Ramanisblog

Tag: pepsico

  • Avoid. Kurkure Lays Burn Injurious To Health

    Couple of days back I saw a clip by SUN TV  News at 7 pm about the side effects of Junk food, both local and international..

    Junk food Kurkure by Pepsico.
    Kurkure Junk Food.

    The clip was about the high consumption rate of the junk food and the health hazards they pose to Health.

    Of late consumption of Health food is on the rise.

    I am providing a Link towards the end of the post on the Statistics.

    In the TV Clip I was horrified to see a piece of chips/Kurkure( the image was deliberately blurred, I am surprised as to why should Media feel shy of showing the Brand name if its facts are right!), when lit b ya Match stick burned.

    It was explained that the Junk food by MNCs contain harmful products including Plastic.

    And they also contain high level of Salt, which is injurious to Heart in particular and health in general.

    I checked up the web.

    I found that there is truth in the accusation.

    There is a very high level of  Salt in these products.

    There was an article in the Times of India on this some time back,and it quoted CSE report on Junk food.

    ”

    Delhi-based NGO, Centre for Science and Environment, has alleged that leading food manufacturers are guilty of “large scale misbranding and misinformation” by claiming that their food contained zero trans-fats even though tests showed that they have heavy doses of it.

    Most popular “junk foods contain very high levels of trans-fats, salts and sugar – which inevitably lead to severe ill health and diseases like obesity anddiabetes,” the CSE said on Friday. It released the results of laboratory tests carried out on 16 major food brands that the young particularly like, such as Maggi and Top Ramen noodles, MacDonald’s foods, KFC’s fried chicken and Haldiram’s Aloo Bhujia. These findings were disputed by the manufacturers.(TOI)”…

    ”

    Twenty three (n=23) junk food samples comprising – Potato Chips (4), Indian Snacks (2) , Instant
    noodles (2), Carbonated drinks (2), Burgers (6), Pizza (3), Fries (3) and fried Chicken (1) were
    purchased from different outlets and analyzed in duplicate. Twenty three (n=23) samples were tested
    for Salt, Total Carbohydrate, Total fats and Trans fats. One sample (Lays, American Style Cream &
    Onion Flavour) was only tested for fats and trans fats. AOAC methodology was used and results are
    provided in Annexure II.
    Salt: The National Institute of Nutrition(NIN) 2010 dietary guidelines recommend restricted salt
    consumption and reducing salt intake to the minimum. The NIN recommends that the daily intake of
    salt be reduced to 6 g per person per day. WHO reccommends 5 g per person per day.
    Salt Content in the 22 junk food samples in g per 100 g of sample was in the range 0.2 to 4.2. The
    highest salt content was found in Instant noodles; Maggi Masala 4.2 g and Top ramen Noodles 3.2 g.
    Salt content in Potato Chips was 1.2-3.5 g per 100 g. Average salt content in vegetarian burgers (3)
    was 1.7 g and in non-vegetarian burgers (3) 1.5 g per 100 g. Average salt content in Pizza (3) was 1.0
    g; in fries (3) 0.4 g and and fried chicken (1) was 0.9 g per 100 g ( see Figure 1).”..(CSE Report)

    ”

    Conclusions
    The results of the study indicate that junk food contain high levels of sugars, salt and trans fats. High
    levels of trans fats are a public health concern due to its assiciation with Chronic heart diseases. The
    trans fat content was highest in French fries (8.1% of total fat) followed by instant noodles (4.6% of
    total fat) and potato chips (4.5% of total fat). There should be regulations to reduce trans fats in junk
    foods and it’s should be properly labeled. 16

    Similarly, high intake of salt is associated with hypertension. The salt content was highest in Instant
    noodles (3.7 g per 100 g of sample). Consumption of a packet of instant noodles, therefore, will cover
    about half of the daily salt quota. Salt content was not given by companies on the label. There should
    an all India action plan to reduce salt in diets and junk food companies should be asked to label salt
    quantity of their package.

    The provision of nutritional information is currently not a legal requirement unless a claim is made.
    None of the takeaway foods like pizzas burgers, fries,and potato chips provide nutritional information
    on the product packs. The absence of nutritional data per/100g makes comparisons between products
    difficult. There should be mandatory labeling, at least for serving size , trans fats, saturated fats,
    sugars and salt along with already mandatory labeling nutritional information for all processed foods
    including takeaway foods.(CSE India)”

    The reply by the manufacturer to these allegations are,

    ”

    But CSE found that Top Ramen Super Noodles (Masala) which claims to have no trans-fats actually contains 0.7 gram of it per 100 gram. Similarly, Haldiram’s Aloo Bhujia says it has no trans fats, but the study found 2.5 gram per 100 gram. PepsiCo‘s Lays (Snack Smart) was sold till February 2012 through huge advertisements to say that these chips are healthy because they have zero trans fats, but every 100 grams of it has 3.7 grams of trans fats.

    The companies strongly refuted the allegations in the CSE report. Pepsico said, “All products manufactured by PepsiCo in India are fully compliant with all the regulations, including those on labelling, prescribed by the FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India).” It said that its products under the Lays, Uncle Chips, Kurkure and Cheetos brands are trans-fat free.

    Nestle in its response said, “We respect the work being done by organizations like CSE to improve consumers’ understanding of healthy and balanced diets. Maggi is intended as a light meal and can safely be consumed as part of diversified balanced diet.” McDonald’s said, “In India we take a lot of effort to ensure our food is safe for our customers and have stringent quality processes at every stage. At McDonald’s stores we use RBD Palmolein oil which is naturally trans-fat free.”(TOI)

    The companies blandly state that they can be consumed safely.

    When you use the term ‘safely’, we know that there is an element of risk associated with it.

    It is better to avoid these products altogether.

    Report by Hoax or Fact.

    ‘However, the story is a hoax. Kurkure is an evening snack that is manufactured using edible ingredients like rice meal, corn meal, gram meal, salt, spices, seasonings, etc., and is not dangerous for health. These are in fact the common ingredients in Indian kitchens as well.

    Kurkure does melt when you burn it, but again most of the salty snacks do the same. It burns because it contains carbohydrates. The plastic like substance that you see in kurkure is nothing but starch. The shiny plastic like look of kurkure is that of dried starch, which is not dangerous for health. It is the same thing that you can see over starched cotton shirts, or on rice cookers after the water dries on the side of the vessel. Also, there is no mention of such story in times of India.

    Kurkure does not contain plastic, the company officials explained the same. They believe that the hoax message should have been started by someone who does not like the brand.

    Sources:

    http://www.hoaxorfact.com/Health/plastic-in-kurkure.html

    http://www.cseindia.org/userfiles/Nutritional_Analysis_Junk_Food.pdf

    http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-03-31/india/31265892_1_trans-fats-trans-fats-gram

     

     

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  • Food Ads on Nickelodeon Slammed in Report-ABC News.

    Very true.In India many of the products advertised assume moral overtones-Those who use a particular brand of tooth paste do not lie;Uni Lever advertisement declares their Lifebuoy plus protects you completely from Swine flu!
    CSPI Says, Nearly 80 Percent of Food Ads on the Popular Children’s Network Advertise Food of Poor Nutritional Quality
    (CBS) Nickelodeon may be a kid-friendly network, but when it comes to nutrition they are serving up the wrong ads.

    According to an analysis conducted by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), “nearly 80 percent of food ads on the popular children’s network Nickelodeon are for foods of poor nutritional quality.”

    During an obesity epidemic in the United States, it’s hard enough for parents to control what their children are eating – and the group says airing a lot of junk food ads on Nickelodeon doesn’t help.

    Although the findings show a modest drop from about 90 percent in 2005, it’s not significant enough to make a dent.

    The CSPI points out that between the 2005 and 2009 studies, the food industry instituted a self-regulatory program through the Council of Better Business Bureaus, the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI).

    But for junk food lovers, self-regulation doesn’t always work.

    CSPI took a closer look at the practices of the food companies that participate in that self-regulatory program.

    They found that “of the 452 foods and beverages that companies say are acceptable to market to children, that 267, (or nearly 60 percent), do not meet CSPI’s recommended nutrition standards for food marketing to children.”
    The list includes: General Mills’ Cookie Crisp and Reese’s Puffs cereals, Kellogg Apple Jacks and Cocoa Krispies cereals, Kellogg Rice Krispies Treats, Campbell’s Goldfish crackers and SpaghettiOs, Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, and many Unilever Popsicles.
    “While industry self-regulation is providing some useful benchmarks, it’s clearly not shielding children from junk food advertising, on Nick and elsewhere,” said CSPI nutrition policy director Margo G. Wootan. “It’s a modest start, but not sufficient to address children’s poor eating habits and the sky-high rates of childhood obesity.”

    Puddings, cookies, or fruit-flavored snacks don’t meet CSPI’s nutrition standards – but they are fans of yogurt. Seventy-three percent of yogurts were up to par.

    •One of eight McDonald’s-approved meals, and 22 of 86 General Mills-approved products
    •Burger King only identified one meal as appropriate to market to children at the time of the study
    •A Kids Meal with Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, apple fries with caramel sauce, and a Hershey’s 1 percent milk

    Other foods that don’t meet CSPI’s standards include:

    •Fruit drinks, often high in sugar with little fruit juice as well as high-fat milk
    •PepsiCo’s 10 products that they say are appropriate to market to children
    •CSPI also has urged Chuck E. Cheese’s, IHOP restaurants, Topps Candy, Yum! Brands (which owns KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut) and Perfetti van Melle (maker of Air Heads candy) to join the CFBAI.
    •Four companies that belong to the CFBAI (Coca-Cola, Hershey’s, Mars, and Cadbury Adams) state that they do not advertise any products to children (according to the CBBB definition).

    http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/11/2416px/health/healthy_living/main5761832.shtml?wpisrc=newsletter