Food and Nutrition in the News : 2006

Author: Danna Schneider

Food and Nutrition in the News : 2006

The year 2006 has really been a landscape for changes in
food and new and exciting news about food and nutrition,
hasn't it? Just a few of the news items that come to my
mind in this arena are the fact that cloned foods have been
approved by the FDA, and the ever so controversial trans
fat ban that has been a raging debate for much of 2006, and
may likely continue into 2007.

So, let's take a look at the 2006 food headlines, and see
why this may go down in history as one of the most
interesting years in the history of food and nutrition!

First off, and most interestingly, at the end of 2006, we
saw the FDA approval of cloned foods go through. Wait,
weren't we just debating the morality of cloning not too
long ago? And now we've had one of the most notoriously
fickle organizations, the FDA, approve cloned foods,
including animal foods like pork, beef and chicken? Well,
yes, it wasn't too long ago, and yes the FDA did approve
foods from cloned animal to be available to the public.

Perhaps this was an issue of supply and demand, and was
seen as a way to revolutionize the food supply, but I for
one will be shopping more and more at my local natural
foods store, where they only offer pure, unaltered meats
and dairy, and are guaranteed to be of an "original" gene
pool.

There just seems to be something about eating cloned food
that is "wrong". Isn't there somewhere down the line when
these cloned animals and their byproducts may be found to
cause some sort of health issue in the creatures that
consume them (us?).

To me, the concept of cloned food seems almost too
futuristic, even for this day and age, and I'd like to see
more long term studies done on the implications of cloned
food consumption. But hey, rumor has it, KFC has been
using cloned chickens for their notoriously savory chicken
for years, so it must be fine, right?

Further down the line, after we start seeing so many foods
in the store that may or may not be from a cloned animal,
many are also speculating that this will lead to new food
labeling, like the certified Organic labels that now must
be placed on foods that have passed certain organic
guidelines.

Many companies such as Ben and Jerry's ice creams want to
make it clear that their ice cream is only made from animal
fat (dairy fat, that is), that is from non-cloned, grain
fed animals without the use of hormones. There will very
likely be many other food companies that want to
distinguish themselves this way as well, as they know full
well many Americans will not find the idea of eating cloned
animal byproducts particularly savory.

2006 was also the year that we saw the first trans fat ban
go into effect, and not without controversy, in New York
City. Trans fats are a dangerous fat that have been used
in cooking, especially in fast food restaurants, for years
now.

Trans fats actually make food extremely tasty, and some
argue, even addictive. They have been the subject of much
dire warning from the health community, to consume trans
fats in extreme moderation, or even better, not at all.
Trans fats really do not have one speck of nutritional
value, and in fact can just be called a pure health hazard.

Trans fats are actually a partially synthetic fat
derivitive that was the brainchild of scientists who
actually added hydrogen to vegetable oil in order to
cheapen the process of fat production as well as increase
taste and affordability. Hydrogenated oils also can
greatly increase the shelf life of foods (I know, kind of
scary).

They raise the bad cholesterol levels in the blood and have
been implicated in the increasing levels of obesity and
heart disease in this country also though, and there have
been many lobbyists campaigning for their elimination and
outlaw for a while.

They did partially succeed, as in a bid for an increase in
overall health awareness, many politicians took it upon
themselves to institute trans fat bans. Now, many fast
food restaurants are currently making the switch over to
healthier fats that will not clog arteries as readily and
are not so highly addictive in nature.

Some agree with government intervention in the health and
well being of American citizens, while some disagree and
believe this is undue government intervention, and that
education should be used instead of seemingly intrusive
laws.

I for one, am on the fence on this one. While I believe it
is our right to choose the foods we eat, I also know the
dangers of trans fats, and recognize that not everyone has
the knowledge or willpower they need to avoid these types
of foods, which by the way, also happen to be cheaper and
easily accessible to a wide range of the population.

One thing is for sure, 2006 has seen some pretty radical
changes in the food sector, and 2007 may just bring some
more interesting developments as the debate over nutrition
continues to be a hot subject.

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Danna Schneider is the cofounder of
http://www.dietingmagazine.com , where you can find
information on weightloss products, fitness equipment and
diet reviews, and dieting tips for losing weight. She also
founded http://www.dailydietblog.com , a site deidcated to
the latest offerings and breakthroughs in weight loss and
fitness, updated constantly.