It's official! Canola oil has a qualified health claim - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced that it has approved a qualified health claim for canola oil based on its ability to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease due to its unsaturated fat content. This is a positive message to North American consumers, says Barb Isman, Canola Council president.
"Canola oil is a good fat. We've said it all along and now the FDA agrees. Canola oil provides a simple and affordable way to improve heart health and that's great news," she says. "We're hoping as an industry of course, that the claim will encourage more food product designers and manufacturers to use canola oil rather than less healthy choices."
U.S. food manufacturers can include this claim on their packaging if their products contain a minimum amount of canola oil, and the Canola Council will support the use of this marketing tool. This is what you might read on containers of canola oil and eligible products in the U.S.:
Limited and not conclusive scientific evidence suggests that eating about 1½ tablespoons (19 grams) of canola oil daily may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease due to the unsaturated fat content in canola oil. To achieve this possible benefit, canola oil is to replace a similar amount of saturated fat and not increase the total number of calories you eat in a day. One serving of this product contains [x] grams of canola oil.
The U.S. Canola Association made the petition to the FDA last year, and consultants Johnson Nutritionals handled the application. For more on canola oil's qualified health claim, visit www.canola-council.org.
Expert seconds that healthy sentiment - Dr. Walter C. Willett, Harvard School of Public Health, touts the importance of good fats, especially canola oil, in his new book, Eat, Drink and Be Healthy.
In North Americans' zeal to cut fats, they have cut both the bad and good fats, according to Willett. But cutting all fats and increasing carbohydrates does little to protect against heart disease and may ultimately cause some harm.
Willett lists canola oil as one of the good fats that people should continue to include in their diets, not only because of its healthy attributes - low saturated fat, good levels of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat - but also because of its versatility. Canola oil has a mild taste and can be used in everything from sauteing and salad dressings to baking.
Trans fat on everyone's unwanted list - On the heels of the New York City Health Department's announcement that it plans to restrict trans fat in city restaurants, the World Health Organization has weighed in with its plan to rid the world of trans.
The WHO has recommended that the world's nations phase out partially hydrogenated oils if trans fat labelling doesn't help reduce trans fat consumption. Partial hydrogenation causes the formation of trans fatty acids in vegetable oil, and partially hydrogenated oils are found in many common food products. The WHO made its recommendation on trans fat to the Codex Alimentarius Commission, its food standards rulemaking arm.
"If the provisions for labelling of, and claims for, trans fatty acids do not affect a marked reduction in the global availability of foods containing trans fatty acids produced by processing of oils and by partial hydrogenation, consideration should be given to the setting of limits on the content of industrially produced trans fatty acids in foods," says the Codex plan.
The NYC health department announced September 26 that it would move forward with plans to limit the amount of food containing trans fat served by the city's more than 20,000 restaurants.
EU's GM food ban illegal, says WTO - The World Trade Organization ruled this past week that the European Union's ban of GM food was illegal, but it stopped short of supporting some of the charges levelled by the U.S., Canada and Argentina. The WTO's dispute panel also condemned the ban by six EU members - Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy and Luxembourg - on a number of products previously approved by Brussels. However, it stops short of arguing for the safety of GM foods.
The panel also avoided criticism of EU controls on imports of GM foods, or the right of countries to ban GM foods on health or environmental grounds. This means the WTO ruling will not necessarily result in EU policy change.
Labroquerie, MB targeted for crushing plant - Businessman Harold Trapp has spoken to media about plans to build a canola crushing plant in Labroquerie, MB. The plant would produce canola oil to be used in biodiesel fuel, he says.
The $16 million plant will be somewhere in the RM of Labroquerie, near the rail line that runs through the municipality. Trapp expects between 50 and 60 full-time jobs will be created.
Canadian growers using fewer herbicides - In-crop use of herbicides on cereals and oilseeds in Canada was down 1% and 7%, respectively in 2005, according to CropLife Canada. Overall pest control product sales declined 3%. Herbicides make up the majority of pesticide sales at 78%. For more information on CropLife's sales statistics, go to: http://www.croplife.ca/english/mediaroom/newsreleases/2006sept22release_03.html
StatsCan raises estimate of canola crop - StatsCan has pegged canola at 8.49 mmt, up from 7.97 in August. The estimate puts this year's crop as the third largest ever behind last year's record 9.66 mmt and 8.90 mmt in 1999. StatsCan also raised the average yield to 32.6 bushels per acre from 27.2 bu/ac in August.
Alberta commits millions to bioenergy development - The Canola Council has congratulated the Alberta government for its $239 million commitment to developing the province's renewable energy industry - biodiesel, ethanol and biogas - over the next five years. For the Council's full news release, click on: http://www.canola-council.org/about-us/media-news/media-releases/media-oct0306.shtml
Put a flower in your Arctic Cat ATV tank - Arctic Cat, manufacturer of all terrain vehicles (ATVs), has just completed development of a twin-cylinder diesel ATV, the first on the market. Arctic Cat is encouraging the use of a biodiesel blend in these ATVs. The company began manufacturing them within the last month.
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