HUMAN BLOOD FROM PLANT SOURCE?-A HIMALAYAN CLAIM!

There was a time when coconut oil was shunned as an unhealthy food obviously because of its high content of saturated fats. But to day the very same oil has become a much sought after ingredient in many processed foods and literally coconut oil has assumed the status of a nutraceutical because of its lauric acid content! Similarly coconut water was hailed as a healthy beverage though a critical appraisal of its composition does not show any extraordinary nutritional value. Just because it was used as a blood plasma substitute during World War II under most critical conditions mainly due to its sterile nature within the unhusked nut, it is difficult to imagine how a claim can be made that it is equal to human blood. This is a classical example of high pressure commercial promotion that can convert an ordinary food item into a super product through convoluted and misrepresenting information. Here is a take on this disgusting industry practice with least care to consumer well being!

"Coconut water—this decade's energy drink of the stars—is rich in electrolytes like sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and phosphate. In other words, it's a banana and a glass of water. But with the help of some clever packaging, a touch of Rihanna, and a fat price tag, marketers have spun coconut water into a health beverage empire. According to health and nutrition product tester ConsumerLab's recent analysis of three major coconut water brands (O.N.E., Vita Coco, and ZICO), the beverage companies' claims are a little shaky. Two of the three brands contain significantly fewer rehydrating electrolytes than their packaging suggests. "When you start making claims comparing it to sports drinks, you expect them to at least deliver on what they are promising," ConsumerLab president Tod Cooperman told The Huffington Post. Forget Gatorade. Coconut water producers have routinely compared the beverage to an even more precious substance: Human Blood. Coconut water is "the only natural substance that can be safely injected into the human blood stream," ZICO tells consumers. It is "identical to human blood plasma," Body Ecology insists. One enthusiast goes as far as to say that coconut water is "the universal donor," and so "by drinking coconuts we give ourselves a [sic] instant blood transfusion." Several coconut water manufacturers cite the liquid's use as emergency intravenous hydration during World War II and the Vietnam War as an extra incentive for cracking open a can. "Coconut water is not the same as blood plasma," Cooperman tells me. While coconut water "had been used as an intravenous replacement fluid in very dire situations," he says, that emergency use has since been "misused by these companies." ZICO, for example, encourages consumers to drink up by stating that its product has "saved many lives." Is coconut water a life saver? Maybe: When the Straight Dope took on the coconut water transfusion question, it found that "chemical analysis indicates it's closer in makeup to intracellular fluid" than plasma, but that it "behaves like a saline solution" when mixed with plasma. Still, it's "got fewer electrolytes in it than our bodies are used to and too much potassium, so it's not an ideal rehydration fluid. But it works in a pinch." Coconut water companies' marketing claims are meant to imply that the drink really, truly belongs in your body. But the practical relationship between olde-tyme IV supplement and Rihanna-endorsed workout drink remains to be seen. So coconut water was a last-ditch saline solution employed in decades-old foreign wars—why does that mean consumers should shell out $3 to drink 11 ounces of the stuff? After all, most humans don't need to drink electrolytes at all, much less stick them straight into their veins".

It is interesting to note that coconut water contains no nutrient that cannot be obtained from other normal foods and beverages and none of the nutrients present exceed 2-3% of RDA! Compared to many juices and beverages, its sugar content is only 2.5% while the calorie count does not exceed 20 kC per 100 ml serving. If isotonicity is its USP, it cannot come any where near the typical saline solution administered for re-hydration. Interestingly the unique taste of coconut water has never been simulated satisfactorily and no known processing technology can maintain its taste and flavor once it is removed from the fruit. At best it is a low calorie, low sugar beverage which needs no preservation as long as it is in the undamaged fruit. It is time that safety authorities clamp down on spurious claims by the industry to mislead and dupe the consumer!

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

MANDATORY "MENU" LABELING-IMPLEMENTATION PROBLEMS

Restaurants provide tasty foods and an opportunity to "eat out' providing relief to the families stressed out by the modern way of life. With very little time at their disposal due to the pressure of professional work, few families can afford to invest their precious time in the kitchen and eating out has become a way of life in many countries leading to explosive growth of the catering sector. Though it offers convenience, what is debatable is the quality of preparations served in most of the restaurants, especially from the health angle. Taste being the supreme "ingredient" of a product in an eatery, customers invariably have the tendency to binge on the foods forgetting the consequences of over eating. Besides the nutritional aspect of restaurant foods is never a consideration for both the caterer as well as the customer who patronize such joints. This is where the government steps in to regulate the industry in such a manner that necessary nutrition information about the products offered by them is provided to the customers, anticipating that such information will restrain them from indulging in foods not considered healthy. New menu labeling proposal that is sought to be made mandatory in the US has come in for some sharp criticism from the hotel industry and there may be some justification in viewing this proposal with serious concern..

"Our members strongly supported adoption of a national menu labeling law, and we look forward to the orderly implementation of these requirements," said NCCR Vice President Scott Vinson. "However, we have grave concerns regarding certain of the FDA's proposed interpretations of the legislation Congress passed and the President signed into law. We hope the FDA will carefully consider our comments and adjust the final regulations to be consistent with the statute." The National Council of Chain Restaurants has filed comments responding to menu labeling regulations proposed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), welcoming the proposal but asking for flexibility that would recognize differences between the restaurant industry and other foodservice sectors. In addition, the NCCR asked that the FDA modify its initial proposal to ensure a smooth program rollout to the diverse array of chain restaurant concepts and similar retail food establishments. According to the NCCR, the FDA's final regulations should incorporate a flexible approach in several key areas so that restaurants and other covered retailers are not burdened with unnecessary expenses and complexities, and consumers are provided information in ways that make sense and are easy to understand.In one example cited by NCCR in its 53 pages of comments, the FDA proposal includes an enforcement mechanism intended for the packaged food industry rather than the chain restaurant industry where food is prepared by hand and not machines. NCCR contends that the standard would be impossible for chain restaurants to comply with and would expose the industry's thousands of small business franchisees to massive legal liability.

A most important point that needs consideration is whether products made by different chefs will have same nutrient composition and if not how can the government expect each eatery to analyze its products to generate such information. Also of concern is whether the same preparation will have same composition every day and whether samples will have to be tested every day. The cost aspect in implementing this policy may become an important constraint with very few large restaurants being able to adopt the system. In stead of forcing the industry to strictly adhere to the law, a flexible regime would be more appropriate. Similarly wide latitude should be given in declaring the composition with variations allowed as much as 10-15% of the standard values shown on the label. Whether the customers will care for such information or the policy will have any impact on their health, is another matter, if the effect of labeling on packed foods in vogue for decades on the health of American consumers is any thing to go by!.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com