McDonald’s Transfat Settlement Aug 24 2005 SUCCESS FDA MOVES FOR TOTAL BAN
We Say No. Our life span is dropping.
On August 24, 9.30 am in Room H, Marin County Superior Court in San Rafael, California a Final Fairness Hearing is scheduled in the case of BANTRANSFATS.COM and Katherine D. Fettke, and others similarly situated vs. McDonald’s Corporation. (www.tfasettlement.com)
Sept 2002, the lawsuit states, McDonald’s, in a publicity blitz, proclaimed to the world it was going to “do the right thing” and take a “major step towards the elimination of TFA’s from its cooking oil” used to fry French fries, hash browns, chicken and fish.
The world was impressed. McDonald’s Europe had “attained comparable levels” of TFA’s already, said the McDonald’s CEO. McDonald’s aspired to be a guardian of the public’s health as “the first national quick serve restaurant (QSR) to set a goal of eliminating TFA’s in cooking oil” and serving “the highest quality ingredients” quoting Mike Roberts, its President.
Feb 2003 McDonald’s changed its mind – quietly. Few noticed.
This lawsuit followed some months later.
Cutting Transfats (TFA’s) was “the right thing” to do. TFA’s are a public health hazard. TFA’s dramatically increase heart attacks and heart arrhythmias; impair pregnancy outcomes increasing pre-eclampsia and decreasing fetal birth weight; impact nerve health, lowering IQ in the new born and infant; damage the retina, increasing macular degeneration and blindness in the elderly and finally increase complications in diabetic patients.
NY City, last week, asked for a voluntary TFA ban for restaurants and food suppliers. Denmark strictly limits use. Canada is actively working towards a national ban maybe because its National Health Insurance ends up paying for TFA caused health problems. Many US Corporations face rapidly inflating employee health insurance costs. They need to realize, as Canada has that they are enhancing the TFA purveyors’ bottom line, to the detriment of their own. The latter pay limited benefits to their low wage employees.
McDonald’s TFA delay came Feb 2003. In 30-words. Cost paid to PR Newswire - $460.00. Few noticed. Was that the idea? Or did the big Corporation feel shame and not want us to know? Unlikely. Corporations are not people. Only people feel shame.
Most still do not know that McDonald’s did not do what it promised.
Was that the idea?
You decide.
This broken promise did come at the perfect time. By 2002 people had become increasingly concerned about fast food. Food Drug Administration was focusing on TFA’s health consequences. The Sept 2002 “nutrition” and ” leadership” initiatives” blitz reassured people that McDonald’s was indeed the guardian of people’s nutrition.
I am concerned this settlement is not in the public interest. I will be traveling from North Dakota to Marin County, to testify as an individual.
Join me
Life span in America is starting to drop. I, as a doctor, am convinced that TFA’s hidden in franchise restaurant food, school and employee cafeteria food and many items in our grocery stores, are the major culprit.
Brochures and websites serve little to inform the mostly low income or young customers at QSRs’. Labels, organic chemistry smorgasbords, often do not educate even the educated. They only shift responsibility for unhealthy ingredients to the consumer.
This settlement would allow McDonald’s and others to continue to use TFA’s with impunity fattening their bottom line at the cost of people’s health.
Life span, in generations to come, will continue to drop.
TFA use allows food to be cheap.
No thanks!
We would rather pay now, not later.
VINOD K SETH MD FCCP,
CLINICAL PROF OF MEDICINE,
Univ of North Dakota SCHOOL OF MEDICINE,
We Say No. Our life span is dropping.
On August 24, 9.30 am in Room H, Marin County Superior Court in San Rafael, California a Final Fairness Hearing is scheduled in the case of BANTRANSFATS.COM and Katherine D. Fettke, and others similarly situated vs. McDonald’s Corporation. (www.tfasettlement.com)
Sept 2002, the lawsuit states, McDonald’s, in a publicity blitz, proclaimed to the world it was going to “do the right thing” and take a “major step towards the elimination of TFA’s from its cooking oil” used to fry French fries, hash browns, chicken and fish.
The world was impressed. McDonald’s Europe had “attained comparable levels” of TFA’s already, said the McDonald’s CEO. McDonald’s aspired to be a guardian of the public’s health as “the first national quick serve restaurant (QSR) to set a goal of eliminating TFA’s in cooking oil” and serving “the highest quality ingredients” quoting Mike Roberts, its President.
Feb 2003 McDonald’s changed its mind – quietly. Few noticed.
This lawsuit followed some months later.
Cutting Transfats (TFA’s) was “the right thing” to do. TFA’s are a public health hazard. TFA’s dramatically increase heart attacks and heart arrhythmias; impair pregnancy outcomes increasing pre-eclampsia and decreasing fetal birth weight; impact nerve health, lowering IQ in the new born and infant; damage the retina, increasing macular degeneration and blindness in the elderly and finally increase complications in diabetic patients.
NY City, last week, asked for a voluntary TFA ban for restaurants and food suppliers. Denmark strictly limits use. Canada is actively working towards a national ban maybe because its National Health Insurance ends up paying for TFA caused health problems. Many US Corporations face rapidly inflating employee health insurance costs. They need to realize, as Canada has that they are enhancing the TFA purveyors’ bottom line, to the detriment of their own. The latter pay limited benefits to their low wage employees.
McDonald’s TFA delay came Feb 2003. In 30-words. Cost paid to PR Newswire - $460.00. Few noticed. Was that the idea? Or did the big Corporation feel shame and not want us to know? Unlikely. Corporations are not people. Only people feel shame.
Most still do not know that McDonald’s did not do what it promised.
Was that the idea?
You decide.
This broken promise did come at the perfect time. By 2002 people had become increasingly concerned about fast food. Food Drug Administration was focusing on TFA’s health consequences. The Sept 2002 “nutrition” and ” leadership” initiatives” blitz reassured people that McDonald’s was indeed the guardian of people’s nutrition.
I am concerned this settlement is not in the public interest. I will be traveling from North Dakota to Marin County, to testify as an individual.
Join me
Life span in America is starting to drop. I, as a doctor, am convinced that TFA’s hidden in franchise restaurant food, school and employee cafeteria food and many items in our grocery stores, are the major culprit.
Brochures and websites serve little to inform the mostly low income or young customers at QSRs’. Labels, organic chemistry smorgasbords, often do not educate even the educated. They only shift responsibility for unhealthy ingredients to the consumer.
This settlement would allow McDonald’s and others to continue to use TFA’s with impunity fattening their bottom line at the cost of people’s health.
Life span, in generations to come, will continue to drop.
TFA use allows food to be cheap.
No thanks!
We would rather pay now, not later.
VINOD K SETH MD FCCP,
CLINICAL PROF OF MEDICINE,
Univ of North Dakota SCHOOL OF MEDICINE,
Comments
Post a Comment
No anonymous comments please.