Believe me, I love a good donut! I just have had to learn like many, to eat only very few desserts to stay lean and healthy. So this information caught my eye.
Hostess, the maker of breads, donuts and snacks is once again filing for chapter 11 bankruptcy after just filing 3 years ago. They claim high employee pension costs and increased competition as the reason. After researching a bit, it seems that they made several concessions in their earlier bankruptcy that would increase their capital to help become profitable again. My question is, where did all the extra money go?
I have a suggestion for Hostess (which is also the maker of products by Wonder and Drake's. Remember Yodels and Ring Dings?) I have recommended for the past few years to all my clients and audience that they stay clear of trans fats or 'hydrogenated fats and oils and partially hydrogenated fats and oils.'
The dangers of these ingredients have been made available for quite some time now. For instance, I LOVE 'Funny Bones.' They are a chocolate cake with a chocolate coating and peanut butter type filling inside...but I stopped buying years ago because of the ingredients 'partially hydrogenated' oils. If you're wondering why food makers use those ingredients, it's because that process costs less to produce than using just simple fats and oils and they help increase a products shelf life.
Hostess however has ignored the fact that the public is now better educated and we DO NOT want these ingredients in our foods if we can avoid it. It is well documented that these 'trans fats' contribute greatly to cardio vascular disease, diabetes and cancer. These ingredients are still in most of their products, certainly all of their cakes, pies and donuts.
If Hostess would focus more on making their product line 'healthier' or at least less deadly, instead of worrying so much on fancy packaging they might actually win back some customers and increase sales. Because last time I checked, increasing sales usually helps eliminate having to file bankruptcy. I would certainly enjoy a very occasional 'funny bone' if the processed fats were left out!
So my message to you is to continue to 'ban' as many of the products as you can that contain 'trans fats' or 'partially or hydrogenated oils' so as to get the food companies to comply and make what they produce safer for us to consume.
Beware of the deceptive practice of the product label stating under TRANS FATS 0 or none...but if you look to the list of ingredients you'll many times find 'hydrogenated oils.' How can they do that you ask? It's politics as usual...if the ingredient is a small enough amount, the FDA allows it. I call it 'lying.'
For now, pass me the bowl of frozen strawberries with a couple of small squares of dark chocolate for dessert.
