January 4, 2008
It's the new year - and your #1 Resolution is - Register for the March 2008 Canola Council convention then book your hotel and flights right away! Join your canola colleagues and friends with the National Institute of Oilseed Products (NIOP) as both groups team up in Boca Raton, FL March 9-11, 2008.
Visit the Canola Council’s website for more convention details www.canola-council.org. Click on the big orange CANOLA!
Cara restaurants serve up trans-free fare – Five Canadian restaurant chains owned by Cara Operations Limited announced in December they will go trans fat-free. Swiss Chalet, Milestone’s, Montana’s, Kelsey’s and Harvey’s will all use vegetable oils and spreads that have 2% or less trans fat. The company says its chefs and food prep staff will use trans fat-free canola oil. In some cases, restaurants will also prepare sauces and spreads daily. For more information on Cara’s changes, check out the company press release.
Quebec restaurant chain says zero means zero – The Pacini chain of Italian restaurants in the province of Quebec claims it is now 100% trans fat-free. To make sure they did it right, the company’s chefs enlisted the help of clinical nutrition and cardiology specialists from the Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM). Dr. Guy Leclerc, head of the Department of Cardiology and associate research professor at the CHUM agreed to review the menu and find the trans fat.
Trans fat bans aren’t just for New York City – Westchester County became the only place in New York state north of NYC to ban trans fat in food service establishments. The 12 members of the Westchester County Board of Health voted unanimously in December to join metropolitan New York in banning trans fat in the new year. The change will take effect 90 days after the county notifies the food service operators that the amendment has been ratified by the state.
Meanwhile, Montgomery County, just outside Washington, DC in Maryland has also banned trans fat in restaurants. That is, restaurants in the county have to stop immediately using margarines, frying oils and other products that contain more than ½ gram of trans fat per serving. A complete ban will go into effect in 2010.
Does your New Year’s resolution include canola oil? – These folks say it should. Betty Slowe writes for The Tuscaloosa News, that people should "use healthier oils like olive or canola oil" as a way to cut back on excessive fat, calories and salt. "Lorena" writes in Kitchen Resolutions for the website Bfeedme, "Switch from butter to a no- or low-trans-fat margarine with 8 grams of fat per tablespoon for cooking." Reporter Darla Carter writes for the Louisville, KY Courier-Journal, "Follow a good diet: Eat reasonable portions and don’t weigh down your plate with foods laden with artery-clogging saturated fat and trans fat. A food that is trans fat-free can still have too much saturated fat; read labels to see past the hype."
Canola oil research served up at Richardson Centre – Dr. Peter Jones and his team of researchers have been serving up meals to study volunteers made with canola and flaxseed oils as part of his research funded by the Canola Products Research Fund.
Canola Ink is your bi-weekly update from the Canola Council of Canada. Please copy, reprint or transmit any portion of this report. If you have questions or comments, contact Diane Wreford at (204)982-2108 or e-mail wrefordd@canola-council.org. The Canola Council of Canada values your privacy and will not sell, rent or otherwise circulate your contact information without your prior consent. If you wish to unsubscribe from this list, please send a reply e-mail with the word "unsubscribe" in the subject line.