the phone!" or "Are you done yet? Why don't you pay attention!" Self checkout isn't the "Checkout at your own pace" line, it's the "Let's show the cashiers that we can be faster than them" line. See the lady in the picture? Not on the phone. She's even scanning one item with her right hand and prepping to scan another with her left! God bless that lady.

The CPSCP has an alternate axiom that deals with letting your twin 8 year olds try to "help" you check out. The parent involved will find themselves writhe with metal retardation trying to discern what HAS been scanned and what hasn't.