THE

25 RESOLUTIONS NEW COLOURING FOR THE 1990s REGUlATIONS NEWFOOD MAFF'S MICROWAVES JRRADIATION DEAL CAMPAIGN MAGAZINE, SCHOOL MEALS Incorporati ng London Food News . Issue 8 Volume 1 • Jan/ March 1990 . £2.50 BUTTER VS. MARGE SURVEY SURVEY BABY MILK CATERING UNION'S - ~ COMPANIES HAZARDS PACK SlAMMED SAVING OUR FISH LmERS PlANTS:THE GENE BOOK REVIEWS REVOLUTION RECIPES GERMAINE GREER: PATTI RUNDALL'S FOODANDSEX DIARY T H E

ISSN 0953-5047 Vegan Society ' Vegetarian Society· The Food Magilrine Co- Women's Heal th Information Centre" ,eDibb Women in Medical Practice Tim lobslein Subscriptions/production Trades u.n.ionlworkers representatives: Sharon Smith MAGAZINE Bakers. Food and Allied Workers Unlon ' B,lUersea and Wandsworth Trades Union The Food Magazine is published quarlerly by the London Food Commission, London Food Commission Direc10r Council' Tun Lang 88 Old Street, London ECIV 9AR Telephone 01-250 1021 General Municipal Boilrrmakers and Allied Trades Union' PA to Director GMB Esse, Branch Gabridlr Jones GMB London BraslCh Administration Officer Health Visitors Association~ Keith Dickenson CONTENTS Institution of Professional CM.[ SerVaIlts' Associate stafr Manufacturing,Science and Technology Eric Brunner Union' Issv (lte-Hamilton RESOLUTIONS FOR THE 19905 Na tional Union of Pubtic Employees' Sat> EHili Royal College or Nm';ng Adrian. wba Twenty five leading campaigners' hopes for the decade 2-4 South East RegionTrades Union Congress' Mela.'1ie Miller TranspQn and General Workers U:'\lon' Pr.ler Sn.ell L:ruOfl of Shop, Distributive and Allied Tony Webb FOOD IRRADIATION Workers' New campaigll$ and a/leW book 8&9 D~ by Artworke". 402a 51 John Statutory!1oca! aul.horil)' bodies Stmt lnndon ECIV 4NJ _ Ealing College of Higher Education Pruned and ~lChed by S~de r web . Eating CommuniI}' Heal th Council 1~20 Su_ War, London N7 SPREADING THE FATS Enfield Community Health Council Butter, marge and low-fat spreads compared 12 & 13 Greater London Enterprise Subacription Rates: Hackney rood Policy Group UK Healthshare £12.50 mdividuais/sm,al! I,,'fOUpS Heart Disease & Stroke Programme orgamsalJons FISHING FOR THE FUTURE In suture of Trading Stand ards Aquaculture should replace hunting and gathering 15 & 16 Admi:nistration, Greater London Branch· Over-seas Islmgton Heallh EOucaGon Depanment l2I) mdMje<-t rl!' mesnbcrship ~ 1s londoo's NUPE's union guide to catering hazards 26 &27 RMniole Heahh AuLhority community and vo!unLlry gr~ ps , food Royal Borough of Kfn~ngton and (},f'lsea sector trade unions, statutory bOO ies and Reference Ubr..-y Interested individuBl5 and profession a~ . SouLhwark College SEX AND FOOD ToxX: Chemicals InformaGon Centre MEMBERS Germaine Greer on food, sex and pleasure 28 &29 Wandswor th Heallh Authority Voluntary organisations: Action and Information on Sugar' Associate Members represented on Action Research on MuJtiple Sclerosis Editorial 1 Coraline Walker awards 30 Council or Management Age Concern Hammer3milh and Fulham Colouring regulations 5 Foodfrom the pasl 31 Deborall Beswick' Asian Women's Network Or MichaelJofle' British Diabetic Association Microwave ovens 5 Book review 32 U,h, Prash,,- British-Turkish Committee Food safety fears 6 Problems and letters 32 GlenysThornton ' Catholic Aid for Overseas Developm~n t Baby milk Patti Rundall's diary Kathryn Webster' Cooperam-e Retail Services 7 36 Jack Winkler' Cooper"ti" Retail Society London Potitical School meals 10 Recipes for fish 37 Mary Whiting" CQmmitkt" Pesticides 11 l\'7tallhe jour7lll1s say Faustina Williams" Coronary Prtvention Group 38 Simon Wright' Croydon Frieods of the Earth Disabitity Resources Team Friends of Lhe EarLh 'indicates elec1ed member of Lhe Council of FoE Mus>l'ell Hill lndlan CuJtu.raI Associa tion National Housewives Association' 'vIanagement G~don HealLh Proje<-t Islington Friends of the Earth Pensioners IJnk Hackney u>unciJ for Racial Equality' National Council for Voluntary SouLh London Jewish Family Heritage HealLh Rights Organisations" Traslsnatiooals Information Centre London National Eczema Society Uniled Response EDITORIAL Food/addists/or the 1990s

big thank you to all our we work to allow the seed to readers and supporters. flower into a rational, equitable ADue to you all, so much food policy. headway was made in the 1980s. Consider that remarkable 1989 The 1990s will in many respects fight against Alar. The company be very different. which made this particular plant This time ayear ago, the pu blic growth regulator withdrew it in scandal aboutfood poisoning was the USA Pressure from Europe, in full swing. It was aclassic case particularly in the UK from of vested interest versus the Parents for Safe Food, led to the public interest. Our moles in the product being withdrawn world· Ministry of Agriculture assure us wide. A victory for common­ that the Ministry was astounded sense, but aword of caution. [n by the public reaction. The this country it is still legal to use approach to food policy which daminozide, the active ingredient earlier in this century Walter in Alar. MAFF has not banned it. Runciman, President of the Board The onus is on consumer groups of Agriculture Oater to be MAFF) described as to keep up the pressure to get damin ozide banned. 'business as usual' could not cope with public International pooling of information and scrutiny. The Ministry reiterated that everything experience should be a priority for us all in the 1990s. was under control. That is why [for one cheered so loudly when that Ayear later Government has had to do a U·turn. marvellous group, the Baby Milk Action Coalition The Government is de-regulating by inclination, anti· (BMAC) , won aCaroline Walker Trust Award. It is no local authority in rhetoric, and anti·interventionist by accident that BMAC and Parents for Safe Food, two ideology But it has been forced to toughen up organisations which have been so effective in recent regulations, give an extra £30 million to years, have been motivated mainly by mothers but environmental health officers and launch a major supportedby all. They have argued with powerful public relations exercise with the Food Safety Bill. logic that women and parents everywhere have the After saying for month s that the Ministry already right to feed their children well and safely. But they acted on the consumer's behalf, a 'new' Food Safety have organised and th ought internationally. Directorate has been created with an extra £4 If I have one public wish for the 1990s, it is that we million to spend. It must have been hard to can build on the new glo bal consciousness and stomach. expand the 'think global, act local' principle into Our main concern is that by promising tougher 'think global, act local, organise international'. action on food safety - though not as tough as it The new public health ,environment and socially should be - the Government is ignoring wider conscious public is a 1980's phenomenon which gave iss ues. A historic opportunity to shape fo od policy the lie to the supposedseliish traits of the decade. [t and law for the 1990s has been missed. Action on is this new questioning appr oach which the Minister food poisoning is promised, but clause 16 (1) (c) of of Agriculture John Gummer must so fear that he has the Bill allows th e Minister to legalise any new termed it the mark of 'food faddi sts', which means process or technology, such as irradiation - a anyone he doesn't like and is beyond his control. technology which cannot solve the problems of fo od The phrase reminds me of Harold Macmillan's poisoning. memorable slogan 'you've never had it so good'. But what lies ahead) For us in the consumer, Mr Gummer's phrase could also be taken to environmental and public health movements it too indicate a contempt for us all, whi ch will probably must be 'business as usual'. We must be wary of boomerang on its originato r. Whoever we are, we food policy tokenism, just as Friends of the Earth want a good quality, healthy, environmentally so und warn us of green tokenism. Above all, we must and affordable diet which we can be proud of, learn from our experience in the 1980s. If the 1970s whether we just eat it, produce it or feed it to our was about preparing the ground and the 1980s about children. We are all food faddists now. sowing th e seed, the 1990s must be the period when Tim Lang ---­

My hopes

Professor Philip James To hold these huge co nglomerales La La the inIormalion required for such a Director, Rowell Research Institute account we need to know who owns slrategy. The policyshould be pari of a In this, our first what. Parent companynames on the broad health promotion policy. The issue of the new The 19 food ou our shelves. It mighl pul compleLely. however. we know Ihi\) decade we must belif'\'e that all food esLab~ shm ent~ cripplutg levi es on crap food and oUer Go\'ernmen t is hand ing love with agri­ have more informa­ induding airlines shouldhave to uffer a subsidies to the really nutriiious things. tion about thefood vegetarian allernativeon their menu . business and .,.,ill notliff afinger against rulile ~'ery ieast it would beg i.n to bring chai n Not just of them, Let us prayIhal Labou 'l" ijq will ,boul tlle food ,,,,'olution that Bntain thegrass, sheep. be braver and will haveachanct.: of has beenneeding for the lasl 50 year.;. lamb chop vari e~', Aubrey Sheiham implementing afood revolution lat el" in One orth ~ HI'st th ings it c.oulrl do bUI who owns and Prof~ sS(} r ofCom mun£ty Dentot Health the 90s. Vo1)uld be tu rdta:,e the adver tising markets wh at brands. We g1ve tremen­ induslrYf rom the drudgery and dOll Spower to companies thai hide Food is emcr¢ng asan important health and [1Olitical issue in many indu strialised Tony de Angeli humiliation of writing copy which behind a vast range of subsidiaries. Editor, The Grocer suggests that rubbish and junk food s Birds Eye, Brooke Bond, Mattesons, countries, but the main debates on food arc actually good for you . Al l that have been aboul individual constituents Walls and John Weslare just someof the I wish Ihal in the money could be channelled in tOmakin g of foods: thedangers of specific pesti­ hundreds of Unileverowned companies, New Year th ere truthful TV conunercials about good cides, of fats and sugars. We need a· whilst names associated with Nestle's cou ld be a much food. At first there might not be many comprehensive farm-food- nutrition $27 billion nJrnover are Car nation, more subdued , conunerdals bur it wou ld be astar l policy formulated by grou ps without Chambourcy,Crosse and Blackwell, constructive, Fox's, Libby's, Row nlree's and Sarson's, vested interests. with fr eedom of access

2. rnl fOOIl ~W.VI" E. J,.,Vi.{ \HRi9'ill rthe 1990s

helpful and co-operative anitu de so often, and wh en it does nutrition­ of organic producers and afar more weaknessesotfood labelling), I shall concerning hea lth and food. What is ists and jour nalists work together to precautionary stance on hazards such as keep fi gh ting on the familiar battle­ sad is that all the artacking and makesure that the public is presented additives, pesticides and food irradiation. ground. Ihope to see Britain's ap palling defence mechanisms see mto be in with a balanced and factually accurate On these, andon fo od intolerance and CHD mortal ity slatistics lail dramatically immovab le positi ons. The result is a picture. the effects ofthe modern Wester ndiet du ring the 19905. This will be achieved sauce that goes with everything. on physical and mental health, we need a onlythrough national diet liIestyle, and called Media Relish. programme of independenl good- food manufactu ring changes on a big Ann Foster quality research. The un healthygrip 01 scale. Food Poli cy Advis er, National food manufactu rers in policy matters Cons umerColtncil Michael Hindley must be loosened to include strong MEP Dr Michael Jacobson consumer rep resentation. None of this Iwou ld like t~. ~(.( adecline in th€ Executive Director, Cenler for Science will happenwithout afirm lead fromthe Iwould like to see a ri sing wave of number of all types of food poisoning in Ihe Public In terest, Washington, government of theday. anger at the subsidised over produ c­ cases. In recent years th ere ha:; been a USA tion of food, wh ich serves on ly to steady upward trend in the number of Tony Venables swe ll the colfers of the agri·bu siness, reported cases,cu tminating in the sharp Director, Bureau of European The 19'XIs wi ll be a race belween depress Th ird World agricu lture by increasesofl988and 1989. It would be Co nsumer Unio"s healihfu l. natural food sand phoney lood s dumping and ru in the co untr yside. nice irtm could see the end 01 this of uncertai nnutritional value. Olestra. Th e Eu ropean Community would upward trend. This would be thebest I hope that the EEC will lake on a ace~\l l fame-K. sucralose, alitJme. OuHy be fo rced to aban don the Eur o­ newsof all for co nsumers. responsibility for consu mer interests in ce ll ulose,and ingredients still-undream t­ centrist Common Ag ricultural Po licy I would like to see progress madeon safety and quality oflood. and not jusl the ofin the minds of chemists will chal lenge (CAP) and negotiate a 'World Food the legislativefron t. In the UK, this free circulation olloodstuHs in the toxicologists, government regulator.:; Policy', wh ose central principle woul d means that the Food Bill should be a internal market. AE uropean Food and and consumers to identify and shlln Ihe­ be the hu man rig ht to cheap. whole­ genui ne consumer protection measure. Drug Administration should be set up. bad and select the good. Iam sure, so me nutritious food. In the EC. there needs to be a far greater Its purpose should be to strengthen and though, thal readers of The Food commitment tn introducing esse nti al speed up the work of scientilic commit­ MagazillewiU be among thelirsl to know consu mer Jlrolecf.ionmeasu res before tees in assessing newhazards and thefacts abou t the brave new world of Lynn Stockley th e trade bar riers (:\"enlually come down overcoming the backlog of work which is good recognisable.and healtltful food s. Nu trition Officer, He alth Education by tlJe end of 1992. It is the Duly way needed to assess the pesticides and Authority that the single European market wiU additives which have never been work to the benefil of all. subjeeted to proper scrutin y. Such an First and fore­ Im is also going 10 be the year of age ncy would also be responsi ble for The Rt Hon Jack most, in th e MAFF's new Food Safety Directorate overseeingeruorcement and the 1990s, Iwou ld like Ashley and theConsumerPanel. Both initiatives collection of more reliable statistics on MP to see the intro­ have had a somewhat mixed reception. food poisoning. It is essential, th ough, duction of It will be nice to look back in ayear's thai such an agency should be fully compul so ry time and agree tha~ at last consumers accountableand that Consumer and comprehensive reallyd id achieve a strong and e(fective otherpublic interest organisations preparation and nu trition labelli ng voice ill foodpolicyin 1990. shou ld haveaccess to it of meals is on all pac kaged hOIDf' foods. using a standard for ma l. Jonathan Aitken I hope 1m Second ly. 1989 has seen a plethora Earl Baldwin of MP theyear of scares about food. The n' is no Bewdley the public doubt that som e of these were entirely Membe r, Hou.se 0/ Lords Th ecrusade to promote good health ,."lise thaI d", pre-requ isile ol lood well founded and necessar y to bring through good food is likely 10 have a safety is public pressureand government about action . Ot hers were completely Food and health high priority on the political and intrr venlio n. unfound ed. often taking sc ien tific are intimately Parliamentary agenda UI the Ims. As I"""k full infomlation, effective connected and we finding s out of context. The pr ob lem an initiator of one ot the earliest food and monitoring aJl d recognition that the need more is like that of the boy who cried 'wol f'. health debates in the Houseof consu mers' int erests should prevailover recognition of soo n people will no t believe any oC Commons (my 16)uly 1984 adjourn ment the manufact urers'. The content quality this at govern­ these sto ri es, and consumer and debateon the preven tion of coronary and taste of foodare essential ingrediems ment level. This health pressure groups will have lo st hear tdisease (CHD), which highlighted ollile. TIley should secure afirm place wiU entail greater an important tooL 1 hope that in the the lale Caroline Walker's 'socks and on the Parliamentary agenda and not just encouragement 1990s food does nol hit the headlines sausages' routine to demonstrate the be an occasional sensational item.

mtJtlflfl M"W.:Ni:": 'j.\N / M..\ R,,,.11:.. 3 The 1990s

Susie Orbach whi ch we stuii the turkey for goodand Sir Richard Body health problems, Writer and therapist resort to kinder mann erS in fa'r ming, MP Agreat deal of progress has been food, health, aDd the laDd and aUits made on 'greeo' issues and ov er I thin k food is an denizens. 'fIhat an amazing concerns about food Quality. Cru ciaJ ly, anxiou s area for change there has attempts to shift blame onto consumers many peopl e, Dr Michael O'Connor bee nin the 1980s over and homemakers ha ve been resisted . especially wom f' n Direc/o r, Co ronary Prevention our attitude to food. There is now a need for agreater (we feed others Group My wish for the 1990s sense oJsocial responsibility as we and that mean~ is for us to keep up enter the 19905. The food economy is love and caring, but To help remove the momentum and so effective ly multi·nati onaJ and th e intf'r nationaJ dimension will become we are supposed to the UK from the year 2000 we mayS<'c be wary of food ourselves), and the top oilhe world two more big change:>-anend to the increasingly important. As the world economy is constantly being reSlruc· nfwtheories on what constitutes league for dea th s cruel ty in our slaughterhouses and an tured, con trol ol'('r thr process!1f 'h,.lthy' food ti~h t e n Ihis pressure from coronar y e[ld to the hlgh taxes on food imported ch ange res(s in toofew hand s. The further. In the ab~e nce of government heart disease we Irom outside the f Ee. policy Ihal sets SIJUldards Cor Cood need national and most difficult challeoge is to bring Ihe safeI)' il bet'om..lh. responsibility oC EC food policies disenfranchi$cd Into ll1f'debate. Illt ind~'i d ual WOlMn in the indi,idual which provide Tony Webb tamil)' to ensure Ilu!I the population is affordable, h'gh quality food fo r Food Irradiation CaMpaign Gay Palmer hl'a(lh ~' _ Thi", i~ nol a good "Silll..tiun l'veryone and are geared 10 th e Baby Milk Artion C.. llli.. I'd like to set us, as ac-uhure, take nutritional needs u( the (' o n ~ u mer My hope s an IGr Ihe Rovrrnmf'"nt to more r"spclear biihi~ ";, all tWer the wlltld. ' a'o'atierly to fet'd htr bab~' only t:'\'er ~' baianred infor rn.ationabuut thtir ,'goal .t will not sell irradiatrd hood . In reality. we hopt! thr. growln,g threr hours: i! women dft'nl tJd prodm'ls, H~alth I;" ducalinnand 'lWaff>nf5,'i of churd" t OI}!!iumt>r. union on~rwt'ight by her rlol,.'UJr cnn be tuld he.alth) sc hoollneals (an encourage and ::.tudenl groupsall O\""rf the world "j usl gt) on adiet dear.' Lh" demi.., c.1n )'oung P<'nple to . clOpl health, diets. Jonathon Porritt thllt is fUf'llinJ{ ami ex palldin~ the TJimrar, Fyi,.., 'fth' forlh tell thechUd 'w' don'teat s".ets do No'tlt boyeo" wi ll reach into the heart:; w('r Su{h utternrn."es rna)" souml Bob Stevens uf those blinkered peoD'Ie-~h() h3\'l' bNIf'~'l}lenl but they mis:s till: ~i3 1 I h.tve ""0 mtlill hOPf.·:i fur lhc 1990s. \'iolatt'd the importanl rnarkt:ting (oJe. and psycho]ugkall'ontext in .... hich P,bli, n••I!!t hope thai publil' anxitly about food foodtxi~ls . TIlcyrlo n'I'reform ' :s.aIUy 'A·mharden into a. roheren t Th f' r e"pD n ~ihi1ity cilmpaign lor all unambiguou~ foo d ppople's pT1lc t ici..'~ but ('omr a(ro-S ::. .15 Apologies to The Green Farty punitive,

manufacturers. high aM roughly in lin e with amounts Microwave The 24 models failing to heat foo d New colouring used by industry aJread] MAPF admi15 0 evenl yand thoroughly to 70 Cwere: that anyone drinking tWIJ pin~ 01swol deal leaves Boots: ModelSOO regs {inadequate' would exceed th edaily reannmend.ed Brothec MFI200PW/ MF3200DB inloke of E150 caram el. Electrolux: NF40611 I limited use of certain colourings: consumers cold NF4065/N F4076 he Ministry of Agriculture, E127 ery\hrosine, use only for glace Goldslac ER350ME/ER535ME Fisheries and Food's s the Food Magazine goes to che rrie~ Hoovec H63 l2 T announcment before Christmas 128 red 2G, use only in meal products press new research showsone in Matsui: 200TC of new regulationson colourings in food and analogues, three microwave ovens fai led to A Moulinex:059 has been criticised by the Food 154 brown FK, use only for cured fi sh heal food adequately in tests carried out Philips: AVM0!.5/ AVM734 Additives Campaign Team (FACT) for FACT comment that it is />OS-!ible to buy by government scien tists. But MAFF failing to be acting in consumers' best Proline: M3030 giate cherries wilhoul E127, SO why ~ iI5 have refused to publish the full results interests. RusseU Hobbs: 8504 "" permiffed' The red co/Quring 128 ~ because, we understand, theministry Samsung: RE570D / RE576D / FACT says thai MAFF has ignored US€d by meat produd mak", Wco/Qur/al agreed with manufacturers not ID RE990CT con sumers' concerns about additive use, and rusk 0 l",n, pink meal colour' which disclo se the information in return for test Sanyo: EM2714BR particularly by still pennitting colours is at essence a legalised fra ud on consvmen. ovens provided free o!charge. Sharp:R·7A50M/R-8H50(B)T known to provoke intolerant reaction s in The FoodAdvisory Cornmitlee But the uproar following the reve la­ Toshiba: ER96!OEW·1/ER9630E foods marketed ID children and by not originally proposed reducing the amount tion that the manufactureFS had been told Tricity: MH1081 improving ~bellingof additives. The key of caramels in soft drinks by three­ the resul ts bu tnot consumers led the I As urvey by the Institution of MAFF proposals are as foUows: Quarters, but has backed do,"", on this manufacturers themselves to name th e Environmental Health Officer; fonnd • So..c.alled natural additives crocin, and several other points foUowing 24 models which failed the government that 2,858 out of 5,622 restauran ls, pubs, sanLilin and the solvent extrac ted pressure fro mthe food industry: says Dr tests. But while some co mpanie ~ such take-a ways and other outlets versions of annatto, canthaxanthin and Erik Millstone of Sussex University. as Come" withdrew models and offered investigated were using domestic rather C.l.psanthin/capsorubin may be removed 'Mo st of their proposals will haveno customers arefund, others only issued than commercial microwave ovens. from the permitttd lisL FACT effect on industry. By setting maximum revised instructions such as 'put food on • Heating foods in microwave ovens comment that both crocin and santalin edge of turntable and stir or move during levels so high, they've done nothing to produces potentially dangerous changes are rarely used by the industry anyway, reduce the level of additive use.' cooking.' to aminoacids, according to Austrian bllt the restrictions on solvellt-atracled The survey found 24 out of70 models research published in The lancet last coloun·ngs are welcome. tested were failiog to heat food ID 7ff'C December. Researchers at Vienna I Legislative controls 'may' be throughout- theguideline tem perature University's Paediatrics Department considered if voluntar y restricti ons on for destroying bacteria such as compared baby milks heated in the use of the word natural are found to SalmoneUa and Listeria For 10 models microwave ovens with those healed in a be inadequate. FACT comment thai temperatures below6O"Cwerefound water bath , and (oundthe microwaved trading standards officers showed two and in the worstcase atemperature of samples contained two types of years ago that up to 90 per cent of uses jusl440C was recorded. abnonnal amino acid associated with of the word natural were misleading, so The survey alw found that the neurotoxic and immunological why not legislott immediately? wattage po werof ove ns varied by up to problems. • No co louring to be permitted in 24 per cent fromthat stated by the butter. cream. milk, tea, coffee. cocoa, ch ocolate (except chocolate fillings) fruit .- .- . employed and the conditions of use. juices. raw meat. fi sh, fruit and - . Chocolate's However, CadburyUmited and, [ believe, vegetables, nour and bread, (except theresl of the UK chocolate industry do brown, malt and wholemeal breads) dark secrets II not use Brazilian cocoa Regrettably, table wines, mustard powder, honey and th erefore, there is littleinfluence we can extra-fruit jamsand jellies. Kchocolate manufacturers bring 10 bear in that part of the world'. FACT commenllhal many of these loods including Cadbury's have been But according to government are already free ofco!ouri'lg, bllt the table statistics, the UK imported over a million win es are a welcome new addition. Why. U quick to try to distance themselves from the appalling conditions kilograms of Brazilian cocoa beans in the asks FACT, are flrOWI1 and wholemeal faced by Brazilian cocoa workers nine months to September 1989. This brwds exempl, and why nol ext... the highlighted in our article, Choco~te's may bejust on eper cent of total cocoa colovringfree 1~llo the range ofloods dark secrets, in the last issue of 7ht Food bean imports but it would make a lot of likely w be eat'" by yovng chiltJren' Magazine. chocolate. • limits on £150 caramel in certain Cadbury'swrote to aconcerned Cad bury's are just one of the UK foods: readec ·1 have a great deal of sympathy chocolate manufaclurers represented by Beer (except stout) up to 5UOO mg/kg with your comments about the IDtaJJy the trade associatioD,The Biscui" Cake, Beer (slDut) up ID 10,000 mg/kg unsatisfactory practices which take place Chocolate and Confectionery Alli anc~ Morning goods (bun s, croissan ts etc) whose response to our article is printed up to 2000 lng/kg on Brazilian cocoa plantations, both with E127 may be banned from products 00 page 33. FACT commenl thallhe leve~ are sliil regard ID the nature of the pesticides hke these

THE FOOD MAGAZlNE tJAN/ MAR 1~ .5 NEWS

per cent of former egg buyers now buy were trusted less than larger co ncerns, Food/ears less or none at all. which were assumed to have better Over three-quarters said thai food standards, laster turnover of produce WO large surveys of consumer poisoning concerns now influ enced and more to lose if things go wrong. co ncerns about food hazard s what they bought, 72 per cent were Package tampering was also a T both report rising anxiety inJluenced by additives, liS per cenl by concern , with credit be i.n ggiven to anlOng the British public aboulthe cholesterol, 66 per cent by sail and companiesthatQwckly withdrew quality of the food OlfYare sold. sugar and 61 percent by a fear of suspeeled food s and ro-packaged the~ In a sur vey published last October pesticides. In a separate srud y Food range in tamper- proofcontainers. tor Marketing over half of consumers Confidence by the Strategic Research Companies who denied the problem or questioned said they did nol feel food Group the Government again came in were slow to withdraw stoc k gained a compani es could be trusted to put for criticism for showing too li ttle bad reputation. interest or objectivity. Th e study health and safety before profit Nearly Soorres: Cnsis In t:ood. r ~ h.ed by Diagnostics three-quarters said they were confused involved adozen discussion groups fo r Milrl:tliltf. ZIi .1Qi8 (det.Iik(l].J.7J.) ~) ; Food Coo6rl encc r l~.mll1td b1 (}.,~ I kJ~ r 1Od'Tlr.l abo ut whom to believe: only two per around the country and concluded that MIns fur S::n~ c ~h Urnup', ()(,n~ 1!Jt!9 cent believed the Governm ent smaller retailers and food compani es h~{J l 1C71ilm'1 . completely, while nearly 60 per cent befieved them only a little or nol al all . Ow.1O..c.taliMJ. .. _ _ _

Asked if ~lere were any stores or DIll Xldauil ...... W; 5 ' . .... "_' ...... S brands thai they could Irust, Marks and _....,lallleLtladaa' gh al P ',' 'n ad Spencer aDd Heinz lopped the CUtdIa _1iIIDd. unprompted replies, 'Nilh 26 per cent had. Ie. i •...... _ ...10..__ 8 and ].I per cent respectively. But 54 per blaJDe fDrilad S 4 ' ..dim ....'--. .. ?,.. .. cenl oflh e 141 shoppers questioned majadly IIId tPtIywwPdlllllPt a.."...alfladl, __ sa id they couln not think of a brand .bigPIIr~ fPt..at,...,.alilodpoh .. . Ia..~ 01 name they Irusled com~elely , and 40 lite 71 i!IIt...-a PIIIIt...._ Pa ....alPPllPlll1Plll".. per cent could not think of a completely IlIadlllldlDadl ...,wwPd....",.,u-,w21PPtlO ..~

lrustworthy retailer. ~ bed 7 dilodCIIIIIPgbL Of those shoppers who used lO buy meat pate. 77 per cent have now cu i =-'=" ...... __.._.,...... ---- back or slopped buying it Twenty three

says T~ Lang of the London rood the UK's food conglomerates cancarry which is independent of government, Glasnost at Commission. 'All food prerruses would on adulterating quile legally and the Consumers' Assoc iation. Neither be better licensed, not registered. Yo u lobbying for their approach to the LFC, Friends of the Earth nOr MAFF? are not allowed Lo drive a car with out it European standards.' Parents for Safe Food have been invited and yourself being deemed safe and fit MAFPs food safety work is being onto the panel. 10 drive. Registration will be red ta pe reorganised into a new Food Safety Tim Lang for the LFC said: 'For one ighteen months after the wilh fewadvanlages. And MAW s Directorate with an extra aJloca ti on of dreadful momen l lthoughl MAFF launch of the London Food commitment to clean up food is in £4 million. But it is too earlyto judge mighl do something intelligenl and E Co mmission's Food Quality do ubl while Clause 16 (1) (c) in the Bill whether its effecls will be more than a invite some of us on. I need not have Charler calling [or more democracy, gives the Minister power to legaJise public relations exercise. worried.' less secrecyand more action on food irradiation which is widely recognised The Panel is to meetquarterl y, and poiso ning, safety and adulteration. the as a dangerous irrelevancy in tackJing NEW CONSUMER PANEL terms of reference have not yet been Ministry of Agriculture, Fisherirs and food poisoning.' Also announced by John Gummer is clarified. One particular sticlting poinl food have an nounced their new Food As the last opportunity to clean up a new Consumer Panel to be 'a direct is whether the consumer bodies will be Safety Bill, a new Consumer Panel and ils load poficy before 1992 , the Food means of conveying their vi ews on food allowed full access to the Ministry's a Fnod Safety D~ec toral e. Safety Bill may be a missed opporruni ty. safety and consumer protection issues information. The Food Safely Bill gives lougher The LFChas setoul it's case in its (0 lhe Ministr y'. Invitations to nominate The LFC's Food Quality Charier penalties for infringements and briefing paper 'Food Legislation: time 10 representatives have gone to 6ve called for MAFF to be reorganised into promi ses better training for food grasp the nettle' (October 1989;£2.50) , stale-funded groups (the a Ministr y of Food. The emphasis is han dlers. Food premises are 10 be and says tha t by focusing on saiety, National Consumer Council, the Welsh still on farming and manufacturing, registered, 'lVith controls to cover the MAFF ignores the weight and range of Consumer Council, the Scottish with retailers, cate rers and consumers wh ole food chain. An extra £30 million the consumer and public heaJth Consumer Council, the General largely excluded. Time will tell if the is to go La local authorities for movement's concerns about UK food Consumer Council of Northern Ireland consumer panel is a sop to defu se environmental health officers. and dieL Lang adds: 'The cynical view and the Consumers in th e European consumer outrage or aslep in the right But the Bill does not go far enough , is that by conceding alittle on safety, Community Group) and only one group direction.

&+ mE FUOl>M AGAlIN [tJAN/ MAl! I ~ NEWS

regional health worker.; singing local Baby milk soogs and calling on Nestie to stopkilling their babies. company Patti Rundall, coordinator of the UK's Baby MilkAction, visited a typical Philippin ehospital which had been tactics refurbished by Nestieten year.; earlier. She found that all the babi es were being slammed routinely bollle-fed on Nestie milk in a nursery. Mothers were forbldden by staffto have their babi es beside them , I am prepared to sue any and NesUe posters advertising their hospital which gave my milks adorned the walls. newbor nbaby a formula feed The UK team included health visitor without my wife's permission', Isla Cameron, whohas been finding announced Professor David Morley, or gastr~nteri bs amo ng bollle-fed babies London University's Institute of Child in liverpool. 'My work is made all the Health and an intern ationally renowned more dif6cult by the way co mpanjes paediatrician, at theBaby Food Network undermin e breasdeeding. They wine Forum in Manila lasl October. Ob"" OIl , t,. ""'c',. LOt " t,rr If'" f ~· I . I· ' II CIO' .. ' It', ~h (> (lour In tht bIll net of and dine us and givelecturesoninfant He went on to say that there is good Olle''''' I.. 'O U '" .tld Sut (htll, we're o nly humIn. Professor Morley, 10 brief a lawyer and The UK government signed the win acase against any hospital.' World Health Organisation's marketing • Phillipines President MrsAquino code restrictingcempany activities in declared 12 October to be Natio nal 198 1, but then adopted an industry· Breastleeding Day. and Forum dele­ drafted,less restrictive code in 1983. gates mounted a massive motorcade Despite some strengthening in 1989 the through the Marula city streets to dump UK code does not yet comply with the hundreds of discarded baby milk cans on WHO code. lhe doorstep of NesUe's in protestagainst Details: Baby Milk Actiol! 0223464420. the company's continued disregard for inlernationallyagreed marketing Now read Patti RundaD', restrictions. Delegates lhenjoi ned Diary, page 32.

through a vel Farmers may nUx it Treatment ofo ne cowcan contaminate Sul/adimidine - a themselves and thedrug, one of the the bulked milk sup pl yfroru 60,000cows $ulIonamide antibiotics, maybe adver­ above permitted concentrations. It was Jarmerceutical' for the chop? tised direct to farmers. also detected ill six per cent of pig It has beenknown since 194 3that carcasses. sulfonamides ad mi nstered to rodents Fluctuations in the market and the e note that residue levels ki dneys sampled from butchers' shops ,W induce goitre. Resu lts pub ~ shed in 1989 inconvenience of switching feed s for the of sulfadimidine were still revealed residues of the antibiotic. Half show long·term feeding resu lted in the animals' last days before slaughter cause high in pig kidney of these (o .e. 14 percent of the total) development of neoplastic lesions and a farmm to fiout advice on withdrawal samples. Residues were also found in exceeded themaximum acceptable risk of cancer. The authori ties in the periods for drugs such as sulfadimidine. kidney samples from cattle and calves. residue ofO. lppm. USA have proposed to ban sulladunidine Vets,unlike dodors, generally ;;ell This suggests that withdrawal periods for Pigs in intensive systems are under fcalled sulfamethazine in the USA) in the drugs they prescribe. and in farming pigs were commo nly beingabused, the constant stress and threat of infectionin farming fro mmid·I990, and are already practices may derive a large part of their dosing instructions were not being the five and a half months in whichfeed refusing to allow the pharmaceutical incomefromthese sales. Such vets may followed or, more likely, a combinati on of andgrowth boosters fatt en themto indu stry to introduce it in new mixtures condonethe use of thedrugs as at least a several factors including these two.' slaughter weighl Sul fadirru dine is added for far ming use. poor substitute for the stockrnansh ip the So reported a MAFFFood to feed lo counter the prevalent infec· Thedrug is not recommended for animalsare deilled. Surveillance paper in 1987 following a tionsofthe respiratorytractand gul It is dairy cattle yet US tests found residues in survey in which 28 per cent of pigs' a presrnption-only medicine obtained 3 outof 4 bulked milk samples. Alan Long

IH E-mUD MAGAZl.'>![ tjA1'1 lNAJ1 LQojJ t 7 Food irradiation - Th

sthe published a 'positive lis!' of aU the common coocerns about the issue. irradiation facilities world-wide !lnd government major supermarket chain s including Uke the earlier edition, the book sets the inadequacy of current conLro\s for A Teseo, C

irraJiatlon as a solu tio n to Ihe science including sytematic bi as and own pub-lic healt h message on THE problems of fo od poi sonin g and misrepresentation of th e sa fety increased consu mpt ion of fresh TECHNOLOGICAL world hunger, lh ere are (ew research. Ther e is a ma ss of data unprocessed iood at a l im t ~ whrn problems and many ben efi ts from indi ca ting serious adversl: d fect s who le sections of the pop ulation FIX this tcc" bnology. To crit ics , whi ch fr om feeding irrad iated food to alrf'ady hav e dietilry deficien cie s. now includ e most major (onsom er, animal s. Many of th e cl aims that • There

eight per cent defi nitel y saying ABIG 'NO' TO yes to 'would yo u buy it?' FOOD The Consum ers' Association poll co nfirm ed that th e more IRRADIATION peo ple know about foo d irradiation, the less happy th ey In February 1987. th e LF C are. publi shed the Marplan finding s of An d in Ihe biuest sample 10 the fir st publi c opi nion poll on dale of i,'921 for the food irradiation. It showed that. Nei lson/Henley Centre for gi ven a choi ce, only 13 per (('ni forec asting survey in Apr il·June would bu y irradiated (ood. 1989. 71 per cent sa id they wou ld Similarly la st Jun e. only 13 per nol buy irradiated produce. cent of nearly 2,00 0 peopl e sampled Overwhelming ly po lls find Ihal by th e Consum ers' Assoc ia tion lh e UK publ ic rejects irradiate d said th ey would definitely buy food. irradiated food . And TV's 4 Whal It's Worth in May 1989 found only

The Reaction to Food Iradiation

Would not buy Would bu y 10% 71% -

Uncertain 19%

!source: Cll u .!- oili/Neil s(l n/ Henl ey Ce ntre f~H Pu recashn g 1989 - - - - TH EroOD MAGAZlNEtJAN/MA-R 19m .9 NEWS

('fill of lhe children 1lOOng packed lunch but in one sur vey 70 per crnt of still dId 001 SjJ('fId mOll<'V on addilion.l food School meals The cost of mineral waters left staIlding at room and drink ilt"lS at school. Research " temperature for three days were net"dt"d 10 determine w~tln:, r the price of contaminated with bacteria al lrvels survey shows • sdloo! meal,1'lI'1i<:uiarly for d,u,.. clean water abovethe EC minimum and Perrier parenb with mort' U'1!1V one child. is a water has been found to co ntain a what's wanted major "'lOr inJIu<:nrinR ..hoolmcal ith improvements to the upllke C."""",>Iy d", m.jorir; o! high nitrate level. Soma researchers water systemcosting at advise that bottled water is not safe oltingham Coun~' C."lIlcil. chihllffi e:uing out>ide o:hnol pn-n1bes Wleasl £22 billion and , ilh for babies. alarmed at d,e d"""'~11li ' 1l'1'11)\'''' 7, peoce 00 ,ood i!I1U drinl;, :3 hare ho ld e r ~ ' dividend s to be fo und, Th e report says that wa ter filters N nnmber o( children e-.ilIng and th< ~t1lll" 1DQrt' pmnouIk.,..j in Ih< an estimated 30 percent 01 the may be effective in removing organic ",h",~ 01111","" loIlowing th, Ill&'! chang. olrif.r agl' group. For Ih ~'1 set."1.flf (l ne popu lation could face fi nanrial residue!'\ but not nitrales from water. in lhi· ~'Itdil 'J-1"'" called on the """eg)' II> '''''''''CdII";rl,001 ""'" "pUke hardship lollowing water priva ti53­ mlghl be lu rn,:OO, I'lI'"nl> uf cbildrtll . hu In addition bacteria! growth may be a lInin:!sly.... FlJoo..:.aenct" [)f'parlmrnt 10 lion , according to a Dew report from buy Imll! Io.:al simp,;, ,nd ~ho theretort hazarrl bothin theDl!.",.".l and in im·f"itlga!t-. ThE' im1":<.llgal.or31IJvt: ,...·lI t 111. Public H... llh Alliance, sper.d 1Jl(,,,, m",,,y, awart~f th< 111. filtered waterfrom which 71" fi,J(/ MIiglJZJMI dHJill, oi tlW The report", launched in prelim,",,,, iindir~ .ldl'a1lk1g<$ of having acbroper alld chloriDe has betn extracted , NO\'Cmbcr ]9&I "ilb 111. support of ")" ....'11 x;.°('nd,ary '.rhi ~*" buUI I,,'~lh ic r ;choal ,""oJ, The rtpOrl makes recommenoa­ the In.tillltion ofEnl'ir(Ul rn enW tJprr.ltill~ ~4~h ('.a(d.:n..'l. .3 ~":Jt'm~ were If pupil, ealing Qu1>id e,d•.,1 ti'IJos. 1"0 en!-1.u re the Quality Qi drinking lleallh Ollioo;, raise'S public health ",,vtalt-d iI dccijnc in the I1!..bIm fur nou-a.lrll'rtl u..... (nlk"t'rru Rt'g1JI'fio.. ,houldbe exlended to intJ!rrultional standards ~ -:e lltliwc?Jtit1U with lnrn-'JSing JJ.,'t ((lod choil....' lhl.'n l'Jtllr~ T't~rdllrur;1 lor Irod. apply to tl,. food and drillk, industry, iIluminiwn, nilnU"" pes11 c1 de• Simil;~rI>, thl' j,».t'lof ...ati:-f...ldJll£I \\.ith Ule ",k 'u idenlily Illi:ir 1000 pur('h"sill>! .rut IliJl III~ rll\lm m·t~adl""t·1i"t'" \\ilb age Tht' h.,bil>, These _hnsing )XI11('rn, could bacl detemrine ~he1lIl~ orgarric solvents for whichthen:.are no EC stanwds, _" Mfl> tJ ldff P'Jpib ",-00 rt.'I1lIDf1 tilt' I.J.rgrl fnrmcrea~ng cafMcria 1J'-.:1J.!t:. Thl' choice oll""d ",'til; 11~1hn­ ~h since lhr-. ~m fllr 001 u"':llg School thE' cafel.eri1. Iru.Tt.'Jst:'sv,lth 4W Vruicty Via.... the main ttrtor guidelines detKrminin~ food choice, Thf """,io1l31 Ihc""1)1(" (~1Y I'\it'xican, Ch~~ Greek ~tr) .... ~!he roo... ~ Iar iOf"a ~ r intrOOucinR' ilot ::;t·iK'iIH:sto encourag£, IJthL,.. lood ~ ilnd tl1l'r4.' i'o"t"i't: ffk'ouraging healihy e.ling ill ","oodar)' <11!lI- rol1('ffiling heaJlh 1",1<1,;",,," b;\I'S P S(:hoot~ in Croydon art' tu- ~ t.iI1d v l~l'tanaJlllll'a.l, Tbt-Midf.nrr extended lo all such schools in tht "'I&t"b lhal ,i1iIe pupil; may h.w borough, lltey will involve th, locaI ,Irong iX"~e5 lnr CI'rlAin ~1"" of hralth all lhc"'ily's heallh educal;on and f,oo ~1t"~ j" :I d~lnand !\i1' it .....1dl·r varl('t) dietetic s departments as well a~ the i ndooi~ lurl'ign drsr.es. In addition borough's education an dschoo lralt:ring tht'f't' ilpp.."""a/"" 10 he- aKffi\\ing 3\Io·arelles:i departments and the school governors of LIlt' rdali"ln!1h:ip bt:t1h1'ffi nutrition and and PTA members. heOlllh &intu~tL~ by U1e rouCpl'fi1. alluJlchIllO(! b) ("ilfele ri a ruld non­ Secondo.ry Schools. Contact Anna cafdcria u ~' rs was significantJ ydifferent. Parton, Community HealthServices, 12­ In the 10"" age groop;; lhe majority of 18 Lennard Road, Croydon, Surrey c:UE'te ri ;, m;ers spent !x)'74per.( '. In the eRg 2RS, nOI\-{'afd,·n..1!'oeCtionho weve r. Inert are two dIsti nct patterns. Forty three per to. flil:.fwll M.\ G..\l' \ 1" . J\\ . .l,l.-\!i t':9: PESTICIDES

abroad . TIle potential 'ripple' effect of California may lhis measure, therefore, both natio n Italy to tax wide and even world wid e is ban pesticides su bstantial. pesticides CALIFORNIAN FOOD correspondent writes: LABELLING necological tax is being Through a wond erful The Californian Grocers' Assodatio n, proposed lor IUll y's ]99:) A American device known as which represents over 8.000 reulll A b udget aimt at tilmpani~ the initiative process, we are laking a ou llt~ ts . has passed a re solutio n whichcause pollulionexceeding liew pesticide reform law directly to call ing (o r food producers to provide ILiltl onal limitsa.nd EC directives. the voters in California. to be placed warni ng labds on products The to'l):('S could add as nnH'"h as 20 on the November 1990 ballot. Under co ntaining chemicals whic h are ~r cenl to the re1>il cost, of ptsticides th e in itiative process the electorate known to calIse can cer or birth according 10 the trad< magazine Agrou . can bypass the legislature and take defects and which pose a significant "lne 1I1l100l1t.s will Vil(), according to the su ch issues straight to the general ri sk . A second resolution passed by ..timaled iJOllu ti on generaled by public. The proposed measu re, known th e eGA al it~ annua l cOllvcnti(l(IOn diflerent Jlf U\"t S, and in !'Gme an'lIsof as tht! Environmental Protection 2 October 1989 cails for aggressive the country tht' ta.xwill not apply. The inilillti ve of 1990, deals not only with implementation of /leW standards mosl tll31 the ecological tax is likely 10 the seriou s health risks presented by co- nt3ined in the recently-passed raise in revf'IlUt i<; an cstinLlted .£200111 pesticides but also with glQbal Bron"n Bill. and the artual fi gure is lik,'1y 10 be fur warming, the poll ution of our coastal This le g~ slatio n provides for: lower. But lhe pri nc i ~e of taxin r wat('f'S and other envi ronmenta l increased ltsting of rawagricultu ral I products deellW"d fn\'ironmentaDy concerns. commoditie-s for pe$licid e residues: " incompatible cou ld 11M a Th e initiative proposes to ph ase initiation of a pestic id e residue r~aklh.mugh in European 1L11 iijnal out by a certai n date thl:' us(' of any teslirl g program mr (or processed legi slation. pesLicides in Ca lifornia Lh at arc known food s; prio ritised monitori ng of to cause ca ncer or birth deferts. In pes ticides of greatest health co ncern; addition il will prohibit the sa le in reporting all pcstic id es used in food California of food containing residues production; and research into of such subs tan ces, whelher alter native pest management produced in the United Stale s or technique'S. Sow""ADw, World Crop I'roro.1iom Neon, Octobr-r 20!f1, 1989 No 97

MEANWHILE.... . But perhaps more tn the poinl. aln::ady h;wc 10 dl"alwith_ After Alar The AmeriGU1 Consumers Union Proft' sror Ames addresses the ques­ In Ihe UKPro l~sso r C on ll i l1 ~. ht-ad magazil}e CHnsumer Repoc ts has been tion of trarlt'--Ofi between the lo:ens af tht industry·funded British f\ utritiC) n criticised bysom edefend!:' af pesticide frompe!iticides versu"!' the Cnefil l() Fouoo,tion, 1w sUI!RI"ttd thot the ri,k use £Orbeing too 'aco\ist' in its att.1Ckon society: chemicals such as AJ ar 'have posed by s~lIlhotk chemical, in 0,. n~oyal , makers 01Alar , an pesti cide res.dues. It is accused by IlUlT kedly lowered the cost of our food, diet. including both pesticide re;idllel; apple cro ps pray criticised for Profe,sor Ames nlCalifonlia U n i\' e ,, ~ of a major advance in nutrition and. thus. and lood .ddiu",s, w" 100 small 10 U being a suspett('d carr inogen, failingtoacknnwltdge th:J1 nahlrAi health ... \\'hfll peuple drive 10 work, haw any biolo,;raJ eUftt em hum:m ~. have agreed to cease prod uction of the put logs On il fire or make a barbecue In order to pro\'~ thrirsafely, $.Uggeslffl chemical worldwide. hazards"''''l(I1'at.,. risk<. He claim,!he risk of develOtJing cancer irom ailalOlcin in they are pulling carcinogens intn the Or Connil1g . human vo l un lre~ eQ uid Nonetheless the UKg O\:ernmetlt peanut buUer to be eighteen 1inttlJ mours. a dilional burdenI" lite toxins we OFF THE SHELF Spreading the fat facts

he buuerli and margarines we sprrad on uur the total fal bark up 10 margarinc or butler'eating toasl - ),ettowfats 10 give Ihem their lrade levels. T o,me - sunply nearl)' aquarl" of the total The Food The fa; ustd in low Ca l or 'Jigh t' spr t::a ds may be fat in ourdi~l. Jeh 1JI saturates, sa that a thin ~pread of sunflow· We buy some two billion pack. !> and tubs of er margarine would give less ",Iu raled fal and these spreads each ~'ear . Worth nearly U(IOm, Magazine's p()~ .. ibl y1t'5 Scall)ries th:m *' !.hider ::p read of a thr YflJow (ats market is billc rly ('ontt"<;'Led by Iht: SA,.l -cal1rd low I"at product. But if yuu like the tastt! H'gNablf ral gi anh led b~' Flora-maker s Van de n brand-name oflnW' fat spread s amI ca n SlOp yoursdf spreadinJ.: Bergh, (owne. and But whf'rf' are Lh(' facts? i Ica lth educators cosb. b:-r 1t:3ving out lhr vi tamins. In s t'\"t~ ntl we found hardly any non' DuUer spreads fn!t'" of enCOIlr'dgt" u:s to ('u l back on s.nturalt"d fats an d produrts Wt' luund no II1tnlion of ; m~' uddl'd added yellow co louring agents. turn to the unsaturated (allO, but dot'S that mtall a11 the buttrr·~ubstll"t{"s are pr('ferable 10 buntr? SOFTI.Y SOFTLY TO, Food \logo,,", IOClkcll ,I nvpr 40 bUII«­ BOnER SUBSTITUTES: TAKE A> a rul. uf Ihllmb, Ih. harder th,' fallh. mort ~b ....tituH'S and found nonl! thai had iI!. much SiltUfilt~ fat it fontam ,\, lIo'hile Ihe c;oner fdt~ and YOUR CHOICE .,pecially Ih. oils .-ill b,' r.lall.ely rith in Mlugarine Must be at least 80 pel cent fat. and at mo5l16 pel celli water.The oils used may be Brand owners nnsaturah:ti (ab. The IlIrgl; l.1ble ~how~ lht' proportion of rat tbtlt W3!) .,,,Iurated ralm each [romfISh and animal sources ali well as vBQelllble. and lviIJ be lelined, deodorised, A!ml froID tho >U(J<'rm,"1ipl own-brands - "hllil produci. bleached and may be bydrogenated (chemically nu\!; actounl fOrfl 1,f'r a quartt.'fuf ':taJ~ - Ihe The 131 in somt margarinf"~ ('an Dt" as much as hardened) As with virtually all non-buttel IrarliD~ br.uuI names WI:' duminated L)' Ju:J. n 40 Pf"r cent saturated fat. Ttl<' b('sl buy from lht' I rev. spreads, these products may be fia VOlued and giant companie':i.. point of ,·jew of g('lIio~ Ihf lov,.CSl ratio ()f si.llurat · coloured, and mixed with antiOxidants and ed fat in the- product \/ti'f'rl;' Ihl: poi)'Unsdturat l.'d emulsi[jers to ploduce a long-lasting smooth Company Labels owned Market margarin~ s, m~dl!" largdy from s. unnower oi ls. blend. sbare 1i6rd sporingl), the)' can hi'll' cui bark on tVlal [>I Half-fat buttel No legal definition, but typically Van den Berghs Blue Rand, 44\ intake aorl saturated fa t lIltakc ~ i muhaneou~ ly . 40 pel cent fal, 55 per cenl water. (Unlleyerl Echo, SUlik, wtJ. fat spread"! Ilrr aimed Jt people wantinlZ to Fat-reduced owvarine No legal definition, but Flora Krona, cui back on Iotal fal Th,) or. a bl,nd of fat and typically 70 per cent fat, 25 pel cent watel. Summer Countv, watN (morelhan haUwal<-r) held togelh" wilh Dairy spffild No legal definition, but typically Delight, Outbne emulsifying agents. The)' can h~!p col your fat inuk(' providt'd you don', u::{' too much - the 70-80 per cenl fat , 15-25 per cent water. St lye! Gold, Shap" 9% Reduced fat spread Typically 60 pel cent [at, 35 temptation is to increa.se Ihi> aiHount ",hich Kraft VitalIte, Mello, a" defeals Ihe whole purpose of a 10w-f'l spread. per cent water. Golden Churn Low fat spread No legal definition, but typically ·n",. spreads are abou t half the rat conlenl of Dairy Cresr Clover, Willow 4% regular margarine or butler an d dieLl tians have 40 per cent lat, 55 per cent water. Others 8% observed that people may spread extra on thei r Very low fat spread No legal definition, but typically 25 pel cent fat , 60 pel cent water. Supermal'1wt own label 27% bread or loa st, Or ea t oth er fats inslead, bri nging

lZt THl:fOl'lD\l<\G.IWJ\Et.oA." Wtil'!"o' OFF THE SHELF

vitllm in s (see table) . wh ich ca n indicate a lower vit amin cont ent for th ese products compr:lred wi th HOW THE regular butlers and margari nes . BRANDS BurrER- YELLOW COMPARE Butter is curre ntly permitted to contain ce rtain colouring t 40 c ---. 65 and biscuit s anot her I I per cenl. Th is means Sainsburys Iow·lat 40 c h 20 look ing ca refu lly at labels when shopping. but it SaJ.nsburys sunflower spread 39 c b 20 also means checking the 'hidden' fat s, such as th e St lvel Gold 39 c h 25 (ge nerally h

th eir Commiuee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food and to the Novel Foods Panel of the Commitlee on Medical Aspecls 01 Food Policy, which should allow Afat lot ofgood an !.: xamination of th e nutriLional aspects of non­ nu !rilionai food. Bu t lhe approval process in the UK is shroud ed in commercial co nfid entiality. Not on ly are con sumers kept in the dark bu t, unlike in th e USA, the UK governm('n t does nol req uire attie Ellis looks into seeking US and UK approval to \! ~e it in 35 per cent companies to submit all their data on a new of home cooking fats and 75 P{,f cenl of commerc ial product. the future of fat fr ring fa ts. It co uld bt' widely used in everylhing Ano th er product close to arriving On the shop H substitutes, fro mcakes to chip fat and could co ntribute up to shrlf, NutraSweefs Simpl esse, ha s promoted its five per cerll of a person's diet. 'na tural ness' becau se it is made fro m('gg and milk The d.iJ.Il gtrs of rat ing Icm muc h fal ate wen known. 101987il looked as it Olestra wou ld gel US protein s. Ray Dull from Experienc e Illl" who approv al on a wave of positive publicity. But the The d31l g f>fS of tht,l fu od induslrY's re sponse are stud ied fat su bstitutes says approval of Si mplesse It'ss certain, Washington-ba sedCentt'r for Sci r nft> in the Public would be a test case (or future foods: 'The abi li ty of Inlere st criticised the compac y's safety k gls .In l~ a ~1 nine C'o mpanie!' aft' cllr reJuly develop­ acompany to take parts of a naturally occ uring because they use d only one ani mal !,peci es instead ing 'non·fallals' to cQ mpele ro r the ~OI'ntially hu ge appro ved substance and change them for use in of the nor mal hvo and, .a ccord ing (0 {onsu ltant profih to be made from guill·free food . Thl: foods will be a regulatory i S ~l!(~ .' p.atho!ug j ~1 Melvin D Reuber: "n,c two year rat l'ading c o nrcfl d~r, Oleftlra, expec t') In make ove r .I\dd Ih{'"!\ (' fa t 'Subqitu tes to nuffy c('lI lI losf'. tI no· one billion dollars ayt" in th. USAalooe , Big (",ding stud y, Ihou gh n.wed. JOd ic.t. , ,hal calori. nour su bstitule d.vrloped by Ihe liS bUlks for industry

IOLIVE OIL

Greal f.aiLh is put ill oliv(' oil as a health food. The low lewis oi heart disease ' .ioY"" by people Ihing on 45 40 6S 95 85 so IS 15 15 10 'Mt-dllt'rranean' di eLs are given as evidence [o r thr Salwares brnent, of u,istraditioltll food. Other fac tors may ht:lp explain the di$fase patterns: mOrt' fish, fresh fr uit and vcgetabJes, k-ss aniIIlill filts and hydrogenated oils. 20 Rli t as CI. repWceml'ol ro rOllire samrat.ed fats such as 7S 1301 25 lardor hard margarine it can be recommended.. There is some l'\idello:: Lha\ olive oil, which i ~ rich in mooounsaturatrs, may be as healthy as sunflower so oil a.nd olher oils ric h in po lyun ~tura te s. and may adu:!ily oHenome advantages. It a~pears to be able 10 re\('.1I('1I un tltese Iacrors j, of great inll>r~t to 15 c"lmlnes such as hal}':and Spain m.'oous to promote ~~i1l!Silturil:E'S on ~'c oilexporls. At:, with lht' lropic.ai vegt'table- fat s, CO nSUUlt'fb J1c-c

1u THEfQ(l[I \ 1 ."I(j, \7I~E tJ ""'I;. mit :-.1-«1 Fishing for thefuture

ish are a valuable source of (or animal f«5. eKjlloitation of the sea and for an aqua­ Ih",r food in short ,ullply and lor th.. fir>1 time in Some v('j!eta ble fats are high in satura!Cd fa~ 1nt'mory carne dawn from thr Bamrls Seajn hordes to especiall)' the s<> sign of amarine, ecollOmic and cultu ral disa!lb:r. but tho tropical ol!, indu,try has hfen at pain, to lTv to The)!'\,!,> done it again - e\'ery time we fiod SlJlIIl--thing Families who Iorgenora tion, had earned a lil'elihood red... m tiltir product>, ("",,"ially ", 1m oil, from to make life on an uil rig morr bearablt theystop us from tiM' sea and "",,plied rood ror inbnders w.,. for banj~mrnL Evidenct' ",~ vl'n ill tlwir :!t'minars ill('lude~ doing iL Th,y\fStopped u fishing'. 11 , .....Jed the first tim. in hiSlory fin ding a sea ~ithout 6, , *~'l'litl Jl1!as for further n:scarth: dreadful I"" seeing how the pap<'\' miD' had ,jOWl'll nl< It is a gall\(' w ht~e the smaI1er fi shsng people 10>< to • Palm fal romains C'arotenoidc. and \'i1amin L both fi,hlOR in the RilcrCranunond by po uling il severn! tilt hiK-time companies .ith the1rdroK nelS iIIld freem of which awear to 3rt ogainst tumour f<>rmatit to tile being .,dul Today the EC ",lung quota s)~tem has inh.'f from \'aIJrl rtSl'arch findin gs, and reaching a l.ool.gical Society. was ralled UlID inv.slifl3le_On. the same primitive (etlto il Kill as manyas you can and 'concenslls opinion' on Yo'hal ronSUIUll"S stnsibJe ('onctm a'l. tll.l! Ihm W'aS ab.rge amount ofironmon­ dump Ih,-ulJllus b.1ck in the sea. II'e only ,it up and dietaryadvict'. Wh.,lf'\'er its rci!!,,,ning feature<, palm ger) lying at til' bonom olthe Sf., along with .'l'losive tal<. nuticewhen we _ thousands o( seals dead on the fall' rich in saturated fat and tl..prev.ilmg ad,;ce i< to ehemkal> and detonalnrs, but 1.11 could find no (lure<; or mu, I.. crab,. O),>I,rs and fi sh 01 Isa\llm!OO fat) i\I8 CIlIlSIdered the ones to awil1 the acin ,.flim n<>rmailyoo:urtogeth.....ith vi~1nun l. . 11 sorts,nowportrays its pilgh tUI. stale 'tench and l!lOSI, beutg dooeIy am;ooat.ed willi IlIllOng blood '!lIt'condusi nwas drnv.lllhat the- penguins h..1d /kad mud , Ii is not jUst thot thi' ",urcrofluod. so choIesII!roI. whJch tD tum lOOica!es a!8lSed nskd litmUystal'll..I. Wh)'? Obviou~vth... waS"OI bean diseese. rsloogb fish ~"tlli'm . And ..hv ..~s that' Clear.' the much loved by tondo",,,, has gOll<, It is that "'~r y ""tuarr througholll Bntain and indeed Eurollt hJs Unsatttralild faIIy oads tlllllOO aDd lood chain IIIU~ have been d;';"'PlL-d ' hfen dffiroyed in It." than •century. "I1troughout IXllyullsattuat.ed faIl iIA>'ll to be JIlIlI1! ben".-";,I pri!\'iou!llIme-, the estuarief... rich in trace clfments wt!h !\!lIDO 00Ida0ca thot polyunsarurat.e falhclps JAPANESE OI'fJ/F/SlIING w",hed from the bnd and oxygen,tti! by rivers and lowe, blood ~o! ger>I!lilly IIIlIIIIlaI l'lu!s! th. .... ters or the South Arlanlie ""t'XiTemely tidal dfid wind 01O\'rnlMlb the' !'hallolA' \\;'atl'fS, DlOIIDIJDtIaIIllat can IlJWl!J tbooe """lX"'ent< rich. e',e. rim r,,",ult..ran be eroded b)' unecological or pro'ided the ....hh or noun!J1meot for Ih. snWl of blood cholesterol- tIle10w de!Isi!v IJpods ­ explOItation. Rrcenti)" for oxaoljll., the Japanel'(' ha.. b.:ginnings th.tl4'd III the grcJtn.-;s ofthe mari"e rood IIlIl6I doseIy tISSOtIat.ed wiI:h • risk ({been disaIge d"''''lIak'll the coa.,tai fi>heries around N~ Zealand (".. oil." m1 !Lew) the f\nrllwrn Hnni5pl1r'rr . lllf'dt'balf~n tbt' "hain. his noljU,1 thai tht, rapelio hJs hfen shl'tt1 out oCthe middk oftht· rood ciwn. Ill~ that ilsverrorigin Hydmgeoatia1 IS on 1rl!ustI1al_(usrng unt."Colog1cal ust uf!.he ~:a wa5lhru (in [ht· J1U blic has hfen d",lroyed. ruclrel calIIlyslS) thot CIIlVer13 WJSaIllIat.ed faL 1IltO debate by the alR.1 bloom mthe BaIlie l1I1d Ihe seal We hal'r hfen remarkably,iIl) aoouWlc way .e saturated faLs or oans'saW/ates, The food dl'aths in tho ~orth Sea, But ti"", 0I.!krS hal" ~ '" treat our manne r~urcr Tht:' Unill-d N3ttons Fo«I indusuy lilies Ute pI\lCBI5 as It am create balder prec4'ded O>"s l ima le~ 1hal v.e ha~'(' vegotable Ia!s wiI:h alcngersbe1flifo, bulUte Pft"tJ\'i.aB andKl\'Y.lhe neat ('XIilR'tion ofth~ hernng and aln!auy reached aglubal hm'esA of marine food oans-satulBle& fouM 11\ hydrogenated Ia!s are the .lmaS! total loss of Medncrranean ~lIll i nes with approachlng9t1 althe total llOs>ible ilthr DOW bemg quesdoned as.poo!!ibIs beaIth hawd much f: 1 ~ b~jdf·S . """ent rrsourct' i~ [0 be !!.plfregt'nrrntmg. This is 'n"hfTt' Iht equjvaJent 10 naturally occunng salunled fats 111arine food chain, andthe rigscould be " Iuipped ~ ) mo ni tDr Ilutrien ts to pro vidt' tocaJ maps and to adjusl condition, for gro wl h nn Ihe pOll",. The NCIf~1 Seo would """0..... the first;e. randl. Thrre is. third action plan m'l.'dl'" requiring urgent discuss.ion b~' Rm""ttDJnlt>ciety have IIOt face! which falb onto the \'lllagcs and fifkl s, and IllIl("h in Lhot local pob g"dJ'den!sOOnlarmnmoo "",th untrealf'd ~wag!' from ~H.' OU 'S<:. E\'t'n wo r<;.e, sQCnf' of the sew<1J.!e is tidal barkflush from the Trenl cSluar y~ \\'hils.t th{' bacterial density is tlilul. by Ute time it hits tl1e ctlme sandwich and is unlikely to kill anyone, it is said iltal Drax. which "'(II>"" tel, that those who dump unlrraled scv.-age are a\'(}irling. SolTlffinp1"')" in the end. SewiII!C and w'asle ""Qu id be """I'd". r""",n:r. Sewage can be Ireate<>pt'Qlion. tho guidelint.. fo,whkh ,o my and cl fl'Ci Its h""",,1. nutrienl ;:, tatu~ 01 penguins. Had \1;(' been measurin~ forth. We had arrived "",Iyan d stro ~eeo> n""eioping bellfrlechnolog)' In local!< ",d calch fi,h b penguin fi vt'r vitamlm or tr.u:king the Dutrient fklw in ironL There ,t II" wattt's«lgr"ood a bf?ndnew adeluslull. Uyoucaldt the fish on ,do.·mum in lhe Ihe

H IM./lt.\llllJl/'ltl1fF FOOII \I,\(;,-\h""\t NEWS

months. dr'pile Ibe hU~I' .mounl of Not in front of cllmnl EC food legi'!a~oll . 11th gen/' tht induSlTY need nol fret. WFood.",I liP 10 auvi" lb. European C(]mminf'fs ~u dtas the :ld Wro(Jt..'3n Comml~iQu un JIlJ1tt'N of hoc Comm i s~m w{lrkin~ gr{lUP on foot! lood legislation' It SCt'!ll, Ibis vilal additi\'e, ;till aJIo'••,du,try and lh,' eommiUef', rompristd ofconsumer anti (ommiS~lltumt't'treguhrl~ 1 Wlacl trade union rtpn-sentativM logtlher thallheir mt'ItII)I'r~hipi!pp3ff'f111~' ""ib Iho", (rom ORricuhure and Ihe food C'xduuC:',.my ron.,ullwr ft'pre~nlJtivc:s indu~lry, h.ls not mel ror t.:ighleen mu~t bt! cau.;;,i ng many ...1~pl . '" nighlli.

tllOugh Ib.... ~''''rdl!y otf,re! Ih' Better paid )uwe'o;;l pa~ raks O\lmll. canll:'f'n (,tafl took an.wer.'lg~ take more sick 9.4 d>y;sick 1",,- pcr year. r'maldul~ lime ~Iaff agcutwt'r 40 1cxJk an a\lt'J"a~ 15.7 ©\'... p('r yE'ilr. leave lh.: rtporl 'StlRr;.!~ tlL.1t ((}l1IJl3rUes \If Ith high~(' awnR'(' ~ick lemie weorc stud} b)1 catering cooSU1lanls. Ihost! !'howill,K most (OfJ('ern tllat ~ i ('k RII;, BrJlIsby found low('(4 ,wf mould ix-colllj!leleiy well i>f[orc A paid ",·orkt.·J"S In SL'l.f{ Nut­ rt!lurrull,R 10 work 0 minmli!'e lh(' ris.k 10 ttTfl~ 1()I)k les~ sick ll'ave than hrllt'r­ uthl'f slaff anrl OJ~OJ~ r s. pald ..o rm. S,ck.,ss ""'Y. AI/,porl Co rntd!JU1 C()mp.:lring largercompaflic:,­ .Ior Ihd.dust""i Calrmg Sec/roll oflh' offeri ng good sick pay' scherne. and 'lte French ­ and ale An: these cO lfljlGnies SI) Brussels holding the EC Cl)unr il prr,<:. idt"nc), ­ have been pushiug Ittr jU(;tl'lfultin. hile Ihcgo\'ernlIk'llt has imVO"'erishrrl that the gOV!r'-rnlllt'1l1 b3"­ ener!.,}, rat and carboh)'drat". be betn sl.shing Ih. hudgets lOr to he lp them wilh thciro'A-'TI research heartland and ",'dop...nl need,? Hardly ­ shown. WIt number 01 wrl\-n;sllCcled "4lW prnlils of some £i 76m Details Jeanette Longi",W, clo food researrh bodit'S ills Ill/I above RHM bst yw, while Grand Met saw£!')7511l. new lobb )~ng orgaJ1 i s aliu n, CPG, 6{) (;r('-ilt Ormond S[ft'l1., London provlding Ihe OI ld utile IX'rk to the European Hearl Nrrwork WClN3HR. industry-allied (tSt"arch when it \l.'i::-li":5. 11 is inLE re':) lin~ tSl oote the :.um~ A (EHN), is seRing up an ohin: In lhc tenth of a series of'unk' suppuorl givt'fl b)' appmprialr s('ctors (I[ the indu,try to the Conscr'~'ive l'ar1y in Brussels to lobby the Disabled people survey grolD" ,nabling industry \Jj get mllre European Commission on i ~ues acquainled wi,h acaMJ policies will help to prevent cardiovas­ even though over 70 per cent needed to additional beer filt ering is 1JI.~'detl . A)!it'd L)'ol1s,cakt--fRt1kt.'rs and cular disease. follow a diet related to their state of lndustr y partners Include the Brewing hr('wer., combined, rianatt'd [Hi ,000 to One ofth(' first issues the new body health. Research Fou ndation. Grand lhr. Tor yp3f1)' during l,tt.'Ction year will have to deat with is Ow l)rOposed The survey, being carried out by Mf'lropolrtall a.m! AV'P ROS!Sli 1937/8. Coinci dtntally, Mn; Th.nldlr.'r on('~ dirt:ctiveon nutritional labelling. Far The London Food Commission and And (269,576 i~ t bt: han.ded ~Vd' was a food scienlbllll'urking fo!' from requiring saturated fats, dirtary Action Research on Multiple Sclerosis to develop 'a 10w-c.oSt produc'uun [he company. EQuall~t coindden1.ally. fibre, salt or sugar levels to be shown (ARMS) in the Greater London area, monitoring system enabli ng improved Allied L),ll1ls chief. Sir Oerrick Hold,,,· on labels, current draft di rectivesare also lound that 34 per cent experienced control of up- or down-strtam Brown, was knighled In Mrs Tlulch..... s suggesting an entirely voluntary dilIiculty shopping. proeesses on a multi-product cake fi rsl Newy"", Hunours Ik' ill 1979 PRISON FOOD !J Dinner at Her Majesty's ~ g 1; '"~­ Pleasure i " ~ Long gone are the days when asl OCloner, Her ~laj . slY's ( /tid Ins!)«'torol find_ ill prison afkt pri ~n.lcilrhN1S that I,\:cn} eilhtr Prisons,) udge Stepllen Tumine desmbed the in~nll..'..ry or unsafe, (II both, KlIdlt11 <: Wd "t'" frequt'ntly prisoners existed on a diet of bread, L wgUne at Wands .....urth Pn::iOtl as larkIng bas ic dirty, weas)' ano fill rred.,tb j,m "rail" In ""till" gruel and hard labour, In 1843, Sir standards of humanity aile proprif>ty He louoo unh~' ­ estllblishments, bini, ",dffi(and In""t inf.."Wion James Graham, the Home Secretary gi(,lIi('co n d iti on ~ - lhe washing-up areJ Web ~ rsi stffi . Wear Md kJr was ukin~ its 1011 in man~' of the day, decreed that 'diet should deplVr.lblr and thtre \1.'3'3 ev i d~n(e II Imkt" ~nd cork places. v,.ith tr:n ~1-'11 fioorandwall tiIe<:, rusty~hetvin~ . mac-ll in fes tation in {h~ kilchtn. SUtlHlal'dsofcleanli· Ibking J)3.i.nl'4·ork .::.nd u\"erworlu:d arJins.· not be used as an instrument of ness Wefe exacerbated by ~ I :- hortages. '11k.~ rllUllri thailhese probkm' W''!'e oo(e reporlrooclod« '11" unpalatahle trlllh i; th:iJ Ul and served, reasonably varied and .aod unhylrit'ni< comJlliolls '.',Ilth vermin in fe station ill1 d many t'S!abUshmmLS food is jlll.1XifCn in tlr.gn«'{uJ sufficient in quantity', But food in cS . Walf:r anzuysis fuund baclf' ria.l(onl.lmina­ (u[lditMln ~ btik r slUINI tfJ another L't~nLu :y' prisons remains a focus for complaint Oonassociattltl ...ith human fal"Ces. Hinl!; Oe win and oul of lhe kilt'hen and dinlllR ~p.;1c e, ptn:hing above - with some kitchens described as fo ou pn.:par.dlo r. areas and enio~' i ll~ the cor.lent'! II Ilhe FOOD POISONING IN PRISONS 'appalling and unhygienic' and the waste bins. In May 1989 Home ()ffire minimr Ilouglas Hogg, in a ..ritten parliamenlal')' reply said: food as 'stodgy and often Follvwmg rili ls \11 Ri~ It:) RClll

18. 1'HE ro:1U .1.l1,l ,v.-",(. J"\, ~.'!.:i: L!.IJI) PRISON FOOD

"We weren't too keen on the soup"

he Food Magazine talked with removed, So! got boiled rice every day for eight months, I was reduced to just over six stone from Liz and Sylvana both of whom eight and a half. T had spent time in Holloway 'When! went home I'd forgotten how to cook. I as well as other prisons. had to learn ttall again. When Icarne out! discov· ered that food tastes out here - in tbere ildidn't­ Liz : 'It's got asmell to tt,prison fooct. Horrible. That everything tasted the same no matter what it was .' horrible smell thai its been hot and damp in thooe metal containers and the trolleys always smelt of n. Sylvana: 'In Holloway you were often hungry, The margarine has asmell of its own that!'ve never Especially il it was a meal you did liIre and every· smelled in any margarine, The first time! ever tasted body ate it and there were no seconds. I used to it I thooght "This is tt. I'll starve to death" , But you do enjoy my Sunday dinners as the best meal of the getusOOtoit. week, You'd go in thinking "I'mgaingtoenjoy 'In Holloway people filled themselves up on bread this", and you'd get ooe slice of meat and that was it. Ilyou'rebungry you'll eat itso I never really and ~toes, the only \WO things notranoned, So people got fatter and fatter and S]l(ttier and spottier thougbt about what was put in it, !just thought what with lack of exercise and everything, The veg ''I'm starving". rd eat anything, I must admit! put CROIINIM,~IUNJ1Y was cooked unlil there was no guts left in it so there 00 aIotof weight when Iwas inside, ! used to '11 i, ind<'t'd iruni, tJ131 th""wfl,. hal'eolkndetl 'lll3i11'it wasna nutrition. You might as well have drunk the dream about kebabs and I'd hit myse~ and say """law should bemarleto ",Irt~due 10 the non..u"n:,­ water and thrown the veg away, "Stop it - you can't get out", nwnl 01 alloth.r'coneludC'd J 19881 sliM'," 01 'But each place is different. Cleanliness depends 'You'd have boiled ~toes which were hard lmironmentai licalih orbC,"" (lElia) Itpor\ inlo on the officer you have in the kitchen, I've seen liIre bullets, You wenlla cutthem and they'd lly off ""<'>S IOpn'"""i')' found that on , 21 Iotchens with mice rurming around and I've seen the plate, There were buns you rouId break your pri: , W\'r' ' below the I,'gal (o,od 'At Styal each house cooks foritself, with acook thaI was just like QTeen waler. No vegetables 1l)'J,.rM1~ srandNds In six 01 thbe pri son:: ~al1danls were and assistant both of whom are prisoners, If you unless they had sunk to the bottom - the bowls SI)krl4 tilal prosoonkl Swllukl ha\·c bt;-nC:Of,~i t! c ['l'd had had a good cook then you had good nUlritious food. looked like they were ful! of dishwater, We weren't Ihm n(l{ been Crown lnllJruJlj~y. All the vegetables are grown there so you have too keen on the soup. Prisons a~mg "",ith other govmu IJl'0' l!!>L1bfishtIJCflts lovely nesh tomaloes and cucumbers, All the 'The food at Cottonville was brilliant. You had haw been prot<'l'1ed b)'Crnwn Invl1UJlitylro01 th<~ women grew it themselves, then cooked and ate it. your own gardens. Every unit had a kitchen, eveD n.'quiremt'!l" "I the ,'ood I, including tJle Food Places like Holloway can't do things like that. thought the meals are cooked in the cookhouse, At ~"ation ; , Hygit.... andth, Heallh and SoIdy:l1 Work ' L~ Du:rham I lived on cream crackers and night they'd leave aloaf of bread, maybe eggs in the fnllrllll'lIL'IIlai hralthoffict'l1;could 001 ins;;1 011 weetabix with milk! got hom the doctor. The food fridge. You had acooker, fridge,eIectric kettie, iMXbS 111 prisonsIi,) in ~pl'Ct ihr C3tf'ring fadlilit-s, Ru1 vas cooked over in the men's wing, put in steel rations of sugar, butter, tea and you could do it all ues-pileovrrwhclmingsupport ~J r t11C liftingofrrmli'l buckets and left outside of our door. The men would yourself, in imllTunll~ IrtIm vironnwnta!I~alth oifKet", prison shout across ~ You'vegot such and such for dinner 'I was in prison Belgium and the food out there rel,1I'III bodies '"'" Mp." U1I.' HOII1I' Ofjj,,\; r,' ,nained and we've pissed in iI", The only thing Irould eat was really nice, They'd rome round wilh big pots of romit}(ro in it(' view111:11 Crown Immunity should rrmain was fish and chips because Ididn't think they muld mussels,salamis, cheese. There was more variety inforce mrf"'I>I.:ct. 01 prison kilchf-os. Thill wasumil do much 10 that Apparently they now have a and it was better cooked - probably because it was Nm'ffllber Ja.sl ~'ear when along-ov~rdue dausewas kitchen where they can cook things for themselves, a small unit with only about 30 women.' added 10 Ul<' gul'!.'fnmenf, Food Saki), Rrn which 'At Cookham Ihad to go ona totally fat·heemet PI'UI..... thai prison kitchen, shollkl be >objecl to Ute whilst! was waiting to have my gall bladder interviews by HattieEJJis, So.1 mc h~'gicne r(,,()ulrt"lnenls 3S otbtr caSt'fing cslabllsh­ Illt11 1!i. Hut WI I!l !!.t thb. mf'jU5 l'ttVlOomrntAI healLh olfi~ ha\'f' the l)lJwcr to and lake a 10 v-; n inS\kC1 ca.--e l'ourt, MONEY 'l1ley .dmwc gJ'NlM" rf'('tlflllilion aflht, imporbnce of lherev.in ht:nofA>\\ l.'f"<: IOlmIlO-.e a(int.'. II is unclearhow 'lephen U;mdlc)' "rHl'1' Mait~ly's lil sp<\1"ralt 01 . n~tt('dlering by gl\'ing ca!ering II ... own departmenL the n{'\II sy-.tcm ~iD m~un' impruvcJIlt!l!s. if nC\: es~. PTbvn~ (H~tIP). pointsou l thaioe"pltt Ituprovemc'nts ~,1h ils ",,"n hudl/lcl, ""r:Ir.llr fTilm the pc""'.1 ,"ppl)' areenfoorel, O\'l'r rf'ft'fll YL'af!!l their numen Sreports fin inrli\ idlUl andTIiUl"purl Branch in lurbr Th.: lIocnc Office b r~~blt its n\lm inlC'f'11(I1 priK>O"; ha'H.' found hH~ent· and ht'allh and sal tly in T1\1.' anoounrrmrnl Itl murt' rf'SQUrc-esjtnmg mto ""Will 01 inspr<1ion;. l1\{)ugh the tholU liglult~s 01 ti,ese man) pri",ns is nOl.dl'qualt; d"'plle Home Olfice the imprm'("ml'nl of r xi "LinR~· Ilsb)' tilt' Hmrr anmml inspecuun" (In' generally aCr.('plfid, reports "'--ere s.t.a t€' llJl'nl s Ii) thr contrar y. ScrrelJlr )' I),wid 11'.ddington IN ~, ,,','mber "'" brtn (Jfien ignored an drecomm~dations not impltolJ'Jl'J1k1'l. But bringing all conditions up to sLandarn will welcomed . Dut Jlj,ilPwlIrns lh~t l'Vt'fJ newkilcht'lI:' "an Prison med~.1 officers will remain responsible for require mn;r titan just the ltfting of crown im munity. br ioadequ.lc - , n" wkil1:h<:1l uprnrt1 ill Full Sutto. hygiene on3 day to daybasis, but manyare unlrilinrd ill HMI Psctllhal wh.Jt I sal~ nt"tdt:d is more moncyand Prisoo in l\iSS i, "'read) inadl'qUille [lIrilS I. i>.'CIlI"" Cllfnng hygi e and see thesIl'>ponsibilityas in.'1flI"Jpo;. improvtlnentsiothe in\rrrwi managemenl structure. n. poor esign. atr 10 UU1f rufti as doclf,r. PRISONFOOD A million meals a week

Top man ,,,,,,,,,iillf fur food in prison' sinl'e 1!J!(lis a5Iair 'IOO I11I""n. Ba..>d in 0,. H""", Ofnce Supply .lId TrmsporlUranch., COrbl', he is the PnndpaI CaI.,nng ~Ian~ ., the Home Ofn, WhiJst he ""mil' lhat U" wh<.-cls of change in the Prison Mv!ce ,"3l\ grind slowly, he "dismayed lhat"",,l1Iion h"" betome housed .nW OfP,lfl::. f.lf biHl conditionswhlr'h ht, Soa)' Sdo noltruJy rcllf(t Un' cummilu)t"nt II) impmvements thai h3\'f' bt-en madl' in l,rn,oncaltring in recent ~.t:~ By l·)(arll ll ~ he quoth tht {'WI tI million 00'01. ~tlt annually LO deep df'iJlsi~ kildJt'lIS tvt1'Y siX roonlhs rdlbt.-r d.an once a 'ear Seryingover anullioo mt:ab a ....'ff'k would certainly puS!.' iiiflirulties forany in~ t ulitll1a l l(llt'l'illg operntion with,,"1 lh<('lM!chaJleng.. pO,.-d by pn~", lif., He ~ thoinlllOrla"e offood 10 the morale "I pri,,)nm. Hr kn""~ iha! "'.., food, b3d~ ;erwd can he, ca.,," 01 ~u ... di ~: lIfl l l'f1t 10 tho;",;> bound by Lht. rnnnoton~' of institulionru routin ~,·" .

nll'd, lIUnimllm nutritional rl"C'omml'(I(J:itiom: ~' I uul in .md ren tral b tl~ing pro\'iMs value for money'. aetd:-. W1L4T'S CUOK1 ,~ G diMar yscale~ 'lhege provid{' .....lt kl y food allo "'~nces Al..a~lai r Thomp<;,()fl \1uch of thl' ~()( 1 1Il:t' is prorfllrtd 'Tbl'fI; i~j ll ~t £6.1() iI I'o't'e k to feed f'.ach pri.:..onf"f but for inmatt's dC'pt!'nding Oil (lgt', sex .andcategor:.' fm pri S( lf\ ("rtlt:i, Wt"rl' Wit pd'(.'t!nL '

Ch(~ iH-,:­ ~todg)', rd ying l!t'a\;I}' on brf'OId and J1OIa1ot.>5; \·e~t.a­ ;n fl 13I(" ha\'t' a chok'f'of menuand in af('v, p ri ~II!:!O <..1tkktu. OVf'IIiT'~ Wig blf' 'S usually own::ookcd and ronMipationtht" 1ll11<;;l \I.'~ kl y mtnu~ o~~ril t c v,'ith pri:-o llrr;; able tn choosE" in ( (Ifk'!:', i M~ltml ;. common medkalcomplajn l. just hownutritious are ad\'MCe - asyslffii .....eUli k,,-d by [omales ami f'fficit" n' tillnnakf' i;g pri30ntf'S'dk-ts? (I)r lhr {'at('rer ("OCIlfiour 3(~ l'trThompsonsay sthat In n u tri tlo n al l ('im~ the t.u~tatd jXllIotlf'r 3l1/ EI1l"- v>dd 3 dk,tar yscale for rlli~n foodco m part' ~ fuvourabl), with , f~r"frtM (,.",bl<1 ,""mge house rn,ld foodpurchas. flgu res, BUl lhis I F~h,caMt.-d..lllkhiU'd s .JDg comparisonis hmitt"d n:- hr arkrmwledges iliat (1 1)- onr:: FMu.br'," I W}I.8-I'1r! hasyet l[)oked iit actual rood C\)n~u m ph(lll (Irw il::$ la g~. fluur, ',I, hulrllJl"aJ JdS..kj.lJ.! SQ, n JlU tuli:llJ; I; W;·~ thoughhe has pion s I,,"n Frult:fr"'" . 2p!1f-'(fs lne amowlt I,}llillorits that the rurrent di rtlry Fruit.dritd l00g seal. prol'id.. "", "oouI5O"", c""1h igher lhao UHSS JlIlJl/mW"rn.wclr 110g rerommended dailycalorie intakes. This ....·oold seem M"ganDr, tab~ 3 ~5j),Il: M,oj,irt'Sh (.""bltl 10 in,pl)' 11"1 d,rrt' is> hiRh d,gree of' . ...lilR e0' ~et'lt. cornw beel 6(Ig uneaten food, M,U,,,h :!Jt'iC!-~.i'nOmJ DMitian b sy C' olt... Uamlllonpoinb {) ut; 'N. fuc t" \I JIU"'" 3j~ value liw. dietar ,! SGIles.appear nutri tio nal ly adtq U3If' , O;I:S, fulled IIJl~ aitJlO ugh theyronlain all unrN l i ~ tira llf llrge amOU Jl t of OlJ, \~Lilblr mt)kil11: 15U'2~1ml r'lslJ 1rl! ~1g mmatt" a d a ~'. BUl lht ,lIIl1lUnl of fresh fruit in t.I [cdi ~t IS Pr.rlt. L.l.lrol' rI (!l;'b;.'olll ~l.ilg luw \~ 11lCh. tOb'ttht'f wi th vi l~lmin It)s~s in cookiRJ! LUld ~/ ~'n'IIJlirl3."' talJu'IC:I~· It ill/: SJ: 'r \ 'icep r(Kf"rlu~ fN v['gt:lablps, will ofte nmean thai "ali"d2'1Tll',u 1;d onl)'lwo lkaJl ~ in 1011lillo ~Ut'f lllJ.l;,'Il p i C'tl' ~ o t Iruil a w('('k - u:;. uaUy an <'!.pple and an orangt! .-,: ( moll; 1N4iA< - asituation that is a n,ajor sourcf' of rom pjiJin t ~ OLl ~'t' fool H'Sttwble:. " ~23(Ig u.bb>g, ~5(1 " Additio n.W fru it is u ~ ua l h' on ~ k in pri son tu ck shops. a ("uli!l aw l'f!brOl:l'(J l i/sproot.~ t9~ btlt lliith only aboul D a w(!ek sycnding money many ~ Onkms lWg convicted prisoners fin dit hard tu afro rd.3 ~, TtIiJr row f;)'l/~p ljl lOOg 'Wi th plentifu lcheap labour there is au eml}hasis on PulaWt:5. rrc ~b l lf» ,92kg fre sh food, Added value food -::; wo uld increase costs :-:' H\;Il'i;ui(ms inqlOllblJeS a1lowf or age 0lr.1i 5eXI1rsrnll(l1I N

:Z ljt T1ff H)Of! \I,\('.V1Nt t !'iN IM_1,i 1':1',1; PRISON FOOD

Catoll ng Olltcer, John Lockley, who had been Most 01 u, live on POI noodles !rom the ON THE INSIDE. in post Jess than a w ee ~ . 'Many of our canteen ('.ck·shop} The potatoes are always Su e Dibb Visits Hoiiaway Pnson m.chmes are not working and With half of the hard and the curry's pret y bad ,hough the civlhan works department on strike, we can piu a's OK : one Inmate told me . "Th. 'Holloway IS not one of our better operatIOns' ga cleaning problems and hygiene begins to vegetanans complain they get eggs aUthe time says Alastalf Thomp, on, Head 01 PIC,"n lag behlfld. It' s a modern kitchen but badly wIDoh gIves Ihem tummy ache. And ,he wa.SU! Catellng Wtth the prmcipal catermg offiCE!r on designe-d vmb a lack of storage space.' bins are always full. scud anoLher long·term sick aDd the depuly Sl e V" By 1 o'clock the lunch of chicken pre, Holloway is unusual in that no cnoice-s, apan vacant for O'lel 12 months adding to the mu::; hy peas and bOiled potatoes vias rea dy to fr om special needs dlelS . ale provided <>n lhe problems of a badly designed Instllutlon leave the kitchen 1ll a tr am of tro l!eys On tts menu With a high proportIon of black and lequlrlng the dlSlrtbution of meals to 17 dining journey alound the wings. At 11 45 I SBW ethnic mlDomy women, partLcula rly from Latin lOoms I began to understand what he meant. many women carrying tbeu blue plastic Amenea and West AfrIca, the,e are many Opened only ten years ago", replace tbe plates of lu nch back from the ammg :OOm to complaints Ihat the food is bland. Vlc!onan origmallne new red-bnck Holloway the rr looms, In the rush to enSUIe thaI they E.I John Lockley has plans, 'I' m determi ne

Hul 001 evt1'~'fJlW i., happy with !.he slrufl1ion: r:fllllrtll{ 6' Itfl for U~ , t1H/y stN or t1lIT)' {t)f marll rmmt fr mtht· kitrb<'D. There wert" nQ problems 01 Tokt fir aampk Dill RrtDtlSi complainf- ilJtJli. ~ t'h(~ II ..ilir net pudding trrry do"fir 11/1<1'5 (I(hir' I rJ., ",Ii'f r. ri ;Slnbu tinn antllherrlo" the quality of the food .'" (ljI1U:5{ro»1tht kilchtn it iook5 .a'nght.snmt!limls tlCtl r1 ( TiJf c1eallrr$ and paj,,/as}.!ct ffll1.~ / (JtictfIJ flf'l" )' I[uk but muc hbeller Srfonrlly ~oninglr'm w" th. only IhTli' dimas. BNt u.'htn 'lierIlal'll'rS, !ltr p.amtm (11m In u.'l' olfly gtl a chQn(t{Jijt DttU ettfry thrrr ll'reNS, Ilri'ioll "Iudlt>d ""fort' ,!\sian :"! worki'd inlhe ~it r h ells m",lwnlh, ""plr"" Sklfi 0" Slmdays) hDI" lakt~ I'M, ArwrimK to /I,\ f I"",doral.- ofPrison! Kf Jirou/i Mr, a which pos"ibly hrl(lC'1llo i ncrt"~~ ilwJI en r ,~(jr "/10'''' and '" oJirr.g mfal wilh pltnly 'f ,hoi,,' WdJ .. special clit'l3.r ~ ' nC't'"ds. l}lI liot Thfrr is ttlHrtl" to {'ai('t SIIdr problrms Itt - HiMrJl' It j1f t(f~td i?e5INII1Jt'''' just bUilds up_ · (lA·'{tf.or IT{)m n NINOHIn'DIETS pri';')lll'fin Wand::;l4Iurlh Pr: II, Each prison pruvid('"'S minurity dlff ~ on religilJus, 11Il' K:al or cOTlscif'nct' grou nds, itlcludin~ vt',gdarian ilOIV ISrooD R.4TED.' and vrgil.11 Blackort'tlmic minorilies a("Cowll (or }·1 Nul all prisoner:. in.ill prl'Or1!' rail! the fOOfI b i Hll~', per rl'nt oHhr J'riwn populatiun and arC" generally indft'd in 'i00lt" JlI 41ct:~ il is ""dllikt!d. Dl'.;;!Jitt.· {hI' m/lf,' negath·{' about f1)oo Ihall while inrmttes. allp.illIin~ rond j lion ~ of kitch('n ~ found b~ ill~Pl"l""tOP.> 3t t\ " m,I' Ilr1Snfit1" l'Iullt: <.:.tamford HIIII"'n~o!ll l lt'nli()f1ed eariit'f, the- kileh(-n 'BlacR and ArialJ rri5nqr11jiJld ~rismJJil(}d mo't ,,,Irwen' cnll\lJ1llulalr"d by HMIPolltliequllit)' IIlthr ~riltR tha,j tht u'bitf' priso'lrn d!/, olld l/r, 'tuum has frl(Jrl PM1ded. tl) bt thal!Cf art /Iud to u nr.nrr, m(Jrt I an'rd, sprrh ' 'r;" Oil' /'IIrl. II)' P""'" standard,. Fran,la.d·, jQod dr~ h than It'J'rllrs arc. Ir!B l{O l fr.r good sJml4ard - In romparismt U'flh tJlHr r Hn\\l{lvt:'r there i:/'{"ildenct Ihat th~ 1"H1IJhtymf'OI pnsMf~ i"hj$ $tlH mtollJ Iltot tilt 1tgftahlts 11:,,, ~IIiJJJs (tl blac kand t'tilnir min(}rily IIlrnak..... in kitchf'ns can Ol'm:ookcd.lIlc mt'o/.Il.(Jslatty. IJ ~d tnflsl ofliJr $Iliffl("(lS improv4! the quality nf l'lhnir millOrity meal:.; .

ail ~1()u"iro.dt p. I wd III U'firk 'If a ~ul('hffl ,\{an agl} One ("ompiainlls that it can l' diUicult wchanRt' a~ d )'1.'1J1 hatlf' to g()o"Iif O!:WUf u,'l1.\"w pttf(nau mrat fha l bel'A'l'f"ll ""Iior!:;. In mo"! pris.om il v,;ou ld be /tad ' t1..e tl tTlrom 3111i!\OIlcrin Fr.ullkJand PrisllII.J illl pussibll'lo choosr ~ vt'getarian oplion 00(" day bul In hc-r study of fi ~'l" p ri $Cn ~ in thl' Midlo.nd!\. prison uut thr nr-}. t. 11utse Ilptillg (or il rj((· diet as an r"",,,,rh,, Kath, Mcllrrmott rOllnd th'l illll, lood alternallvc 10 pOlal!)!' w[Juld ha\l' lu .stkk It, it. W pite 31tt'IUpl.!= to mt't'l <; p4:ci.a1 nl,t'd". pri"un olo inmnlh t"x f,m.' ~ ~ erl var)'if1gdr~"tl'~ of prison rt"gimE's may not a J wil ~ !> bf f'i e=-: iblet"fiuul{h , neg.11."i ly I {\wat'd~ thl' lood n1~ CXfetJllon '''' ,13 as 1111' ioUo..... ing qUClIl:' ,:ho",·::.: [\IotHngham \l,h~: r~

JILima tc\y tilt' quality of lhr ((lod leaving lhe kitchen will depend to a gff"at t" xtent upon the skill , knowledgt dnd eJHnusi3sms (lr ind ividoal calering mallilgprs. C3tt'nng officers are r("C ruik-d from prison ortk ers. often those '/tith a batkground in se f\" i i.·~ s catering. lack of !ttarf hilS l'aused problems in lh, past but sint. Fresh!>tart in 19l!7 numbers of c3terinRofficer grade's has increased Irom 400 to 56l), allhough ,boul 51) of the,e poSlS remain vacan t. Puor management can alsn eXilcerbatt' problems but despit(' a Irend toward:. grrater civilianisation, no-one ycl set'O)s prf'pa red to ad\'ocarc the inrroo IJ clion of ('ivilian c: atrn:l'S. Hygif'n e tr ainin~ ror catering nffic~rs was (ormi'tli ....I'(l thrf"f" y(> ar.s ilgO and now abou t iO Pfr cl'nl hold. hygiene qualification, allh""Rh by Ih rnd of 199{t II is e'p«lfd thal.ll will hold" I.ast a ba~ic ce rtiffC3tt, ~ Hygiene training for inmates workmg in '"'.; kite-hem: remains ad h{l(, althoug h som ~ pn!J.tin ~ '!'i like Brixton requirf' iDmJtr~ to pass the Royal ~ Snciel yot IIt.lIh's 'F",,,nllal FoOO Hygirne E ·OUfS("', ~ IJ/MSG 1.1' nil on hmld' and there i:; 1(...:- opportunity fur intc:rft.·rence (n the ttlJjoril~' (lj' pri!-ORS food i~ cuoked in J L:l!nlral .ilh the food , Inmates havr Ihe ben.fil of RACISM IN THE mcHENS kitchen and Iltrn I.ken, oilen long di,l.nces, In '" a,soc;alion an~ time uul of th,ir "lis, Sf>n'-I.'Ulu priMlnen in $f'parnll' 1A'lngs. Thi... Bul tn'n where djnin~ rooms ('XiSl they may TIOt In 1987 • bladI prlJoaer. wIIo -1IrIiDu lilt ,"r'~'it.ablr OIt'd iH thallood ha ... Wbt (lIukf"d :i.Offit' bt., u~d . Prisctn re-!!ea rC'hf'r Kathy "' kD~rmllll has , .... In PmIwIII priIOn eing bUll! l:ll radii aoIion. see mort' communal dininl:' Whl'Tf' inmate.. eaf ~t'w Hall Pri~n ha" "" t1L11in~ Mea - ill~ pXflh'lt'd IDitiaDy Soutbauq)mn Cowlty ColIn \{Igf'lhrr. il i~ -:-,hli'f 10 krvr tnt· 10(1(1. it "t:ay' that inmate.§. willl'3t llllhrlf c~ns. awanled £60 for Injury to leellDge but OQ But Ihprf' an: allt'fnalj.,.'t' .... M~ MrDt.'fIllQII ha~ appeal UdJ was railed 10 £fiOO, OlfREMAND ~'i~ill'd pri..:.ol\S in rhe US \\oht'n:;. innlilles aDd :;.ti.tH TIle cue provided • IIlmulUi fill cbenge In March 1988 the linm. Seer.tllff chang..! ~ ,t ConIlno 10 tile Commission for Racia.I prison rultS so that uBConvictcd ....mand ~rl ..ners the (I:/(jd Wa!io ~{'U prc"St'nkd and Ibrl'{" W(lrf fresh Eq\WJty wbleb Will bactIng tile cue, Bul ~rr n. lGllger allowed to have food brought in vegrtables ,iIld ~ 1 3d wb!llt th.lflIme OJlloe DOW Iw • highly from oumid.. Rtnulnd prj!

n t nlI'OO{)"'\G.v.l ... Ft~" "'-'til'l" Plant biotechnology: the Gene revolution

enetic engineering offers an PATENTING of We Formsin Europe, held in february 1989 astonishing range of possibili­ Palmti Tl gof life formshasbecome a highly con cern wasexpressed about th e ethi cs of allowing controversial issue because of biotechn ology G ties for altering the food we legal ownership righ ls 10 bolll planls and animals. and developm en ts. Will we see, (or example, th e paten ting th eextension of reliance on chemical andother eat. Crops can be made to grow faster of photosyn th esis, seed production techniques, and companies, through th eextendl-d use o( monoculture, and bigger, to resist insects, viruses, slaple crop varieti es ' By 1984. Californ ia·based which it was said, will reduce geneticdiversity and our drought and frost damage. Biological Grne nlech had no less Illan 1,400 pend ing palenI s. futureabili ty 10 produ ce crops suited to future Applie>tions rose by 600 per cenl belween 1981-85 al environmental conditions. Th e Gree nhouse Effect is pesticides which might replace tradi­ Ihe European Palenls Oflic e in Munich. one example of identified forces for such change. tional,toxic, chemicals are heralded as Ownership right sare of centraJ importance lo the NEW PlANTS RUN IY1UJ? companies investllig in, and hoping to marke~ new a key to the Green future . Releases of genetically engineered organisms ha't'c But in the scramble for market share biotechnology products and processes. Companies need to safeguard their huge in ves tmentsduri ng the laken place largely in Ille USA""d UK, with 13 ",I. and fo od gianls inthe past. can be engineered to produce insect-specific update The Food Magazine looks at the soch as Shell, Chevron, Exxon, Slandard Oil. wx.in sfrombact eria or scorpio n ~ Bacu\oviruses ha,·e pros and cons of plant biotechnology, Hoffl!1illln·La Roche. le I. Monsanlo. Kellogg. and been shown 10 bevrry efft'f tive.1 killing caterpiUar pe,ls on cabbages and lH-'el<. and al tile same limenol to considers the Third World dimension Unjleve.r dominating agricultural biotechnology IllnMlghoul Ihe world. persist on the testsite if modified 'crippl ed'viruswas and raises the question of who owns and In the Ee ,aPa tents DirCLtive is likely to be used. Other re-Ieast·s includ e: controls plant genes? al1pnwed in 1990. lllC dire..: tive wi ll pavethe way ior moni sed patenllaws in Member States, and ha~ thf I Tomato plan ts with engineered resistance to tobacco mosaic viru s. The GreenRevolution b

typeso[ mamm~ and 212 b~d species to islands and Part of tbe difficulty [or biotecltnology regularly introduced for continued patbogen ('ontinents found tha140 per cent of mammal and five per is that its claims are viewed through control. • ctnt of bird introductions did have measurable ecological the prism of social anxiety about the Another objective o[ biotechnology has elk'Cts Among tilN' effects are plant and habitat dan l:Jgc consequences of other technologies. Despite been to engineer herbicide resistance. andpredation of, and competitionwith native species. It is the claims of nuclear scientists that splitting Readers may ask: surely more berbicide difficult to draw paraDels with newplant introductions, and the atom would make electricity 'too cheap to resistant crop plants will simply increase the r e ~ted useofbiological pesticides, but the reviews meter', the cost of making nuclear power berbicide application and resulting findings confinn Martin Alexander's view that some 'safe' has proved to be enormous. When new enviromental pollution? Well, actually less environmc'ntaliydamaglng effects are probable. pharmaceutical and agrochemical compounds than ball right. There are several compounds When a fa miliar crop rather Ul an a wild spedes is were developed and distributed without which (when pure) are o[ negligible introduced, reasonable predictions can be made of i!s adequate anticipation of side effects. public mammalian toxicity, are effective herbicides dk"C ts. Agenetically engineered whea l, for example, is scepticism about new technologies was at very low dose rates, but kill (nearly) all likely to behave in a similar manner to its non-engi. exacerbated. Small wonder that tbe pulllic known plants (even tbe crops), thus limiting neered relative. But it is not so easy to deter mine why lacks confidence in the latest assurances of the their use. Such compounds include one s]x'Cit:'s should become a l>fS twhile its do ge scientists. su!pbonylureas (made by DuPont) and rdatives do nol, as is the case with mt"mbers of theoat But is it any worse to transgress a cellular glypbosate (or Roundup, made by Monsanto). famil y. barrier witb DNA tban to transgress a If one accepts, however reluctantly, the idea There isalso concer nthat 'gene ticleakage' fr om geographic barrier by, say, growing tomatoes that herbicide applications are an unavoidable engineered plants ma yoccur. Hybridsof crop and w!lc! and POtatoes brought from Latio America in part nl actually eJdsting agriculture, it is plants are common, for instance betweenthe cereal Europe? We have to accept responsibility for much better to use such herbicides than to sorghum and its wild relatives. PoUen, carried great managing the global ecosystem. We have to use more toxic. higher dose rate co mpounds dislafices by insects or blown by the wind. is able to deploy technologies with less environmental such as 2,4 Dand 2,4,5 T o[ Agent Orange impact. rather than attempt to revert to some notoriety. produce nov ,~ plants. Research into the possibility that rest resi stance may be co nferred to wild plants has nol bygone time before we ever messed it up. The most serious controversy concerns tbe yel been conducled. Tbe technology is so easy and so sale that ownership of plant genotypes. Traditionally, new varieties developed by THIRD WORW FEARS breeders are protected by ilntnffiiate threats Lo Third World economies comefrom Plant Varieties Rigbts tl1(' po!'.sibilities for substitution of impor ts by industri­ Protection (PVRP). Other aJh;ed (Oun lri e-s. Alread y' high fr uctose corn syrup' seed merchants can still sell produced usmg biotechnology from mai7.estaJ\,;', lS the variety but the breeder The case/or being usedas a cheap replacement for cane sugar-a can charge a royalty on that sale. Most importantly, vi!aI source (] fhardcurrencyin sevenll Lropical stales. GL'f'lt'tlc engineering may hasten the lossof the breeders can use varieties in tbe event of a plant being produced whicb naturnl diversi ty of plant genetK-malerialthrough the contains unintended novel DNA, the chances developed by their competitors as a source of germplasm in their own breeding wi df':;prf'..ad use or new crop V'dJicties. The multinational of releaSing a plant that constituted a threat rompanies fi nancing the rrseaTch will WilIlt to takeout progra=es. But a recent US legal decision to people or the environment are extremely t) i1 tcntson the lUost produ r li~'e c r o p variet M?-s. III the low. Such a plant wnuld be unlikely to get awarded Molecular Genetics Inc of Minnesota patent protection On an entire plant selected p r ()(' ~:", d('\'rioping coun tries may be (Je nit."" frt (' beyond the greenhouse, because in the course S S·:0 the:-:e varieties. Subsbt('nce far mer:; migfn for herbicide resistance in cell culture. This is of its analysiS prior to varietal release the have to purchase their seed annually from immense ly being seen as a precedent for permitting introduced DNA would be tborougbly \\.1"allhy Flfst World companies - despile the original companies whicb develop new (patented) described and tbe plant would be discarded genf'lfc material having come from wil dThird World hom trials if it proved to contain the wrong transgenes also to patent the resulting transformed plants. Vllrit:lies! DNA. ]\)u lica1 leaders in al most all Third World(.'oontri t: s It is [requently pointed out that an I believe it to be essential tbat patent protection does not extend beyond specific have recognised that developments in b:olerllno]ogy accidental release of a living organism lS willlnt"!ilabl yhave an impacl For exam ple, t)) C" Unilffi transgenes, but the implementation of such a rufferen t from tbe release o[ a cbemical, t\a ti olls Environment Programme (l fNEP) supports because it can reproduce. True. But if it is an system is complex. Every crop variety will need to declare its trans gene composition in Mi crobiololnc~ ResourceCen tres in Brazil, Egypt. engineered plant which is pertectly safe, and Guatemala, K rn\' ~ SenegalandThailand . Programmes easy to eliminate from inappropriate locations the varietal description. One can imagine in ten to 20 years that different crop varieties include environmental safety risk evaluation,biowas1l' witb herbicides, so wbat? disposal. industrial process.>, and inlernation al Amajor commercial objective of will contain dozens of different transgenes, and keeping track of who is owed how much harmonisation of practices and controls in biotechnol ogy is to produce plants which are biotechnology. no longer sensitive to plant pests, drastically royalty for which transgene would keep armies of lawyers and accountants fully reducing tbe need for insecticide spraying. S.."" This seems to be an obvious good thing, even occupied. llo}'\c J Afrtmf llaT,·n/ H.'"'II~nds.v.'OnlL Putguin. l~ Prepared by Dr Jonathon Jones, The Sainsbury Royiil f.(lmrnisB.iLII on Em'inllwnl:nt1I Pbtlubun. Reltav (If if pathogens eventually evolve to overcome I (;ellctic;dJ ~nt't'f t'

2ol. t THt tOOt) M,·U"\ll"l(t j,o\'I/ M,,,1 jll9!j PLANT GENES

There RIO those who say that feeding introduction of modified organisms, in large relea,e 01 genetically engineered organisms the world's population - predicted numbers, into favourahle environments may IS recognised. There is an informal ban on all to reach 8.5 billion by the year 2025 ­ bave very different effects on survival and releases, with exeptions considered on a case will be possible only througb tbe competition. by case basi,. widespread application of biotechnology to Although gene deletion using genetic There 81e tbose who, on religious aod raise productivity in farming . engineering has its parallel in nature, this etbical grounds, regard genetic engineering But with the genes of 'supercrops' being does not mean the process will be safe. The as odious. Living things do not exist solely patented by high technology companies, will deletion of a promoter or suppressor gene for the benefit of bumans. We bave been Third World farmers be able to afford the could profoundly alter tbe bebaviour of an around for only ten thousand years, while lire costs of the second Green Revolution? Might organism through changed expression of its began 4,000 million years ago. Ho w t an we Dot biotechnology further impoverish such characteristics, farmers by providing cbeap biosyntbetic with substitutes for products sllch as chocolate, unpredictable coffee, and other tropical crops? There are consequences. also warnings that biotechnology may pose Witb the threat of in creased genetic erosion as biotechnology industrialisation of food production development in The case against accelerates, so making future selection of the bands of desired traits more difficult. Surely we must the allow the developing world to feed itself, multinationals rather than believing that First World can we he sure that the profit motive usurp creation, the sanctity of life, and multinationals have the right answers. provides for people's needs, with safety and believe it is ours to tinker with? Surely, Wbereas tractitional breeding methods are due caution? Is it being too cynical to argue some, we must respect life, whether limited to mixing material from closely' contemplate that corners may be cut in tbe animal, plant or micro ' organism, and bave related organisms, genetic engineering evaluation of tbe new products of genetic faith tbat nature is no less bountiful than is allows genes from almost any source, engineering, in order to get tbem to market? necessary. Are we not committing the regardless of evolutionary relationship, to be Proper regulation, public information and greatest sin by ignOring the spiritual introduced into almost any other organism. It democratic participation in decision'making dimension of existence and believing tbat may be said that all possible genetic are vital, hut even then unforseen bealtb and reductioDist science can improve on nature? combinations bave at some time occurred in environmental hazards may emerge. In West Prepared by Eric Brunner, London Food evolutionary history, but the deliberate Germany the strong public opposition to the Commission Researcb Associate

ED.!>.., , .....CwmdIl68 ....Ie!rom p\IIII .....1IId ilia fDIl c:ban!derIaticm of Campaigners call IhII AdIIIoIy """"ni"M GO GeIIedc iDtnxIIIl:id DN'..eq_ IIaDIpuIaIIaL BalIIII--SIhIIl DO '1IIaadauIry m.IIIm ol1llllquely for controls ]IlUIIOIIII baft been made 10 _ pubtic ldentlll1hlelllllllllueqll_tmo all rep!8leDllIioD OIl tile j1i..-!COlIIDIiltI!e. geDeIlcaIIy ~ 0IglIIIlImI1O lie '!lie DI Geuetk:I FOI1IIII (llIGF) lIallDXlP 01 The DIG!' Iu11IIer r:alll1or • PubIlc noIeued. I9I8IICben, ....ilUIIdlOIlralilta 8DCI CXIJIII1mer BiDll!Clmalogy CommiJaiatlIO be t:OOJttIuIed .. '!lie DI GelIe!IcI FOI'IIlII calIIlGl a ban on aDd IIIImaI rigbII atmpaignem IIIOIIIId iD 1989. •_!lOW' body wIIh adv!Iory \)OlmIto tile deueIopmouI of berbit:ido D!SlJIalIQI aDd '!lie IoIIowiDg II III adlted _ iaDId by mIpi...., IIDU8fiDv all illu8!l1IiIed by die use at aatihlotlc IOIiJUn", U I marIu!J iD the IIDXIP In _1O!be Royal Cmgnjpjon ...... , aDd goaetJc oagiDeariDg, eugiDoeI:ed !llV8JliBml1O lie reIaaaod: mom.... QD BIIYiIamDaat&I PaIIutioD!RCII'l JIIICIft QD lnclDdIag c!e!!herote m-. III •IleIbIdde i . tBDl aops could lead 10 the nIeue of gIIIOIiatIIy eagI...... IbaaJd lie dmra lila awide _ at pabIIc IlICIII8IId ..01 IImIIk:Ida 0IlIIIIiImt iIIID IhII iiIIib_l ~ _ 1'IdI iI tile """ " ....'"1I.m • The l1li of BDlIbIatIc NIl..... '" IIIIlkm '!lie llI:GF weIcDmM !be RCIP JIIICIft 8DCI wIddI ...properly IIJaI """""'" of tile bmad !au 10 lie IlIIIISideIId ICIIIiI* IIleckgmuDd of IIaIlna It aIIaII ~ IIJppOIt far !be III IUg!I 01 .....mIIod by geaetIc: "'IgIDeedDg iDaeIldDg ~ aIIaaS tile I)INId of G.aIat ranua'l ClllIor aputiaI nprtc!am 1IId ...... a pabIIc'IOIoe 10 lie bean! 0Il1I!8m. IJIlIIdoIIc rasJIt!rnm In lIII ...vllaameDL 00 I'IIIIIII. But iD illi. ¥J ,. tettgpp tile 'ilia UK ClIDIIIa Fonam aIao ...... 11: • WIllI a DlWly ...... Iid CJI'IIIIIiIm Itwill 0 .. : ' ...ppem 10 Igaan!be IIInIIt 01 III , !IIa IMIiDa 1IP 010 autlli .'MIOIl 8DCI lie pnadeat 10 begIa IIIIb tile iIiWIijIIIo1a lllat OWl ...... 8DCIa,..!be wa, Ior lllve- 1kEJIioGa,-far iI'\I 'p''-WIIIIbIg 10 IIIiIIIIaduced II'III! II atpIIIIe of IjIIeIdIDg lCIII_daI.....oI gul c,...... , .....dlllllllale..... widely. -'III 1id~1a!be _ fIIun. '!bIwl' rnreol.c:ue-br-cae.,.... lIIID': dalaillliIa 3 -4 sa AIIdmn HID, 1'-llIo-da1ranua~ .. of apart IIIIIIIIIIJ far ...,Pi " wi ...... I:OIldaa IC4. DlOOOIId iM .y. oIa ...... afdll: ·1'-...... 1II0Iu..ua'*} ID tead.....,01 I • '" I' lid Catering workers who

ot only are catering workers consumers of food them­ N selves, but they are alsothe front ·line troops in the battle against unsound food. NU PE stewards and safely representativesc.1I1 play avital partin prOlecting both the he.1iUlOI their members and the publicthey serve. While their managers may be trying to ul1 lllemenr cuts or compete with private contractors, the uman-nominated slrop stewardsandsafety represen12 tives answer only to the ir members and can take a prominent role insistingutat th.",rvice their members provideisol a high standard. Delending the 'Iuality of their cal('ring service can be Trades unions pride justified as an extension of defending their job securi ty. As Ol""is usually a close Iinl< bclween a poo r ~""m, themselves in showing that hazardolli: ki tchen and a risk oi poor hygiene. insisting they can provide more for on good pra('tic€'S is an extt'nsionof insisling on safe workingconclitioos [or membfrs. their members than Simply To assisl their calering ~lOpste..roS . NUPEh as defending jobs or negotiating produced a pack whichenrournges acriti<4i exanUrJa. lion ofcurr ent practices and checklists on kilC'h{!1I pay deals. With over 200,000 hazards and especiallyo ncook,hill procedures. members preparing, cooking NUPE'sapproach is ba.\I.'tewatds' pack suggests tal'(' r MIlO inlo food when the plastic i> heated - ensure contain", pu r d .~.., bulk ,uppli<, of ir ra rl,:nerl lood cansultl('rs .... 111 ~ )se out.' It ~ uuld ha\'edi,ne nutiwtg to by the It.o.:JI31tdWlrity (don\ u;e unre!iJbltcheap lelk· prevent the recrnl outbrl'aJ..:.,u( ~n(lOl·1.I.J In ('gg:' Il'>lers). (rggs deve1opan o!f.j!J\'uur.lk~t imdii,trdJ IMcan il prevenl "',Iuli"" poisoning. Pooo)'cooked or""'''''''<1food i,3 htaiUt hazard ll H~ union i~ C'onrernecl thatiJ'Tildiation. while it GIll -"'-"lI'eluod ",am." ),('( 10... " Ieasl IwO minutes. A ~n ) "" bt, u;,d, prolong tl,e shclf.li!'i'd, 10 be wasOOlarui disinfecl[,j aft« ,,'" and checkrd re!Marly otheressential nulri''Ill< The food.iIl kJok fre;.h boll . iIl in fact be old a..l lacking in nourislullffil ror iK'CtU7K)'. While food for reuil ,h"l" will ,,"lVe til< irradialed 'SI;mding timt: is ~'!T I oftht cooking tune and is in'llOf tanllo ,'''SUN' thcJl'OUgit htaling .fU,,·roorl. ~be l on Ihe pack, lood iur calrring t 'Sl ab~,htnen l,

:!llt THI' Tl,I1U \UI.,l}1\ . ''''', ).1~K i!'MI ~are for their customers

COOK-CHIU CHECKlJST ChiJijng process: Tbe iotroduction or cnnk,ilill lt.'Chniques allows l is fllOll chilled.o be",,,.. tJ" ..d 3°C ·thin!!J managemenl to sep;u-al' the tillle when food is prl'll"rL'lI minutes? from mt.' lim.e when il is ~ r,·ed. 111C lechnique UlvOI\.'e5 I l>u hmrrs h a~'t' Julonulit.' tvntrub, Ihermumtlrrs cllukmg the disht!> then r.api dly cooling ml'maml and temperature rt'~order; ? hultling IhHn just ~o v r frL""C1.i ng unn1 it b liOle for thl'ir • Is , bLUer capacity , ulf"ie.1to COpt with pt'.k ""heatin!: and ",rVlng up.o fM' day, Iotlrr. demands? Chilled foo very \'tllnt.-rableo to It~mpera l\lr r Distribution of chilled food: abu :;.c: if during cold' !I!t)ragt ur di..-tributlon !hey ri<;(' I I, food itlllper.ltur<· kc-pt bl-Iow loe ill aU time; abo,-.5"C.hey sh""lo nol be relroyc'Il rdrig~l1lted ' Cc'l1ain [00,1 ~,;",ning bul/'>"'" bretd at t.'n¢".'r1IlulT' I Are d".ribu.ion trollt) i clll~ked and maintained' 1... 1ow a..:. ~ il or .1''C. nl~' P\.1YOnly b!.' dt.'Stm}'t'll~' . I~ cold 111alingc~ ItUI In it l)('p.1r.lIt" r{}4'lm.1 a rehe:uiuS! Ihe frod hi 71ft(' roc at If"a':oot tvt'()minures. Carr rMm tcmperaturt" bt:11W loOC? ,• .'.,1> '0 bo- taken >I ~I ,.1.1g\~ to redu~ th.JIO"ibllity 01 Reheating and ~nice : krodront;trnm.tion to th, fir >! pll'i:e, rrunimi bar.1rriai I .s food fl!halrO wiUlin 30 minUh~ ,,{ rmo\inJ! frvm j;,'TU',/,1h riurmg ~ l or.1S(l' and dl;tnlxll~lln. and ensure , Iill' thl'fuUgh rt'-heatll1l{lur~'n' 1\lil"£"'~lnpSl.~w ard'5 I [s (no *r.t'd y,;Ufln 15 ntinult"'o Qf rcheating~ I'" kind",", an ext,n"'e dlt'Ckli'''" hdpstf"A...o, • b lhe !:'entre t('lIIJ,K.'f;JtUrt." of Ull! Iflod rdu:Jlt'd 10 .Ii 1I1anilur tllt' cook. nut IL'SS Preparation for chilling: Ihitn f130C? I I, f,>OIl porboned and ",ad) for ctillIin~ ~;th;n 1U I h cold f\)()t! II.' g s.a!.adl f'J:ltt:n withlll JI1 minutt'... 3ft~ r nwu.tt~ of rookiOR' n m\winl; frum chill' • (, ~tion rarnt'ti out in room \( 1I1J)f1'at1lrt.~ bdo~ I II;. all rt'fW1tro flJltt! dl''l.tfTI),...o If ,t is illMly\~f1 to cool SIImng during hi1 I (an all "mftdy fIY.n Wd . Vf" lemprl"'"lurl' (esh rt't'ord ' J]'rep.vatioo equtprncllt and 1I11'd::i?

KITCHEN CHEMICALS ~1JPE safety ,epresentatives are warned tllS! seve,a! common ~.tchen chetrucals need handllOg w.th care. SpeaaI precautions ar recommeuded Chemical Used for Watch out for Precautions Chlonne fble eh, sodJum cleonUlg, dJsinfeClmg Sklll trl snes . bums , SOfe eves, nose verutiaunn, protective clothmg for skin hypocillorna other and throa., cou~hmg burrung and eyes eve, heat o. l!llX With other chIorUlated plOduClS) sensatton L lungs ploduc-.s, use dilute UpossIble Ammorua (any chem"al many cleonmg agents. fume s can cause watery eyes, sore v.nt!lauon. protect.ve clothing for skm saymg ammoruum on label) e g windO!N cleanmg flUid nose and thloat, coughIng. skm rashes and eyes CaustJC sod.a (sodIUm ov n d eanm toilet Ill1d skm rashes and bums, eye lmtaUons venUlation protective clothlDg Cor skL.1. hydJoXlde) dram cleaner and burns .f splashed, fumes causUlg and eye< eye nose. throa and lung tl nta on Detergents (general na: no. wastunq up ItCjllld, dJy and Utilated sk m, skm ,ashes, prOlectlVe ciothmg especial:y rubber for degreasmg agems, may d:shwashing powder eye lmtation it splashed, nose ar:d gloves_use dduted include b.ologlcal enzymes) cleanmg agents throat IIntation from powder PestiCides (vannus types ) Iallmg hmgus, rot, insects many ale poISonous and should never 0PelatolS should be \lained, knchellS mice, rats etc be used near foods should be cleared of f and s:aU, aVOId comact, get source of problem deait Wl tb Asbestos fire msuianon boards, all types can cause cancer and If possible have It removed and rep}aced pIpe lagging, oven door asbestosIS (lung scarring) WIth ather matenais, otherw1se It must be seals, fl ame-proof mats sealed an d marked to prevent II being dIsturbed, Remove kItchen staff and food fr om area durmg works and get area tested fot dust afterwards ex an

Dr Germaine Greer gave the Those of uS who live in the overfed worldeal One rei:son we approach food with knives and poke at I , three timesa day. I think il is sale to say that il is that we are deeply suspicious of it We are right to be second Guild of Food Writers none of uSha ssex in any [orm three times aday. suspiciousof the food we eat lhese days,but treating it Badoit Lecture. In this edited Though we may imagine' we're obsessed by sex, suspiciously once it is on your plate i ~ not the way to we spend a grealdeal more time ulinking aboul food­ make it safe. As everyone who knows who has "'iI:ched version of her talk, she shows whal we eal, how LOcome by it and with Wh OilllO people leering and snif6ng at Itrr lovingly compiled how our attitudes to and consumeiL handiwo rk before conveyingit to theirmo lll hs, su spicion Themore Ithink about theconlr.lsting ways in which of cooked foods is suspicionof thecoo k. WhenOlll' has enjoyment of food are males and females experience food, th e more rcome to spent half the day thinking about, acquiring the matcnals believe that nOloo ly is thedigestive systemsex ua lly for, and concocting ameal, thesuspicious approach is inextricably linked to gender. differentiated, but that the differences are fundarnrotalto particularly unwelcome. No wonder my mother always an understanding of the wa ys in which males and fe males answered if we were unwise enough to ask what was for cohabiL Studies of the feeding habits of newborns show dinner. 'slewed eels and slow poisonr No wonder women lhatlittle boys become more irritable and upset before when they kill choose poison. Having been suspected of leeds and go to sleep verysoo nalter them. Little girls are il so many times, one might as we Ujusldo it! suppose her food on the walb, ~i ngs i! andto be toileltJained earlier and more sbictly. What aroundthe room.dashes it on die Door. the [('('ding pare nt this meaDSin effect is that weaning is more distressing zooms Ihe 'I'OOnli ke an Muptane.distrncts thechild and for girlsand more repressive than it is for boys. r.lIIl!t the $poon lfl "'tiNshe is in\'o!ved dsewhere. h>eding had been a "arm.Oeshy, cuddly and sleepy tvORSHIPATTH£ TABLE ab-.orption of the milk of humaHkindness has now Weaning is thebeginningof along·anxiety ridckn I1rcx: ess become agauntlet that thechild must run. which places themeal tableat thecentre ofou rsoda] II's a fun ny thing that freud attributed so much relabOnships. The meal table is all attar - thirty inches imporlancr 10 toilet lr.1iningand paid no auen ti on to the off theground - over the head of the average toddlrr. painful proc,"" by which the food go. into .hegul in the This altar must be covered with adean doth and wirh a tin;1p liler. No discu ssion Ihm read has ""ttO "'tlOg l"Onglomeration of un necrssary arUcies. Eating is L1ms disorders as 3. resull 01 disordered eating. It is weD renderedawesome and it goes on being awesome for understood (hatobesity ha~ its roots in O'o'er feeding of every fora~' up theladder o(consumpoon. exposing us to chiltlIenin the early moothsoflife. Uachild's lackof new hazards and new humiliations. The terror ofthe i nler~ t in food i sco n stan~ y over· ridden, for example it is fondue, eating asparclgus, extracting snails from sh~U s . like l)·thal she learns to ignore th e on/off switch in the what to do with bones,what to do with someL1ing thaltS mid brain that telJs her when it is time loeat and orne to maki ng yougag.and worsl ofall the ... !ectionof the cWtl stop eating. Feeding which insists that children ignore inSlJumenl thf pleasure pri ncipleand swallow what they neither like By far the worst aspect of weaning in my viewi s nor want is (orce feeding ,bUI noone has seriously coming to lerms Vtith cold steel. For some reason. Lin: challengedthe right of parenls loteU ch ildren they can', rich worldinsists on presenting its food to itseU on lhe have pudding unless they eat up their spinach. end of metal implements. We areonly a llo~'Cd to use Thething that worries me the most in th rsc feed ing fingers at thetable for very specific food s. (or the rest we drdmas is that food is noL treated as an end in itseU, but must adopt what {call the surgical approach - dissecting rather as a means to the end. You eat up in order to get and partitioning the food with sLerile instruments. bigor get curly hair, and not because food is scrump­

28tiHE fOOO MAGAlINEtJAN/MAR 19X1 tious. The meal must be got over in order to do some­ table training, but the psychological results I think vary Newsweek in July 1987published the astonish ing thing else. but what else? Eating is nat done in order to Boys develop what I've decided to call monorexia: res ult of a poll on a group of sch ool children thai ten sustain life, eating is life. liit is nol enjoyed ,lile is not monotonous taste rorfood they can trust. that they can percent of ten year old girls say they are on slimming enjoyable. The child in her highchair begins to learn that safely put inside thern in order to be fit and strong [or diets. Something has gone horribly wroog. These are eating is not lhe point, she begins to ignore the most doing whatever it is that life is supposed to be devoted onlythe clinical extremities of amuch vaster spectrum subtle faOJltiesshe has, her senses of smell,texture and to. They have no arnbivalenceabout getting big. Girls of food abuse by women. We can see how far rnost taste. She is nol eating,she is eating up. on the other hand are frightened to becomebig and they women have strayed from any rational , ie any plea· The preparation of food and the giving of load are become convinced that eating will makethem big. sure-eentred eating habits . intrinsically acts of love. For me the worst aspect though What of course is absolutely clear is that women are is thai whether women have any talent in devising meals not terrified of food becausemen want them thin. Men EATING LEFT-OVERS or not, they are obliged to express their love in Lhis way. have not imposed bulimiaand anorexia on women,and I Women who spend their lives feed ing others can hardly The woman who, on Lheother other hand,has atalent [or would hate an yone to think that Iwas going to regard be expected to go 10 the same trouble wheo they've got preparing food is equally likely to find that her family them as expressionsof straightforward demand that 10 convey som e nuLn('nt into themselves. lfthey're at won't allow her 10 express it. Many a6ne cook is wasting women be slim. Men do not in fact like women as slim home with young children ,they've already eaten the her liIe on fi sh fingers and oven chips because thefamily as women like women. There isa completedisjunction end of the rusk, th erest of the creamed chicken and won'! eal anyihing else. The nightmare of the hlghchair about the notion of desirability betweenone sex and the the mashed banana that the child would not ea, and wiU be avenged. other. Nevertheless (at is a fem inist issue . Eating they don't even have any appetite let alone energy to Now Iwouldn't dream of arguing that the dream to disorders are an expression of revoll think of some delicately balanced thing with which10 express love by the giving of food is asecondary sexnal Obesity, afar morecommon problem than either feed themselves. And of course if they're at work, what characteristic of women. It is striking thai in virtually aU anorexia or bulimia, can be and often isa rejection of the are they doing lunchtime?They're not eating, they're OJitures women .and role of sex object and shopping [or the evening meal. sometimes even ver ytiny gentility ilSeli. like all Food has become in our culture the cnrse of adult women, think their primary unpublicised female revo l~ women. When they're not shopping for food , prepar· duty is 10 feed others.even to deviant and dishonest ing food, serving it. eating i~ they're cleaning up after the point of starving over-eating is fundamental· iI, washing dishes, laundering linen, polishing silver, themselves. When Iwas in lyseli destructive. putting crockery awa y. It's mad to me to think of those Ethiopia,we used to fill our Feminists have long tower blocks in which, in everysingle unil th ere's a jeep with bananas before argued that fat is afemin ist woman cooking ameal which probably none of the going into famine areas. issue, but mostly with the people in the home are even going to want to eat But Tuneand again Isaw aim of attacking the the thing thai gels me the most is that the most criticallymainourishedgirls prejudice against women onerOus pari of women's relation to (ood in our society of about nine, ten or eleven who are not slim. is that they have to think about it. In asociety where who would take thebanana I Howeverthereisan there is no seasonal variation, never any shortage of gave and break it up and feed important difference food, menus have lo be skilfully varied, as everybody g it t05mall children. I could between women who coming to the table has a diHerent fad or adifferent ~ not convince them that the achieve the right weight, phobia and hardly anybody has agenuine appetite. In ;I; small children were doing which may seem stocky or families where everybody eats at different times ~ better than th ey wereand robust by fashion stan· because of school , work, sport etc, meals go on :l: theyneeded the banana. dards, and women who literally(orever and the thinking about food never f2 1eventually realised how pile on the flab, which first stops. ~ to do it, and it took me quite of alJ puts a strain on the The final irony, and to me it is a bitter one, is that 8 along time. 1had to take the back and then puts astrain women, the sex that eats in an irregular. distorted and 5 child as mychild, and break on everyorgan in the body, joyless fashioo has a greater capacity to enjoy food 5: the banana and feed i~ and However you have to than men. All the tests for sex differeoces in percep­ then the relationship was established Now do you remember that overweight is almost unavoidable for tion agree that women have lower thresholds for understand my wayof talking about the waywe eal is the women forced by circumstance into sedentarylifestyles. detecting tastes. That is they detect elements in lower experience of seeing people eat in away which is Couch potatoes get fat. Many women trapped in concentrations and show grealer discrimination in inseparable from the expression of tenderness? inadequate housing, without accessible saferecreational identify1ng them and have afar more acutese nse of One of the oddest things Ithink about our culture is space, have no choice but to become couch potatoes. smeU. Men's food preferences cao be parlly explained thai women have got 10 prepare the food, serve it and Most female obesity results from acombination of 1think by this relative insensitivity. It is very possibl e appear LO eat it. II seems to me that the idea is to imply enforced inactivity plus malnutritionand this kind of that eating is experienced by men and that the serving of the food is effortless, that it somehow obesity affects mostly the women of the working class. women in fundamentally different ways, , just gal there, which is what everybody likesto think. Many English housewives becomeshapeiess asa result like sex you might say. Now it's true, both sexes are subjected 10 the stresses of of adiet of instant coffee and sweet biscu.its.

m E roon MAGAllNEtJANJMAA 19!1O.29 Caroline LATE NEWS: Walker Awards Commemorating the workand life of COMA report campaigning nutritionist Caroline Back issues - a few Walker. the first annual Caroline on sugar Walker Awards ceremonywas held last still available! October. Winners of theawards are as After ",0 ye.... ofdeliberation, the There are still a lew copies left of the celebrated first seven issues of DeJ)artmentof Health'. follows: The Food Magazine Overall award: James Eruchman. Committee on the Medical consumer }ournalist, The Guardian Aspects of Food ha. publiohed it. Issue 1includes Media award: Daily Mail finding>, ..bieh are ..ore critical *BST - what are they doing to OU I milk? Science award: Professor Ri chard of sugar thoo esp play do... the report, * What's in canned meat - we take the tid off the canned meat industry Ccnswner organisation award: Baby the key recommendation are: *How natural is natural - are misleading labels a trading standards Milk Action Coali ti on • Eat las sugar, less often (no concern? i! Special mentions: David Cordingley, tJrgel gWen) BBC Food and Health Campaign • Sugar is implioted in • DlI..ber Issue 2 - Sold out of bealth problem> in addition to O ~ ve r Gil ~ e . health edilor, TIte Independent dental caries. These include Issue 3 includes Tony Webb, Food Irradiation Campaign obesity and medical problems * 6·page Fast Food supplement: the missing labels revealed at last sucb asgall and kidoey stones. * School dinners and the launch of the FEAST campaign • Improved laholling of tlte su~ar * The costs of eating healthily: we look at inner city shopping (onlen! 01 load. Sugar in pro­ * 1992 - what might it mean fOI UK consumers? Food industry eewd foods .crowU.s for IWO­ levies exceed third, ofth ••ational intake. Issue 4 - Sold out Co.MA t1!pOI1: DJtI_r, S.,.r.t hiH• • ,. Dlu. u . UMSO.lt89. Issue 5 includes £200m * Premium sausages· are they just a prime rip·of!? * Boozing babies: we lookat the alcohol in gripe water For ;\ctinn and Informluion on Despile industry·wide opposition III the * Food Safety: a ten·point action plan to improve our fcod SUJ,,(aT'" response to thl' Tl'IHlrt * Al uminium in baby milks imposition of stltulory levies on their ronliict operations to fund independently Alternatives to third world exploitation Part 1: Traldcraft .I...k Winkler (01·226 lIin/ * adminislered research, a parliamentary or Issue 6 includes question recently revealed thai UK and EC Auhrey Sh{'iham official selle""" require nearly .£213m to * Hygiene hazards of microwave ovens (OI-:I~O i6(0) be handed over by the food induslry. * Fruit IWce drinks : mostly water? Detailsof the main schemes are as follows: * Pamela Slephenson's pesticide protest * Super lood or super con? Vitamin enriched junk food Industry Amount Used lor Issue 7 includes Milk ploducers £69m Market suppon. promotion. * Aload of cod - not enough fish in fish fingers dJsposal 01 surpluses * The Food Bill- a Food Magazine special repon Celeals Uldustry £51m Disposal of surpluses * 'Low alcohol' confusion over misleading labels SUgru processors £58 m Expon and stolage Iefund scheme * Pesticide hazards for COCOa workers and beet ploducers Sugar beet growers £2m Research and educanon and pro:::essors £2.50 inc p&p per copy, cheques payable to Siaughterers and £18m Meat and wvestock CommiSSion LFC Publications anl.mal exporters promotion of meat Celeais industry £4m Home Grown Cereals Authori ty Order from and Food From Bntam Subscriptions Dept, Homculture industry £Im Honicuitule Developruent Council Sea fish mdustry £4m Sea FISh Authori ty The Food Magazine, PestiCides mdustry £2m Residues monitoring 88 Old Street, Cocoa importers £lm International Cocoa Agreement price stabilising London ECl VgAR. a. Kl ~ m &lUd:.>t' nr tta'TC om. ~ 16OU1'iftbf DnjlXid6m Irx MAFF

30 .mr FOOn""K..AnSF tJA.\,'IAR 1~)l1 FOOD FROM THE PAST

AMENDED TABLE OF IH ET" IH ES FOR P B I ~O\ EHS.

THE FOLLOWING ARE THE P RESCRIBED RATES OF DIET.

(· L i~ ."'_ I . ( : f . It. S!Ii ;i .

.1/a/,.,. I' (. ", n'~.. B,y

J/u/. , , '"",,,/, ,. ,,/.. 1• •> /- ·r ",n /._ n'N Kj,UI () ~ ' ,",~I C ,ud ...... I I ',I C1 ,I C, "I .. I I'"'' I 'j"' , '" ,1,,·I.r 11o,.·r l~ I ... .1. ! ' '''1 11 1..,1 . "II, I G", q,

D , ~ ,,".. ~"I' ( . I . , .... ". 1. Il """" . ...1,,,," ' " TDf ro(l" .....d S a'''....'''·. !"' ,...... ~ I:, .....uun. I...... · 'f" •.. _, ,\1 ' ..I,'n .... ,,~"" ~ " onl V-.....,O' C,",I,,·" ...."" " ,11'oooa1b,,0(:. { , "l. I \I, " ,I. 'u' I. t \" ~ .1,'n_I..."'I,, .... '... 6rf.t .•• ~. '" II.. ... '·0''''...... ! II· I' "~1. ... l\'(ond a }. W f'd" """I

,11ult:' F~" (J /(1. C' L .", .'~ ... TI o('lI:oI,... ·:\J C l ~,.1

t:oll ",,1 r<1 1,"",,-" ruo l..... ' I I I I ~ ,,' 1-.1....., £.,' 1,," . I • r ': ,"" , \1 ... 1. . I .1 nnl "'...... , I" .... F, ~ " 10(..", " ~ ... t t·...., " "'.1 ,., '' 'It',. ",,' '11' ,''"'' ,,' .1 II .,,' 1.,1" CL ,'S'" 9. !.. , , ...... '. n .1,, "1. r'''' r 101 III - ' .I' ,,'~< f ·""'a •· •. I"-> ~",., ,..,. ""'te,I·,,!).. I,,..·. , . , .... f'. ;."" Olf rtot .... l'>rlf'l'll "'" nCt"t"JI",> T hrn' OaYI _ 8r", Aj"$1 O::u-.o.l G,nrl ' I , ,,," G.,,, 1 . " "'" I II •. " f n r"J ~ p"r Oi• .." . 11 ".,/ IS,.,." . "". C"" ~ r.::""!I' Co, rn.. .n otI ~ "l," . ~ , 110. P ...... ai~1l 01 th, SlinCla),. T u.· ~ II"I· . T h ursd a\·. a"dSa'urd IY. & hnll nf ,tw Du."",.. I'." GJout Al l C, ... l .... M•• \. " ,ll,uU: ...... , " ( ... ,~"t 'k~" ",fl",·,' I", ... ~'" j',f,'IQM " ~ I' " ... ,1, ... I 110 11/(, k ~ Ft mak, 11.,...-1 . . "' N . 11.., ,. , O"" ,} ..,. ( " 11" ...... • , . I :i:.t Crud...... 1 pm\. M ODday. "Wt dnn "a,.. &D" I'"u ,.. 8..",.1 .. . " I;Iol . n ' ~'lII I .. .60', ...... ) r",e ";" "1' . I,.."" /), ~~,. DIT.lI! . .... 8~ Bn-~I, . , 6 'n. .8 1>1 11 '1',,1 .6 ,, ~. S " /·Io(' C",..I ., r'n'. C..."I...... 1 p m!. Hrc.w .. .. 8 D~ Dread , ...... 6 <»:•

No r._n... ~ Ilr hi C'OfI I.", l oC. '" • ': ="..- ,,' ..l; .~ ",ai .." ...... "'..... '''' "" 'If Il(It3100:>- . 1 no;lIf'I. af ~ , ,..~ , o r .... (-.,1. tftli _ (H.;11Cl' nf ddIU: ,. '" III 1I«"oClf~lI ~ Wb<" I D ! ~ . !o~ 1 t1c d"w~ 11'1 ...1 1lO( be­ m a dtt ~ t" "" I It:.u",Q( ...... n,,,,·, ,,,I.., i*,·rw"o(".f'"'" ,';,nod_I.... _ ~ ,' .. . ~. Fr. Il A C" - . . L This nineteenth century table shows the feeding allowances for prisoners in different classes and categories. An 1899 report stated that prison food was well beneath the diet of even the poorest in the community.

~. fooll MAG i\Z! ~ i . JAN / MAJ 1900 . 31 BOOKREVIEW PROBLEMS

HUNGRY FARMERS -WORID Food has a direct impact On the dtri,ed/ormo/0Jramel IE 150) which in FOOD NEEDS AND EUROPE'S quality oflile and health. In the Third Contents of cola some forms has been linked ta adverse RESPONSE World this is brutal. Ten countries have effects on white blood cells and ~ lizawghl Iam aschool doctor and apari of my Clive Robinson more than 230 deaths per 1,000 head of to act against vitamin B6 absorplian. work is giving personal health education Christian Aid 1989 £4.95 JXlpulation under the age of five. In the Phosphoric acid - in large amounts advice to manyparents and their was asked recen~ y why do I keep UK, the impact is less stark:coronary there is a possibility 0/chrrmic calcium children. I am concerned at the quantity reading, reviewing and plugging heart disease, food related cancers and depletion ,but in small amounts it ~t of Coca Cola that is drunk by children I books about food and theThird lesser iU-health such as allergies and presumed safe. supplied by their parents. However I World? Someof the answers are in this irritations, 0Jfftine -a neurol stimulanl, 3[00 have heard that Coca Cola has specific ill book. Every day a world of food goes In both Third and First Worlds mg /Jereon,around two-thirds the strength eHeelson health. Could you please say il under our noses about which we know women carry the lion's share of o[installl coffee. the laller is trueand also what these too little,ofien too late. Eighteen years responsibility lor food . In Africa two And in diet cola: harmful effects are? ago I decided to focu s Ill yattention on thirds of the agricultural work is done Sweetener- maybe saccharin or (Name and address .ithheld on request) food. I went farming. I went to by women . Women produce around 50 aspartame (Nurraswee/). Saccharin has meeting> and discussed food policie& perceot of the world's food but own bum associated with the dfveJopmenl oj Editorsreply- In food circles most attentionat that only one percent of the world's land , tumours in laboratory O1limols and has to The maif! COncfnt from anulrili()1Ul/ view lime was on the Third World, and some Read this book for all these kinds of carry adecloration on tlrf /abe/to that is the sugar cOll/ent. Co/a-typ edrinks of us felt this focus was wrong. Living in data. It's well writleu. Above aU. it e/fed in the USA Aspartame is suspected contain about ten percent sugon: some13 the UK we needed to understand how focuses on Europe's responsibility and ofbeingGSSOci.aled with neurological lumps ill a330ml cat'. However/his is our own national food {Kllides affected involvement in the world of food . Give problems, with disturbed brainfundion, liNiedifferenl from many froil juices and people both here and in the Third the book to any 1ittle Englander' who epilepsy and even brain !umQurs being SQuashes- indeed the heaflh imageo! World. I was mightily impressed by E needs convincing that we have a role to suggested, bur there appears little conclu­ Ribtna might be challenged ,fit were more MForster's dictum 'only connecr. play in ending our collective European sive evidence either way. Asparlilme commonly realised thot it conta ins 15 per This wonderful little book by CI~e Common Agricultural Policy mad ness. contains phe11ylalinit1eand is aparticular cent sugan: around 151umps in a250mI Robinson makes the con nection Curtailing food over- production by hazardfor people wilh phenylkelonuria. cartan. between our European farm and food quotas is no answer - fur ther Preservative - usual/ysodium Besides the sugor other ingredients policies and the rest of the world's. It is intensificationjust happens on bellll!(Jle 1£2J1) which is believed 10 may also prove ahealth hazard jor some an exceUent summary of progressive remaining land. Amore rndical and provokeasthma, urlican'a (skin im'/a­ sensitive people: thinking and packed with facts, figures daring food pohcy is needed in Europe lion) and possibly hyperadivilyi" Colouranl- usually achnnicaUy- and in sights. There are many parallels and elsewhere. The book outlines - I children. which the reader familiar with the UK suspect wlth more of an eye on the food scene can draw betweeu the world elsewhere than here - a new agro­ scene and our little local UK difficulties. ecological policy: mixed fanni ng, \\'hether you live in sutrSaharan rotations,less reliance on irrigation and Which one is sweeter? Africa or in ashelter for homeless agro-chernicals, more reliance on people in London , yo u sLarve Or eal organic and low input systems, more inadt.'q ua tely mainJy because of lack of resources and training for women on the money . In Bangladesh ten per cen t of land, better c(K)rdination betweenstale landowners control 50 per ce nl of the and private seclor to support small­ land and 50 "'" cent or cattle and :,o per holders, and awariness towards cent of tilt>population ardandless. In powerful multi-nationals. All reasonab le the UK landownership concentration is stuff. The problem is doing it i;'VCD greater, but the population is better Tim lang fed because they have,generally, bellerr I iilt'Omes. Cl ive Robinson teUs the slorywell. HUna"" 1 Third World cash cropping feeds the world market but contributes to malnutrition at home. The food trade balance between industrial'developed' countries and developing cou ntries went against the developing cou ntries ten yean; ago . In lood temlS, theyare The sugar content of soft drinks: thirteen lumps ina standard 330 ml can walking of Coke. fi fteen lumps in a smaller 250 Illi ready-to-dllllk carton of backwards. blackcurrent Ribena.

32.rnF. f OOD MAGAZlNE'JAN/MAR 1m W , :to'I b-Q,.,.;IYnAc!by- D"'I! fI.obr. 1Oo1 For e:woro by to! d fIr\,rrc LEITERS

Cocoa response equitable International Cocoa in (0Cf)(J production that mist concerns Oil extraction (1) The Biscui, Cake, Chocolate and Agreemen, which would have stabilised abovt planliltion work"" health and the The argument between Professor Confectiooery Alliance (BCCCA) prices above historical levels. The tnvirrmmentin countrns where cocoa is Crawford and The Sunday Times on represents British chocolate manufactw· Alliance recognises that it is in every­ produced. Wewcu/d prefer 10 see no po!yun..twates (The Food Magamu Issue ers and includes in its membernhip the one's interest that the producer shouJd residuesandfrrrmuch mtJre indePendent 1) is intriguing. Uscientists disagree, UK linn or subsidiary of four of the receive a fair return for his cro p. The fact lcsJingo/foodsMfs. Given such a world what is the bewildered housewife 10 make companies named in the inset of the that theAgreement'seconomic provi· glut 0/cocoa the "",linued _us, 0/ of it all' article 00 Chocolatt's Dark Secrets in sions are stalled is dueto the pesticides in much cocoa production stems 11Ie Sonukry Times tepo,1 did no, as your Oclober/ Decemberissue. The International Cocoa Organisation's pointless. your lead·in suggests, saythat all PUFAs Alliancecanoot speak (or the parent Iailure 10 ensure theAgreemenrs ability We would be pletlSed to bww "Ioat iyuosailliated fatty acids) were a companies, but I(eel it is necessary 10 to support prices. adi"" the BeCCA is taking, in aswciation dangeroussourceo( freeradicaJs It said respond to some of the allegationsmade I should also like to respo nd to the with its intentaciotuJllinks, to inf/uena thaI 'during prucessing in the bod)" free in thearticle wi1 lch may have alarmed suggestion thaI the UK industry's im()rOvtmtnts in candilionsfr;r workers,to radicals might resuh. meaning that PUFAs yo ur readen wmeces...'Wily. pesticide residue testing was only ou/Jaw th emost dangerous proctices alld to nughl be oxidised if insufficient ,'ItOIIIin F restarted after prompting by the encourage the red",ed lISt o/pesticilks in all ''''''UK chocolate is made almost .~s presenl Guidelines from authori1ies entirely fromcocoa beans imported from supennarkets. n,e (acts are that the countries tJuzt prod",e cocoa. The mulJillQ' such ' NACNEand COMA rarely sI1eSS West African countries,eg Ghana, Alliance started testing (orpesticide tiona~ may IWloum th, plantations bul theimportanct oladequale antioxidant Nigeria and fvory Coast. The indu stry resid in cocoa on an industry basis in through their purcha..·;·jng infiutllce tlley whileexhorting usto ..t more PL'FN yet 1972. This programmccontinued until /WI does not own ordeal d~ectly with any rould e/focI acJwnge 0/ policy tJuzt ..uld that;' whal nukes the difference """'.... cocoa farm sor estates because beans are early 1987when Iht Alliance was ..Iy protect workers'htaJth alld tM good advice and cataslrophe. purrhased on the commodity markel considering profmafs to conduct a ",vironmenl, but also reI""m th, c/wCQIa~ An avcraj(e intakeof PUFAs shoold British manufacturers obviously do not broader progrnmmeQ( independent buying public. = yits own inbu,' proteetic n. but condone the alleged difficult and ~fS t l.n g (to geoera[c a\'ol nme of indepen. Forexample, the illSlcticide lilldane is bej'ond aeertaiolimittherr is ootenough erous working conditionsor the dent9cinetific information) oncertain banned asullSlJ/efiyrfood production i.the and eXlrd vilamin Eis needed. This was ingredients in order to be nble to respo nd UK alld other wtSIern countrits. Yti.,.. i. Brazilian cocoa rstates 9o'orkers. said 10 me by Profes""CrawfonJ himself W possi bleIcgislation on I'C'f1IIi s~ ble GhaM, ""eo/the mains.pplimo/CfJC()IJ II! Ho\\o'('Ver,given the ract that the over· in a per.<>nal interview"""" rean; ~, so whtlmiog majority of Britkh chOCvliltf is \(... ·els. Thf'fe arc as yet no liK limilr.; Sf) tI.. UK where cmuJitions art rep.ltdto b< pos,g0. programme 01testing cocoa. fruil ano BeCGI reed",,,the lIS( i. th, Thin! IIhrld that [ K manufuc= hould paymore One mi),'<11'"ofTh" .nday Tim" reporl farrotrs in nl3intlinlng luwre supplies FInally,), (lIJJ' r..de" musl judge lor -asifllGJib1J ICnllir is hardly rl'assuring. "m""alu.e end. when: Prof""",r Philip themsclveswhether tiw 'growing and rt".,gnise tho! role ul ""stidd,'s in J :Unf~ ulthe RO~l'tl Rl""""h In;;tnuk, CCtnCfTn O\'tlf resid1!t'sm ('Ul'O,", is proJecting emp..bCII used responsib ly. Local slaughter Aberdeen, remind, us th.~ oxidation i,the ()v",,1ht pasl 40 yearn ihffi' Iw betn justilial ornol In fad the Il'\"~ 01 hog interesl,d 1o "',.,)eUrr in 7111 FoOO ilry. He constant two-way C'onta('( betwt'ffl tht rl'sidu{>s found in cocoa beans an't and Ma;;azjJllasking (or the ~ uf sU IQl" mar1 110, Malth0/ch~lale ~tm, MBlades th,sapproach and il has also played , '/lJ'SIl1I1C" of/JI!IyII•.saI.rul"i.iii. are . ootlhtl...illdicatiue practic" Rushden, Northants leading part in trying to achieve an tJu, 0/ food tM..a",,,rh, grr'" /ttJm,fojo, Sla LEITERS

joods ofall kinds and lea. meal. have Iti have abalance between skJfJping Oil extraction (2) In Ihe 1950sand 1960s thebulkof I." ,ds the PUPA> are associated with oridalw. and leNing il gel oul of hand. I refer to Professor MichaelCrawford's near/yall margarines and cooking jats l~1.amin £. [n green leaves the »UJTt The best way wsltip ",idalw. is wwke comments on polyunsaturates (The Food were 0/this sort, having MiginaJly been unsolurated PUPA> are associated wilh cyanide,and Ihe dramal~ effect lhalIuls Magazine Issue7). mark from bee[jol, because ofils close t'l tamin E, vitami" Cand beta caroten e. tells us something quite imperia/It: that My understanding hasalways been similaritywbuUer fa land hydrogenaled 1U}t daji vegeJab/e or marineoils. With the rising 1)" cel~ in the bod)' ali have their oum nature is as as some imply. Ihat ~Iere isa huge difference between announ"es against perOtidatWnjorthe Thechecks and balances infood and in relined an dUJlfelined polyunsaturated oils realisation that excess intakes 0/saturated reason thai Ih euery /ifesupport S)Stem of thebodyareeleganl. There isnodoubllhal and Ihal it is Ihe refined versionswhich /als was linked with heart diseaseand IJJ:idation involves these types ofreactions. ealing good, well preparedfood, using oil are damaging to health. In his 'Lipids in ar/herose/erosis and Ih at polyunsaturated 1M worst !/fend", are usuaUy the home and vinegar with green salads, usingfruits Human Nutrition' Professo r GJ Brisson fals did theopplJJ:ile, a very few manufac­ dftPiatjryers who re-use oil time and time and vegeWbics ofall kin ds, eating whale writes: 'Margarines and shortenings are lurers started to workout ways to provide agoil!. Under thesecircumslances the meal bread, cereal foods,fish and sea foods the producls of alKhnology based on spreads which conloined poiyunsolurated uita min Eand other prolectiv I! agNltscan - even the most polyunsaturated o/them chemical and physicochemical reaction s and not saturated/als. ;e demolished regardless ofthe oil. Icflhe /apancs,) - isgoing whelp nalure wluch modify,sometimes exten sively, the The proper SQurce 01pofyunsoturated II is very right to draw attention to the in i~ task ofkeeping these checks and chemical comlXlsition oj the parent fats fats in the Mlura//ood chain is seeds, nuls 1!mJ}Nantioxidants and conserving thim balanccs in place. EalingdiPts/u1l of and oils. TIle app~ cation of this technolo­ or green leaves. Seed oils were therelore ../Dads alongside the polyunsoturates, bUI saluraledjo~ isgoing Iti deny Ihe body gy introduces into the foodchain some used as a basis lor making spreads in as th <'Y both go ltigelher in thefood cha,. ilis essen/inl uilomins and the poiYUlzsaluraJes types of fatty acidsentirely different from samewhat Ihesame way Ihat people had diffi cuil wseparate them eutfJt", bad needed/or cell membranes and all the those found naturallyin non·treated traditiolUllty matU mayonnaise, which is OXidtl tW1f pP11dice. Yes o!course mtlyoccur above. vegetable oils.' In theBrilish Med~1 an emu~ ijicalion Of oil and egg yolk, Ihe IL'itJund vitaminEit) the diet but thai So Ihere)!JU have il. In the end, il is Ihe /"''''11)1, W/ I/79,Sir John \1cMichael ac/ive ingredient in the yolk being fecithin, uvuld happen rmly ifth'food wa:; very old bafanced diet alld lhe way we prepare Ou r agrees, repo rting Ihat some oilscan be Ihe emulsifting agenl. /IT had itsellb,en oxidised. Thai is nolthe food tharis imperlanl. The problem is­ 'more damaging to arteries Ihan butter', II is the margarines and cooking /als fauit ofnalure /IT the polyuwlurates.' whol is the balanced diet' 1believeSir and theAmencan boichemist Roger J made with saturated blended oils and Oxidation oc('U~ in resptm.se /0 injury Robert McCarrison had the besl ikscriprion Williams writes thai 'most commercial hydrogenatedfals,which are/allel's and cPJi damage and is used by nature 10 Ihal applies WWdaywhen he described the polyunsaturated vegetable oils are concern. These siwuld be considered as s ~ i'Jl iG troops to come /() the rescue, clear /Xllue ofthe 'unslJphisl~aledfoods of possibly productive of alherosclerosisand quile diJtincl/rom those products which upthemess a'ldinilialethereptJ.ir. So you IUI/ure'. should be avoided by the consumer cMiai" a IUlmed seedml and th eCOllleni (N utrition Against Disease). Surely the of Ihe ,ssenlial polyunsaluratedfalty acid fifteenor so steps used in Ihe refining of /)1, Ihelabel. most oilsare responsible for partly It is, 0/course,trueihat any processing hydrogenating them and causing the 0/anatural vegetable oil isgoing /J) fonnation of free radicals - and the less changeit in some way or other. Ellen the Support the LFC and subscribe relined, SO

34HH~ fQO DMAGAZJ~ltJ~ !I //.Wt]9).I LETTERS

The hi-tech possum customers sunsetyeUow,carmoisine. amaranth o( tartrazine - all lllgredients test we were being sold before. Iwas interested to readKIJ1l Wilson­ Angela Cresswell Gough's account of the problemsofthe Glouces!er organic applegrower and havepondered . too, on thequestion of what is 'organic'. Perhaps we should let the animals lell us. Gummer's egg Last year I purchased a box of orgarU­ hypocrisy cally grown fruil and vegelables, which I The Ministrfof Agriculture is perpetrating left out on the kilchen lable,leaving.as is agrave injustice on Britisheggproducers mycu ~t()m, aJJ the kitchen windows open and agreater hypocrisy on the British to catch the sea bree7.C's. During the night public. Iwoke up to strange thumping noises and Claiming to act in the interests of found fourar five possums having a pu blic health, he is now slaughterulg wonderful time running up arxI doYm the hundreds of thousandsofhealtllYhens kilchenhurling the ~Illt about and feasling becausc the odd one might becarrying on pears, bananas, peaches and grlIpes. salmonella. whilst allowing in crea~ ingly Since that nighl l have lei! ordinary, large nnmbers. n{imported e~as fro m shop-boughllnu t and veg1es oul- but no untested Oocks from the continent to Ix>ssumseven enterthrough the windows. swamp street{'orner shopsand markets. We maybe able to bvpass all tlle high·tech Hisac60n illlnaking Britain the first tests on rr:;idues and additives and just cotmtry in the world to erarucate checkour purchases with apos5WlI. salmoneUafromone species, when it is Sandra Heilpem ubiquitous in nature,and can only be Pearl Beach, Australia sustained if he prevents forthwith all imports of eggs from inft).::te

11ft I1IGV MM,.vI:.lt JAS {\[I misunde"tood by the people who however has 'got all thebackground. He's a char· insisted that we be allowed to show our film - which ""'{Irk fo rcorporations. tered chemist, a FeUow of th eRoyal College of thankluUybrought the debate back 10 the real issueof Oothe Oighthome fro rn Manila last mon th ,l Chemisls. a Diploma in Biochemistry. and he's how babies in developing countries suffer and di e and happened to be sitting next to the y,'ifeof an executive worked as agovernmenl advisor on infant nutrition'. the role of com mercial milk companies. On the way of Nestle, who had herself-before ,he had her We kn ow that Hendey is also the chair of theInfant home we realised the enormity of what we had heard. chikl - promoted baby milk formula for Nestle and DieteticFoods Association GDFA) ,which Uw e hadn'ltaped theevent I'm sure no one would PhiJjppules. Although we goton well and she even represents all the baby (ood companies that market in havebe ~eved thal Nestle representa tives would say inv1tl~ me fordinner, we both realised that we had Ihe UK, and achairo( IDACE,theAssociation o( such things, Alter all,Mr Hendey is a well respected entirely bizarreideas about each other's motives for Dieletic FoodIndustriesfor the European man. Comm unity, which representsall the European ones The and the EBC ran the OUTWOrk. Owing our three andahalfhour conversa­ 1he ClWydia n, Ln.cel DoIII ~ I,'e hn- an enthusiastical:cuunl of how the too. story. Jrang WHOin Geneva for acomment and they bo>'COlt was gaining b'Tound, and told her how moved Mr Allbeur )' starts wi th tlle fi rstoverhead. 'Breast assured me what we had heard was nol offi cial Nestle Ihad been to see so many Hlipino mothers and is best'. No questionabout iL l11ishas beenNestle's policy and that the company had assured themit dtildren joul u,on our parade (see page 7). Perhaps I basic positionsince 1866. We al l smile. "IVhy then would do everything within !he limits of corporate should have expectl'd h'Heaction but I di M !. She infant fonnula?' says he. Theanswer is that th ere's a behaviour to rec tify the situation. <:.aid that if ~e ir.1'd on Smoky Mountain. thesquatter need for the products in countries all aroundthe Liter in the weekAJIbeury wrote 10 1lu scttJemenl on a rub b i ~h heap in Manila, she wou ld world. An eed for it in the case of premature birth. Guardian and the BBC to say that their articles were jom any rally fo r a few pesos. there's a need for it sometimes when there are mi sleading. 'Nestle is nol seeking to give the Iknew lhal evenifwe had wanted to, our very multiple b~th s, when the moU,.r can't feed both or Unpression that HIV injected mothers small budget would have madeit impossible 10 bribe more than one child. Th ere's a need when mothers should not breastfeed .' Vou could have areill. Thi sis a problem 'U1 many African countries looled me, , all tlte hund reds of participants that came, but still. It appears to show that she could not imagine that any particularly, because of thespread ofAIDS. Because

36ti m : rooD MAG.\ll"E'JAN/ MAA I!'IO RECIPES

scal y, iridescent with tight and colour. The Oesh should can be usedwi th other fish, notablytroul be firm to the to uch. and should not retain a dent when 21bsalmon. boned but not skinned • prodded, and it sho uld smell fain ~ y and pleasan ~y of 21evel tab lespoons of sugar the sea, nothing more. 3 level tablespoons s~t freshlyground blackpepper Fish straightfro mthe water shoul d be plainly I heaped dessertspoon choppedfresh dill cooked as quickly as possible. preferablygrilJed over Mix together the sugar. sale pepper and dill and rub charcoal. andembellished onlywith seasoning, herb s the fi Uets of fish all over with il Sandwich the fill ets lne and iemonjuice. Fish from the fi shmongercan be logether, skin side out with any surplus salt mixtu re in grilled. fried, poached.stearned or baked. In all cases. themiddle, Put in ashallow dish wi th foil and a ve ry tittle cooking time is required. The fl esh should be weighted plate on top and leave in acool place for 24-36 cooked un til itis just firm, and beginning to /lake and hours - no lo nger, otherwise it will taste verysalty. comeaway from thebone. Then draino[fthetiquid, rinse and pat dr yand wrap Fish may al so be eaten raw, marin ated in lemon juice the fi sh in film or foil. Chill through before cutting in which coagulates the protein, or in sal t. Af amous ra w very thin slices like smoked salmon. Serve with thin fish dish is theScandinavi an 'gravad lax'. where the sli ces of rye bread and butter,with either lemon wedges salmon Oax) is rubbed with sal, sugar and ground or a mustard sauce:· black pepper, sprinkled with dill and left for a day or two 2tables poons French mustard. pressed between plates (see below). Another is our own 1 tablespoonvinegar, roll-mop herrings - IiJJ ets of herring roUed aro und a I dessertspoon sugar. blended wi th 6 slulling of onion, gherkinand spices, held with a tab lespoons oil; wooden splinterand marinated in vinegar andsalt. then add 5fl oz sour cream and plenty Roes are considered adelicacy and are left in the of linely chopped diU. A""""" Goodfellow bodycavity after theguts have been removed. You may t.1ke them out if youwish to cook them separately (roes on toast), or leave them in. The soft roe or milt is th e sperm sac of th e male fish. th e hardroe the egg sac of the female.

HERRINGS IN OATMEAL marvellous thing Aclassic way of cooking fresh herrings is to split them. fish is that you can coat them with oatm e~ and fr yo r grill them. Th eoil fromth e hot fish should penneale the oa ~nea l to make prepare a delicious meal from a good, crisp coating. it so quickly and with so little trou­ The fish should be gutted and c1e an ed, th e~ heads an dtailscut of( and lins trimmed. Then th ey should be b
e_ At the same time, it is nutri­ sptildown theback and opened fla ttike kippers,and the tious ,low in calories, with very little backbone and as manys maller bones as possible waste. removed. Rinse and pat dry. Season with salt an dpepper and It ranks with eggs for convenience and of alllhe protein press both sides firmly into oatmeal uow they are weU rich foods it is the mosthealth y. Such fat as it contains coated. Grill for five minutes or so on each side (len (tn wh ite fish hard ly an y) is high in polyunsaturates. minutes in all) un til the flesh iscooked throughand the and considered by some scientists to play apositiverole oatmeal coatingcrisp and brown. in the prevention of hear I attacks and strokes. Fish is Serve wi th a pat of butler, a lemon wedge,some TeIt for !his ...COIDO$ from AmIada rich in vi tamins, particularlythe Bvi tamins, and in good brown breadand apotof mu stard10 hand. Goodlt...... A HIIIJItIoiId 14ae1, 19119, ~bIiIbed by iodine. The IImohouIe TradiIionaIlOd WbctII:bMI COIIJIlUIY. But it must be fres h. Reallyfre sh fish will have eyes GRAVAD IAX (miIobIt fntm The Ou••booot COIIIPID)',9 that are bright and clear. not opaque andsunken. and The famo us Scandinavian piclded salmon is simple to WaIiIebd A_.1AotIoa MO, 6QA. for £14.95 gills thatarered. Its skin wi ll be wet and shin y. and ,il make and extremelygoo d. 'me samecuring method _£2 1I00IIad)llliiD& or tom 1"'11.....).

TIl F. FOOD MAGAllNE tJ AN/MAR 1m . 37 WHAT THE JOURNALS SAY

Learning good habits from Greece, eating snacks and not eating aspirin .. .Eric Brunner reviews the journals

ASPIRIN NOT A cancer was also more common cant, increase in strokes is seen in of olive oil, butdon'ldieofheart amongst aspirin users. all three of these studies. disease 50 common ly. One small study WONDER DRUG Several British and US studies in Stomach ulcers and bleeding are found that perhaps we need to think AFfERAll? the past IS years bave looked at the established hazards of aspirin use, about which oil sand spreads we use as Contrary to the prevailing wisdom protective effect of regular low dose especiaily at high dose. On tbe basis much as how to replace them with that a daily dose of aspirin protects aspirin. Analysis of 25 randomised of the accumulated evidence it co mplex carbohydrate and fihre. bealth, it may be linked with trials involving patients with some seems that the advocates of aspirin ADve-week trial of two diets involv­ increased risk of beart disease. previous CIID taking anti ·blood may have to eat their words! ing 48 men and women, one a high olive Fourteen thousand white, clotting drugs sucb as aspirin (ie for Paganini·Hill Aetal, Aspirin use and oil diet (41 per cent energy from fat), an affluent and weU-educated people in secondary prevention) deaths were chronic diseases: acohort study of the the other ahigh· carbohydrate, high· a Californian retirement community reduced slightly. There was a IS per elderly, Brilish Medical jou,"aI19B9.vol fibre diet (22 percent energy from fat) were foUowed over six and a balf cent reduction in deaths from 299 ppI 247·50. showed the same Wls in total choley years. They completed a Question­ circulatory diseases and no appar­ terol (fC) of0.45mM. High density naire whicb asked for a medical ent effect on other diseases. The tipoprotein cholesterol levels (associate history and use of drugs such as present study is the third large GREEK LESSONS with decreased CHO risk), however, fel pain kiUers, laxatives and vitamins. randomlsed trial of aspirin for The Western diet maybe lac"lung in n·3 by O.l9mM in the low t.~ high fibre Discbarge summaries and death primary preventioD, ie in those with fatty acids,the richest food source of group, but rose by O.03mM in the olive certificates were analysed. By no previous CIID. The US pbysi· which is oily fish. Eggs too ,.an be arich oil group. The olive oil die~ unlike the January 1988 there were 341 cases cians health study, of 22,000 male source of these fats. provided the high fibre die~ appeared to ,.use a of stroke, 253 of heart attack, and docton; taking aspirin Or placebo chicken's diel is righL Previous specificfall in TC while leaving HOt 220 of other coronary heart disease every other day, shows no differen ce attempts to feed them On fish meal cholesterol unchanged, despite the higl (CIID) amongst those wbo had not in circulatory deaths between the produced odd·tasting eggs with afishy level of energy derived from fat. reported any previous heart or two groups after five years. ' Th ere odour, bUl the green leaves o( purslane. Mensink RP and Kalan M.B, Effect c circulatory prohlems. Although the was a 47 per cent reduction in fatal which grows wild in Greece, provides MUFAs versus complex carbohy­ risk of sudden heart attack was and Don-fatal heart attacks, similar the n·3 fatty acids without imparting an drates on IIDL in bealtby men and reduced slightly amongst men who to tbe findings in this new sllJdy. unpleasanl tasle to the egg. women, La1CceI1987, vol I pp122· were daily aspirin users, the relative The British docton;' trial of daily The authors report that the chickens 25 risk of angina and otber CIID was aspirin use showed no beneficial on the farm they visited have a diet of almost doubled for both sexes effect at all as far as CIID was purslane. the richest source of the fatty compared with DoD-users. Kidney concerned. A sUght, but not signifi· acids In Question of any green leafy EATING PATIERNS vegetable yetexamined, as well as Enting small meals often, rather tlwn the insects,fresh grass, freshand dried figs, traditional square meal, may help w supplemented with barley !lour and com. prevent and reduce obesity,a"dfasting COMING SOON IN THE The resulting egg yolks contained ten bioodfatte vels. times as much n-3fatty acid as a A sludy ofheallhy men in Toronlo FOOD MAGAZINE! supermarket egg, 500 mg per ounce of looked at theeffects ofincreasing Ihe yolk, compared .i th 300 JOg in some fish /requencyofmeols. Seven men were Future issues of The Food Magazine will include: oil c-