THE "SILLY:" HAMBURGER DEBATE-A SHAMEFUL CLAIM!

When a respectable news paper publishes some body's statement on the healthiness of a food, it is incumbent on it to check the facts before accepting the same for printing. Unfortunately such things do not happen often leading to misconceptions and spreading of factually wrong information. Latest to hit the headline is the reported claim by some fast food apologists that one of the Cheese Burgers offered by one of the world's leading fast food business giant is the cheapest health food in the US! The fact however does not support such a claim. It may be the cheapest food available to the Americans but it cannot be health friendly if its nutritional content is critically looked at. Loaded with empty calories, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium, this much touted sandwich is a right recipe for disaster to make healthy people sick, if taken regularly. Here is a take on this new debate that sounds silly to many informed nutritional and health pundits as well informed consumers! 

"Let's start with the plainest of facts: nutritional content. One McDouble contains 19 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat and 1 gram of trans fat, representing a whopping 29 percent, 42 percent, and 65 percent of your USDA daily allowance intakes, respectively, in just a single meal. The cholesterol content is at 22 percent of daily allowance—so if you've already had more than one egg for breakfast, you're sunk, way before dinnertime. Fiber is at a woeful 2 grams, or 7 percent of the daily recommended intake (DRI). And the sandwich contains 850 mg of sodium, which is a pretty high 35 percent of the daily limit. "It's a pretty extreme claim," Jim White, a registered dietician and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, told Yahoo! Shine about Smith's column. "My main problem is it's got 40 percent of the saturated fat for the day," he explained, which can only add to the problem of lower-income populations having higher rates of disease. "I'm worried about heart disease. And I hate to hear a claim like this," he added, "because affordable foods can still be healthy." So, taking cost in to account, what's the alternative? As a guest on the Freakonomics broadcast, Mother Jones food columnist Tom Philpott wisely suggested that you "get a pound of brown rice, organic, and a pound of red lentils for about two bucks each. And a serving size, say a cup of each of those things, would be about 75 cents." And check out the nutritional benefits: That serving size of red lentils contains 57 percent of DRI for fiber, 18 grams of protein (compared with 23 for the double burger), less than one gram of total fat, zero percent sodium and no cholesterol. The brown rice, meanwhile, adds 14 percent of daily fiber and 5 grams of protein, with a scant 1.8 total grams of fat and no sodium or cholesterol". 

No doubt economically depressed population, finding their disposable income rapidly dwindling in the face of inflation and under employment, see products dished out by the fast food giants God-send as they are the only affordable food for them to keep their hunger away. Naturally they gorge on them if they can afford because of the "T-factor", the taste and consequences are there to see in the form of rapid rise in obesity in that country. High calories, high fats and high salt are the villains in the every day life of people as they cause many diseases like CVD, Hypertension, Kidney ailments, cancer etc calling for huge medical expenses to treat them. On top of this the above claim is nothing but atrocious and mean to add insult to injury! Responsible news media should not give respectability to such canards through their publications. 

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

CHENNAI VS DELHI-THE FOOD SECURITY DEBATE

Now that the much touted Food Security Act (FSA) is brought through the backdoor via the despicable route of an Ordinance, bypassing the Parliament, many states who are in the forefront in running efficient Public Distribution System (PDS) with high degree of efficiency and low pilferage are being penalized by making them restrict the coverage to only those who are poor. In a state like Himachal Pradesh, if reports are to be believed even the family of the Chief Minister buys the ration through the PDS shops at subsidized prices. Same is true with Tamil Nadu also which boasts of a highly efficient PDS plus several programs like distribution of subsidized fresh fruits and vegetables and low cost canteens selling popular preparations at very low pries for the benefit of poor people. FSA ordinance can adversely affect such programs which is a retrograde step with dangerous consequences to the citizenry. Here is a critic's view of the FSA ordinance and its implications.

"Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has emerged among the strongest voices against the Food Security Bill, which is being pushed by the UPA government. She recently wrote to the Prime Minister asking him to exempt Tamil Nadu from the implementation of the ordinance that brought the Food Security Bill into force. Apart from the political overtones that such a request might be seen to have, experts in the field of food policy say there could be sound logic to Jayalalithaa's plea for exemption. Jayalalithaa had reasoned that Tamil Nadu has for many years now had a Public Distribution System (PDS) that can be availed by all the residents of the State. She said the introduction of the provisions of the Food Security Bill would remove the cover from a portion of the population, ruining the all-inclusive nature of Tamil Nadu's PDS cover. The Food Security Bill makes provisions for different categories of beneficiaries, with the aim to allot more food grains to poor families and less for the better off. A majority of political parties have objected to provisions of the Food Security Bill, especially with relation to the structures and procedures for the determination of beneficiaries and the mode of distribution itself. The continuing lack of clarity on these fronts was behind the repeated disruption of proceedings in Parliament whenever the Bill came up for discussion. The Bill also saw strong opposition from a number of State governments. States like Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha and Rajasthan have over the years made changes to their PDS structures to make them more inclusive, based either on local needs or on political considerations. The implementation of the Food Security Bill would mean an erosion of the political gains from the inclusiveness of these systems. Tamil Nadu has had PDS-for-all plus a strong co-operative movement and government interventions. The Amma Unavagams and Farm Fresh Consumer Outlets, which offer subsidised vegetables, fall under the category of interventions. According to Jayalalithaa, Tamil Nadu's systems and interventions have given greater food and nutrition security than can possibly be delivered by the Food Security Bill in its present form'.

There are many critics who have raised their voice against the FSA ordinance and all their criticisms have been brushed aside by the government which calls this foolish program with grave economic consequences to the country as a "game changer". People of this country will never forgive these politicians for the political chicanery being indulged by them for the sake of electoral gains and will see through the game by the time general election arrives in a few months time from now. The rotten grains that lie with the government grain agencies which otherwise are not even fit for animal consumption are going to be supplied in the coming months once the FSA is operationalized and then only the people are going to realize the magnitude of fraud the government is indulging in the name of food security! Unfortunately many opposing political groups do not have the guts to point out the failings of the policy for fear of consumer backlash. As one critic has recently pointed out Government is more bothered about quantity rather than quality and nutrition and this is amply proven by the lethargy with which the food safety and standards act is being implemented leaving the market in the hands of fraudsters and adulterators giving them free hand to indulge in trading in unsafe foods. During the coming twelve months Indian citizens may face the reality of all round food inflation and food scarcity because of the opportunistic policies of the present government. 

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