THE
MAGAZINE Issue 13 Volume 2. April/June 1991 • £3.50
SUGAR IN BABY ORANGE JUICE MILKS FRAUD-WE NAME THE SELLING AT THE BRANDS DOCTOR'S DENTISTS FOOD HYGIENE SLAM TV US-STYLE ADVERTS
THE NATION'S , .. SMOKEY FAVOURITE BACON FOODS . SECRETS
CHOOSINGA GLOBAL FOOD HEALTHY DIET STANDARDS THE CONTENTS NEWS
COM MI SSIO N Bab ymilk EC directive allows high sugar levels 2 Advertising Dentists criticise TV adverts watchdog 3 The Food Commission is your mDSUmer watchdog on food. We Sugar ads ASA finds sugar ads 'mislead by omission' 3 are independent of the food indus 1TY and government and rely on Genetics New proposals allow ownership oflife forms 4 subscriptions, donations and grants for our funding. We aim to provide Irradiation Army and prison services reject irradiation 5 independently researched informa food standards Are EC and world standards set too low I 6 tion on the food we E'-at to ensure good quality food for all. Cyc lamates New evidence oftoxicity 6 Th~ Food Magazine is published Gum arabic International standards are too weak to prevent fraud 7 quarterly by 1b.e Food Commission. Food hygiene Is training for US food workers a model for the UK? 8 ~NOO5.}WH Party fu nds Food companies finance the Conservatives 8 C 'I.. Food C
"}be Food Magazine Co·editors Baby foods Special 5-page investigation: Are commercial baby ~nih~ Tim l.vk!t"in foods all they claim to bel 9-13 Informati on officer Off the shelf The trade secrets of bacon smoking 14 MartinI' Drlkf' Throwing light on green potatoes 14 Researcher Ian TctkelO\'e Pure orange juice fraud 15
Subscriptions manager Britain's favourite foods 16 F""", SmM What's inside children's lunch boxes 16 o.,iill"i by Arl""",,,, ~02"1 J"I" So"ffi,]""d,,, ECI\' 4NJ Pri."'il~>dd"p"'hed by Spiderweb HEALTHY EATING FEATURE 1t-20&ls..."fJ Way,Loodon N7.
Ret.1l1distriblltOC Ccntral800ks, !i'3 Wallis Rnad, lo-nelda 1::9- 51N Explodi ng US dietitian jayne Hurley explodes they myths of balance, fl~I,9l<618 >1 1 the myths variety and moderation 17 PU'fTING FOOD Barriers to Professor Aubrey Sheiham looks at the difficulties we face in QUALITY FIRST healthy eating changing our eating habits 18-19 Following Food comP4nies are giving advice in the doctors' surgeries 20-21 SUilSQijfI ... ura UK doctors orders ! 17.50indiMu>1s £35.00 orgEisatioos ~(airm3iJ) REGULARS [2S iodividtWs £4U tqtUli.sit!ons Book r,riews 12 Ywfqu_ 23 M.l1Ietpiace 2402.5
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~ EDITORIAL Diet and intelligence
hatever you feel about children but they haven't the mean s. Politicians have I2king vil2min pills to improve their the means ... but have they the intellige nce? Wbrainpower one theme comes shining through. For many children their Making changes present diet leaves much to be desired. For general advice on healthy eatin g, wh ere And it doesn't I2ke much intelligence to belter to go than a doctor' Surely doctors see th e reasons why. Children are know what's good and what's bad. Yet, as we bombarded wi th daily messages for sweets, show on pages 2()'21 , GPs are nol well soft drinks, fast foods and highl ysugared trained on diel2ry advice, and instead many cereals. Our own survey last year showed of them rely on educational materia ls that less than ten per cent ofTV food su pplied by ... yes, the food companies. advertising to chi ldren would encou rage Balance, variety and moderation have healthy eating. Now denl2l health become the watchword s of healthy eati ng professionals are criticising U,e advertising advice. Or do they stop us thinking clearly. watchdog bodies for 'glibly disregarding' Annerican dietitian Jayne Hurley argues (on informed medical opi nion over the page 17) that these phrases are adve rtising of sweetened food and drinks to smokescreens which food manufacturers children. They want to see new restrictions hide behind to avoid the tougher advice to placed on the advertising of such foods. cut down on fat, sugar and sa lt. Eating habits start young. That is why it is Nine out of ten people in Bril2in are still so worrying to discover that even baby milks eating too much fat, and making healthy food will be permitted to conl2in up to 50 per cent choices remains difficult.. On pages 18 and 19 sugars by a new EC directive, far in excess of Professor Aubrey Sheiham loo ks at the the sugar levels in breast milk. problems people fa ce in changing to a And then there is baby food. Busy healthier diet. Whether its the power of parents are offered an attractive array of advertising, the lack of easily understood jars, tins and boxes promising their baby will information or th e cost of eating healthily be happy and healthy. In our special we need policies and action to make healthy Consumer Checkout report we I2ke a choices easy choices. del2iled look at just what's in these baby food s and discover that your baby might not Food fraud be getting all you think. The adulteration of leading brands of 'pure' Add ed water and thickeners are used to orange juice with waler and added sugars has bulk out the small amount of real ingredients. left shoppers angry. Angry that Many baby foods fai l to meet the minimum manufacturers canget away with sel ling uS protein and energy levels that doctors have inlerior products with th e governm ent recommended, and all failed to include the taking no legal action (see page 15). levels of meat or fi sh that on average parents As 1992 fast approaches we are becoming expect. increasingly used to th e concept of European At the very l eas~ the labels on baby meals food standards. But evidence suggests that in with meat in them should declare howmuch the rush to harmonise laws throughout the meat is actually there - just as tins of,say, Co mmunity, food sl2ndards are being set to soup Or stew have to do. But baby food s are the lowest common denominator. exempt from the meat labelling regulations. But even EC sl2ndards are likely to be We asked the Ministry why, and theysa id it overshadowed by the GAlT proposals to wouldn't be worth it because there was so liberalise world trade in foodstuffs. GAIT is little meat in the dish ' This isn't good taking us into a new era of international food enough. Babies deserve the best possible standards set by bodies that are heavi ly quality food. industr ydominated. The case of the additive. Across the country school meals are gum arabic, on page 7, illustrates where weak being axed as local authorities cutback on international standard s are perpetuating services and many children bring their own fraud and poor practice. lunches. Anew study of children's packed Gum arabic is just one of thousand s 01 lun ches (see page 16) finds crisps, chocolate substances used in food processing. 1f and soft drinks leature strongly in lunch international regulatory bodies cannot set boxes. Pocket money food is poor diel2ry adequate standards they will fail to protect quality. Children themselves cannot change consumers' int erests and public health. food policies. They may have the intelligence Sue Dibb & Tim Lobstien NEWS
EC will turn baby's milk to sugar
uroJ)(.-an Commission p r op~a l s mi!k.11ley could also gi,e a baby aliking lack Winkler_ 'In lacl they may be will aJlow inCant formula to lor swtel loods .nd pose a threallo the buying aproduci which is pol,nl.1ily UNICEF criticises E contain ;,o per cent sugars baby's 0",1 heallh_ This breaches Ihe EC damaging: and th""'"luar ll'" ul Ihest can be dircrtiw'sownrequirement that such • rIA' 1'I~11t' &~:io\~m'!I(.'Ij..w; :k WLr.r.l::r.CltW IiA'.:'. EC directive, ,1)(llh-d;u1\aRing sucrost' and glucose infj'U\t products 'shall not contain any ~ q j'a u.l~ 'M. IJ !IId.6' N"17Al t 1Ir.1 ·22fi.I~7'!l syrup, ~b!'I i.llIc e iu such quantity as 10 nan unprecedented atta("k on the AcI.'Ordlng to thL' campaigngrO"Up endanger the health of inlanls', European Commis.:sion, the presti ~on and Inlormation on Sugan; (Al, ), dis ti nction between lactose and I giou s UN chiJdren's body, UNICEf, product labels will nol have to reveal rMined sugar.; sucb as sucrose and has condemned the ECbaby milk sugar cnflU'nt and can t"\'t'n claim - if glucose is critical. The Deparbnent of direrti" lor tailing 10 meellhe bare & Gale Premium lactose gluco;e S)'TlIP b u>cd - thalth LOOKAFTER YOUR HEART, £0.00. 19/20 StplrmlJa 1991 New advice is halfas sweet This lnlt:rnational conference isaimcd at those worlting in cOl'Oll3l'y hearl I~W r e ~ t>an:h fro mtht World ComnuU•• on II!.' M ed i~11 Aspeclsol disea", prevention .lIneal kwl II is 1J..llh O r~ '"i"tion and Ihe Food Poliry(COMA1 , Son",ulthese jointly spon""'" by The He,Jth N gOVLTnIll '1. nl: 1<1I1!. !'HI ,All:'oo' • .o\Ml' .Jll'tl l~: NEWS ASA says sugar ads {mislead by Dentists slam TV advertising ental health professionals have DSLG argued, it can no longer be The IBA then took the unusual stt!P uf omission' criticised the 1V adverts disputed that sugar can cause physical showi ng the DSLG·s n:C:lI1orandum10 the D wa tc hdog fo r'glibly disregard harm to ch il dren. I3iS(."ui t. Cak!!, Chorolate and ing' informed med icalopinion over the But in an astonishing exchange of Confeclinnery Alliance, whose mcmbeN advertising of sweetened foods and co r r ~n den cc between the IBAand the sJl('nd O\l';1" £I I) ) million a year arlvertis e Advertising Standards dri nks for rhi lilren. By givingwc:ightto HEA. the IBA', Controller ofAdv er tising iog thel[ products,and allowed them I rpAuthori ty, while rejecting the views ufth e iood industr y, the Frank Willis,",ught lo doubt u'l' validity ~u bmi l arebuU.lLln Del:L"I1l Ihe complaints against the contra· Ind.".nd!'ll1 Television COl tission of tile He. IUI EducationAu thori ty's Auver ti ~n~ AdvisoryCommntee oflhe versiaJ sugar indus tryadverts, have (rrC) has failed tlle publicIn itsstated conclusions. In a letLer 10 il'i chair. Sir IB Ar ejecled the OSLG's proiKIsal" admitted that the ads could 'mislead !lim oibriog 'one of the rounlry's official iJonald MaiUand, he desc ribed the wilhout reference to any . ical ur by omission', mSlrwnents oj ':O nsumer protection', DSLG's submission as a -highlyradica1 deotal advisor lb tlle authority. Complainanlsargu ed that I adverls 1hej·&1)'. "'!(gestion'. 111e [DSLC sl memoran 'Howcan an ll.d...isorycommittee soughi iO< oohlS< betw""" " hat the In November the Dietary Sugars durn slates that it was prepared by a adopt al;ow which i.ioslal'kcnnfl>ct ~;th $! ()vt' r nlllcn t ' ~ COMA Panel.in its repor: Liaison Group (DSLG) composed of number of people incl uding reprcs(..'Jl la U,al of tll ~ hesl informed bodies"n 1W st. Geo.oge the ~Iartyr, sou TH WARK. PREVENTION OF ADULTERATION OF FOOD AND DRINK, AND OF DRUGS ACT, 1872. Report calls Plants and NOTICE. THE ANALYST for this Parish, appointed for food animals by the Vestry .under tlle above-named Act is Dr. JOHN lIIUTER, OF THE SOUTH LONDON hygiene under SCElOOL OF CHEmSTR Y AND PHARUACY, No. 231, Kennington Road, S.E. improvements THE INSPECTOR appointed by tlle patent Vcstry under the Act is lIIr. JOHN EDWARDS, he government advisory commil· Inspector of Nuisances, nho attends at tlle tee on the Microbiological Safety Vcstrv Hall, in the llorou!.:h Road, at II T01 Food pub~shed the ,,-cond par t proposed EC direclive will o'clock in thc Forenoon, to whom any appli of its investigation intotood poisoning in permillhe patenting of planls cation in relation to tlle above Act should January. As food poisoning levels Aand animals, thus rai sing a then be made. continue to riscothe report is particularly number of fundamtntal moral and scathing of some abattoir practices and in elhical issues. Yellhe directive has The London Borough of Southwark is the latest authority to make cuts in its particularly the levels of contamination in been drawn up without con sulting food monitoring services . Its public analysts laboratories, founded in 1872, poultry. closed at the end of March farm ers. br eeders or consumers. As with the firsl report the Committee The Ge netic s Forum, along with a has made a wide range of detailed range of animal weHare, environmen tal recommendations to reduce microbiolog and consumer groups, are concerned kal food poisoning risks. including that patents could drastically increase Microwave safety improved data collection and agreater the control large companies have over emphasis on training.It has repeated its agriculture. They co uld also lead to the earlier call for the licensing of all food exploitation of the genetic resourceS01 he House of Commons should be clearly stated and domestic §) remises. a proposal rejected by the third world countries without Agriculture SelectCommittee has ovens should be labelled as unsuitable for government. The Committee is particu compensation and result in higher Tcalled for efforts to improve th e commercial use. larly unhappy that butchers would nol prices and Ir:;schoice for consumers. safety of microwave ovens. Their 'MAFF must be prepared 10 be firm need to be licensed. The monopoly ownership of life investigation intomicrowave safely says with those boclies in insisting on proper raises serious qu estions - (or exam ple that MAFF 'blundered' in its handling of standards being achieved wiLllin a In add ition Sir Mark Richmond. chair [here is no exclusion in the directive on th e microwave safety reporl and drums reasonable timescale. Uheads need to be ot theCommittee, told apress confer patenting of human genes or human that C1Irrenl international standards for knocked together in the process. so be if, ence that theConun iltee waspartiC1llarly cells. Tho se co ncerned about these microwave oven perfonnance are the report adds. disappointed with thegovernment's issues would like La see an open public inadequate. The report concludes thai MAlT respon se to their reco mmendationson debate on the subject and are calling TheCommittee reconmlends Ulat 'blundered' in 1989 by borrowing education andrraining. for a moratori um on th e patenting of lifr MAFF should move quickly to introduce microwave ovens from manufacturers for Thecommiltee had found no single until the interes L<; of farm ers, itso'NT1 banding system [or microwaves research rather than buying them. This cause of the increase in rood poisoning and no si ngle slep which will miraC1llous consumers and third world countries. based on the abi~ty of ovens to cook a penny-pinching meant thal MAFF could and the effects of patenting on animal rangeo[foodsturrs satisfactorily. The nol publicly name those models which ly improve the situation, he said. While n(}()ne knew th e true incidence. rising wcUare and the envi ronment, have Committee also calJed for greater f~ led to reheat food UlOroughly and been taken into account. uniformity in food labelling to ensu re that caused unnecessary publicalarm. levels were not ju st due to an increasei n food will be prope rly rehealed . Ufood is reporting. Noveltechnologies such as • fur r.M.- Hr>r:uillll;ln: The: Gt:1tI;d Forum . unsu itable for microwave cooking. this • HOlISt oj C(lm llWlIs Ain~ItJm CQmmiJlI"f RffJOrl: cook-chill. changing lifestyles which ~S8 Prnl£lnvilk !iol8d. IJltIdoo NI JjY M!cmwlJ!Jt OMeS. F.:brt>My 1991. HMSO, ~,~!fl demand convenience and a long shelf-life, and the growth of international travel had aIlcontributed to the problem. The Richmond Committee wassel up Missing labels on gene engineered food in 1989 after thesalmonella- in-eggs scandal forced the government to take furth er actionover food poisoning . Its he use o[ genetically modified MAFF clearly states thai its have to be labelled. Fo r example. many work will now be taken over by two new organisms in food production has guid elines are intended Lo meel moral people are opposed to the genetic committees- an Advisor yCom mit1ee led the government to consider and ethical concerns. Yet il proposes engineering of animals, but meal or T and Steering Group on the ncw 1abel~ng proposals for such that labelling is only necessary if the other producls from such animals Microbiological Safety of Food. produ cL". Ar ece nt survey by MAFF on presence or use of GMOs can be might nol have to be la belled. lood labeUing found that 23 per cent 01 considered to 'materiall yalter' the • Tlrl MI(:,.obI(H~K'col5tJ/ely o/Food. Parr fl. Rcpur ,oi nature of the food. Therefore foods • If yoo wJ.i!ll!o ('(i r: : mf..~;l (I:) ;he IJ(OpMak \\, J";'. i' shoppers wanted to see the use of v.mml t:I'(' Of! tIl' The aClli :l ig r a ti~ .~ sec r e l ; Jr ~·. Food l\(hisor y 'lr~ 6\' ,\1 i(1' umErOOP M~r.AlIN[ . Aml.... 't~E l'fil NEWS News in brief Army rejects irradiated food Fishy business As the EC continut's to argue on howto he armed forces ....ill not be spokespe"",n on Foodand Agriculrure, 'i 1H~rt is concern that a loophole iA preserve dwindling fi~h stocks, getting irradi,ted food as it will hilS discovered thai school children, the labelling of ir"diated food ~il l risheries Min ister, David Curry, in a Tbe more expensive. says the elderly people in residf'ntial homes and exclude products which contain raremoment of frankn ess, ha:; admitted Mini stry ofDefence. Estimates show hospital patients could fi nd irradiah...'d irradiated ingredients. Acxording to to cooking thebooks: thaI irrndiated food would be five 10 15 food {III tht' menu. And hl ' fears such MAFF foods like pizza co n lam in~ There isaconservation problem in pencc akilogram mOfe l'xJ)fllsive. customers may not have a ...hoice. "n}(! (ompound inbrrCd d()(>S January. 1987 4,962 brought to, head by SST - t.h e BS'T 5.ltisiy and what , ff<'C t., could the Whilf" BST has becomt :l lbt cll:,e genetic..Il)' ellginrert.'d milk·boosting ust" of BST havt' (; n Income and for the ronrept of th nrrFIIOI) \! M,:<.li:o-.r ' ANiIl.'IL \ }.I:!-Jlt S NEWS SuL as consumer bodies struggle to and rules wh ichcOfMland lUll ronsumer establish even a toe-hold i.n Europe, the confidence. The lnternaGonai spotlight is turning away from Europe to Organ isa ~ o n of Consumer Unions the Uruguay round of the Gtneral aocU) bas expressed serious Who sets the i\gTeement on Tariffs and Trade (GATl). reservations abou t many of the current GAIT is laking us into a new era of and proposed arrangements for international food standards that will inter national food slandards. 10CU have an enormous impact, argues that insulficient weight is being overshadowing even those decisions given to the concerns and needs of standards? takenin BrusSfls. consumers, whoare no t adequately Assessing the\\;nnen; and losen; of a reJ:'( ese nte<\ in decision- making Food safety standards are Europe may short.lybe open for GAlT ab"tfeement to liberalise world trade proreduIes. becoming increasingly business, but evidence suggests [hal in in foodstulfs is complt'x.1lIird world food Bodies wi th such Ob~"llrC names as S<"l'urity and the envirorunent have the Codex. Alimcnt.:1rius Commis-')ion, thc international. But will these tht- rush to harmonise laws throughout wrgely beenovershadowed in the debaLe lnternation;d Omcr of Epizo otir ~ and the standards protect the u., Community,food slandards arc being set lo the lowest common denominate:-. by promises of greater rompetition and International Pian! Pro,ection consumer and public health? consumer chOKe (:it.'e The Food Convtntion, will be I\':;.ponsi ble for Sue Dibb mvestigates Any memberwho SLands oul for higher slandards is allto matK~ all y seen as MagaZtl/ f issue 12). i.n1erruuiona! standards on food and creating a 'barrier [0 frN' trad e' and is According 10 some consumer bod)es anuna! and planl health. The GAlT ilh 1902ju st around the corner thus acting in breacbof EC legislation. GAIT may bring benefits to consumers secretarial is proposing that enormous consumers arebecoming u~ Grussels is bursting at !.he seams in developed countries and the powers should be given to tllCse bodies Wto the concept of EurolX',m with industry lobby groups wining and economies of some under-deve~ o ped but, as 10CU mai ntain s. they are foo(1 st;\.ndard s by which our food is to be din ing and having a Quiet word here or countrics. But- and this is a big but ll lU'e prest'ntative. secre tive. exclude ju d~ . Increasingly UK gowrrunent there. Meanwhile, consumer bodi es only ifliberalisaiioll is not at the expense consumers and art likely to sd lood mini,lr" say they Catl no longer acl underfu nded. poorlr organised on a of lowerfood sa!cty ,t'U1 dards. standards too low10 pro'ide adequate nniJateralty, but must lim )X:Nuade our European basis and barely represented 11l(' maincon tention of many consumer protection. The C {i . mr.~)()n ~ IM' I\Z I "' I. . Aj 'XJ' . ' j1 · ~r JC.rJ ! NEWS years to publish a revised specification. toxicologic al testing and clearance for Bul it still allows loopholes for gum arabic nearly ten years ago) cannot adulteration by, for example, gum talha be met today. although il fa lls weUwi thin or other cheaper, inferior untested the reVIsed specification.. gums. In the competitive international Man)' of ID('$t' tradt': intt.: rest-s want It) marke~ the addition of aboul lO per ce nl claim lhal African countries emmot gum talha gives a mix ture which produce gum arabic which rnet1.' the satisfies the revised specification and revised spl""Cillcations. However Ibi s is leads 10 a price advantage 01$130 per Tl I)l lhe case. Aid programmes to the tonoe. This is a substantial teillptalio1l Sudan fi nancert by Ole World Bank and for companies that maybe dealing in m,UlY(v ulltrles have o\'er the past 5 thou !S Pressing need for fo od hygiene training Traming for food handlers h)'gi... and h<> w10 prt.,,,,nl food marl.. run~ t1 ernble profi lin Ule ci lies . should b€ compulsory says ~on il'lg. Given mat ((.Iud poiMlulng At the 'fcrymimrnum !hi"!' commrnd The Food Safety Act. Bm how ('ontinliL'S to rise e" ef)' )'~ar t h i~ j., able scheme ensured Ih.t all food thiS will work out mpractice indred disturbing; the implementation {)f w{)rkcrs were ilware pC Ihe mau. points of has yet to be determme INTO THE MOUTHS OF BABES In this issue of Commercial baby foods are not all they claim to be. Consumer Consumer Checkout Checkout investigates. we look at: . 'Low quality of Do you buy your baby 50 When il co mes to giving a baby In two surv eys. we fo un d thai many commercial yes 50 - jars of baby food meal or lish. ajar of Far mhouse shoppers and mo l hers expected an baby foods each week? It takes more Lamb . a pack of Countrv Chicken average 25-30 per cenlmeat in or a lin 01B eef and Vegetabk commercial meat dishes. Ru t than sevenjars every day to • Pulpwash sold as whe n researchers at Newcastle orange juice give a nine-month baby its PolYlec hnicexamined Ih e prod· full daily calorie needs,on uels they found Ihat, at th e ver y • Smoked bacon top of haIfa litre offresh full best. only two oul of23 meat secrets cream milk. dishes contai ned more Ihan 20 per Why do babies need ali lhis cent meat. • Green potatoes babyfoo d' Because so much of il An dworse was 10 follo w' Two • Mickey Mouse food is added waler. beef dishes scored positive for Us ing starch. modilied starch. chic ken meal. although no mcn· cornflour,modified cornflour, rice tion of chickenwa s made on the flour and a range of other Ihicken lab eL ing agents, manufacturers are In summary, com mercial baby sel ling a small amOlwt of real food foods turned oul to be poor value Se lling at a high prem ium, blended with a large am ollnl of for money and poorvallie for a these baby fo ods could cost a Ihickened water. baby's nutritinnal needs. Despite parent over £20 pcr week. and if 10 a special survey co nd ucted all the reassuring phrases printed you want organic processed baby by Coosumer Checkoul wilh on Ihe labels of these product'. lood Ihe weekly bill could easi ly addition al research by Newcastl e parenls would generally do better to pOil. Yet average spend ing per Polytechn ic. we found the majority Dinner may reassure an anx ious to puree Iheir own food and give il perBon on fo od ill the UK is unclcr of eommercial baby food s - both parenllhat thcy arc giving ,0nIP to their babies. £1 5per week. and Income Su pport ready-Io-eat foo ds in jars and lins. thing who leso me to theirbaby, Adding higbly refined sla rches benefi l rates assume food spend· aod jusl-ad d- water foods in box Bu l arc they' Baby foo ds. arc and dextrin s to bulk out the foo d ing levels of less than £5 per chi ld packs - were so diluted wilb exempt from Ihe general requ ire and thicken the excess water is nol per week. add ed thickeners. bu lking agents ment that meal produc ts , hou ld done for the baby's sake. nor fo r Only an estimated one in three aod wal er Ihal they were failing to declare their minimum levels of the parents', It's done to serve mother; offer thei r baby home' provide babies with the reco m meat . In the ahsence of snch commercial interests as acost· made loodsregularly_ For the meoded leve ls of protein. Alarge information . shoppersmu st clltting prac tice. Afew compan i e ~ ~a k r of Our chilclrfll's healt h. proporlion were fai li ng to give assume Iha l th e compan ies will have now dropped such practices com mercia l baby food sianda rd s enough calories. And many provide reasonabl e amouots of - and increased th e levels of rea l need 10 be reviewed and Ilw cost of products failed on bO lh protein and mcat. a, parents would do if they food by, they say. up to 25 pcr cent good nutritio n for babie, recoosid calories. made the di sh al home. or mOfe. ereel. nU:FUOD \iM,!Zl,\U A.!')6VJU \ L L Parents are offered a bewil This is good news for the baby food companies. vitamins and minerals.' (Farley's) Figu res for 1989/90 !'how Ihal Britain 's babies 'Why Robinson's? t Al lows a nutri tionally dering array of commercial 'Slurped thei r way through a massive £89m- worth of halanced diet ~ Gives sati sfying . wholesome baby fo ods in tins, jars and commercially-made baby meals. nourishme nt ~ Contain s high quality natu ral The current baby boom is experled to peak in ingredients t Developed in accordance with latest packets, Reading the labels the mid·1 990s.so manu fa ct u rer~ have been anxious nutritional opin ion .. Over 150 years experience in you might well believe that to develop their market as fast a~ possible. Cow & baby feeding' (Robinson's) Gate threw £l .5m into the promotion of the ir range ·...carefully made !"rom specially selected the food on offer is the best a of Olvarit baby meals; Heinz - brand leader in wholeso me ingredients. and can help to provide a baby could ever expe ct. But readHo·eat baby food - annouoced a £.Sm adver· nutritionally balan ced diet for ababy... (Cow & tisi ng campaign in 1990. Gate) should you chuck away your But does this enormous effort to infl uence Bu t are the!'e phrases justified? To say they can blender and masher and fill parents and grab supermarket shelf space mean help or allow a healthy diet doesn't mean anything your shopping basket with culting corners when it comes to quality? Ar~ - you migh t ju!'t as well say Mars bars can help Darent ~ getting their money's worth? ~ou slim (as. indeed, th e~ did once clai m) . these products? Consumer 071 none of th e baby meal pa ckets and labels we Checkout investigates, Reassuring labels examined, was thereany indication that other foods. Manufacturers are well aware that parents worry especially IIon-comm ercial foods. should also playa ceding babies is no small business.Wi th a over their baby's diet. How can an anx ious mum be part in a baby's diet Th crt" was no mentionof million babit's in the UK aged four to 20 sure she is giving the right food. how will dad offering bab ies any of the food yo uell t at home. or mon ths, and inc rea sing numbers oi mothers ch oo~e a product fro mth e shelL ? 111e co mpani("s even ensur ing babies got nutritious drinks (such as F happily give you the anSwer: milk or formula) along wi th their food. Indeed. two ft'turn ing to work while their babies are still young, mnvenience baby food s can be a blessing for a hard ·...carefully prepared using on ly pure ingred ients (" ompanirs give a stron g impression tha t you need and will help provide a nutritionally ba lanced diet...' feed notiling else besides their products. Farley's pre~se d parelli. (Heinz) offers fou r types of baby meal, Meal Timers. The markf'l i~ hoom ing. According to an OPCS ·...takes your baby healthily and happily through Breakfast Timers, Lun('h Timers and Tea Timers. sur vey of 5000 mothers. over 80 per cen l of bab i e~ art' fed commercial baby foo ds regularly. Less than the day... using wholesome ingred ients which hrip \caving - presum •" Does your baby get enough? The content of these jars is just enough to feed a nine· month baby for the day, assuming the baby also drinks half a litre of fresh cows milk. That is 40 to 50 jars and tins a week, costing between £12 and £16. IOtlHF'fO(JI! M ,Il.:~.l}\l r . A1'2II.JJ l \ [1991 • ? IS our • The products that fail ESPGAN minimum nutrient levels Products Not enough Not enough Thickener/bulking Volume needed for Cost per Calories :r Protein lJ agent present 600 Calories per day wee k ~ Heinz (3·15 and 7·15 months) 34 out of 54 20utol29 44 out 01 54 starch/cornflour 7-8 tins or ja rs £15.12 Robinson's (JuDlor &De ssert) 00u t of15 00utol9 15 out of 15 maltodextrin 2 boxes £15.26 Cow &Gate (Dlvant stage 2) 20ut of 8 oout 01 8 7out of 8 Oou r/starch 4jars £14.30 Cow &Gate (Junior ) 18 out of 24 30utof 14 22 out 01 24 cornflour 5· 6 lars {1482 Milupa (3 months 2 years) 00utof29 20 out 01 23 25 out of 29 maltodextrm 1·2 hoxes £10 .84 Farle y Mealtimers 00utol15 50utof6 150lilOf 15 malt odextrin 1box £ 9.03 Beechnu t (Stage 3. 11 outol 14 3ou t of 3 00utol 14 5-6 lars £20.67 veg , fru it &dessert only) Granose 20utof8 5 out 01 5 00utol8 4-5 jars £3245 Johanus (Junior) not declared' not declared' 00utol5 not declared probably £30.00 , Below 70 kcalll 00g :t Below 4. 2 q protein/100 kcal (savou ry disbes) '! Esumated tocd purchase al!c',vance [or children un.der fll'eln f amJ~ Oil iJ:ro:nc S:appCll'llS [4 ,&0 P@I w~. , J\~' (Hillnl[ lu tl n' cntfgf Qlld pLI!nf'nl ll'wls an Ihl'lr b:\byflUid IIbm tlJty pnxim:; brnJ. .hl' FOOIf i.a.bt:nlr.g R'· !fJl:atlrl(' ~ . 'Jlxo $;IEIll' COmpanT_bun rrilic i&rd by LM Mvert.Wn1 Sl.IfllWd. Autbonw for ISSUJhl( ka/lt'1Sln iOOpperteM\U"; Iht ,ntrod~WD uI Si):HI Wsw babir. ~f t.'-x \\ i'f' k~. ~ .J el((llIrqllJ: rhe addlW.ItI of IJlrttd toOO to bottk fccdg, B04i1o (lfD!:I~f'j cOIU'a:lIM Ikpa.rtm~nlllf Heall lU1dclllleS. • Source mnmJ,ja.ct.J.ltfI 5ua:a properly balanced amo un ts of protein. fat and the energy a baby needs should come from weaning 850 and 1000 kral per day, and with the milk givillg carbohydrate with add ed vitamins and minerals. So , foods. This may gradually innt'ast', bu t 'for th e them 320.. 340 keal, the remai ni ng fo od should supply wh alc\'er lbe meal or cou rse. your baby is given all remainder of the fi rst year hrt>ast milk, formula or around 600 kcal. the Il onrishlllcil t needed for healthy developmrnl.· equ ivalent dairy prodllct~ shon ld be- given in a Sccondly it recommends at lr a ~ t 0. 5gram s of And agai n ~nlt're are no ('xtra5 to ad d. ' Quanl il), 01 not leis Ihan 500rnl daily." protein for every 100 kcal !n ioods that an:> a~sum~d So we took atypieal8-1 0 monlh baby and \u be rich in prolein - meat and fi sh di~he s which Standards assumed he/she would be gett ing 500 011offr esh parents wou ld a ~ome n~ t' ded exira vt'getables, ricf' C()n~umc r CheCKou t took acloser look at the qual it y of whole cow's milk each day. How milch foo d wo uld and potatoes etc or 4.2 gTam~ protein per 100 kcal Lhe baby meals Ix~ ing sold. Weasked wil('ilwr the baby they thf'n need : for di shes that pare n t~ wOlild a~"Snlllc were 'com· foo ds sold to us today mett the recommended levels of ESPGAN makes severalspecific recommenrla plete' meals . nutrients given h)' the European Soriely fo r Paedirltric lions regarding baby food nutrirnb. Fi r ~ ll y it ESP GA~ also re<·ommt'nds that TIH'at and fi:;h Ga:.;troenterology and ~utrit io Jl (F,..SPGAN) ·. 5U ggt'sts a minimum of 70 keal (Calories) ro r rvery dishes should have- a minimum oi IWp er cent meat Th(' E-SPGAN' recommendat ions start by assum lOO g of baby food. to ensure babies gct cnough or fish, while com plrte meals ba!'ed on meat and li~h ing tha t by the age of six months. not more than half fl nergy. Typically, babies of that age need between should be alieast 20 per cent aetna! meal or fi 5h . two- thirds rice flour, with soya flour, corn FIRST FOOD FOLLY flour, chalk, yeast and some vitamins. Doctor's dilemma Pureed vegetables or fruit can be used lor a Robinson's Baby Rice ('Now With Milk') is There is some concern that doctors, particu tar· baby's first taste 01 food. Try seived potato. something else. It not only contains milk ly those specialiSing in child ren. may be Or sweet potato. Or pureed apple. powders, yeast and supplementary minerals inhibited abo ut criticising the baby food and What you don't need to do is go out and buy and vitamins, but also maltodextrin, sugar and baby milk manufacturers. a packet of commercial baby rice. For a start it vanilla fl avouring! The most authoritative grouping. The is very expensive. Compared with a pound And on the same pack Robinson 's boasts British Paediat!1c Association. has come IInder weight 01 regula r rice fo r, say, 45p, Farley's that their products are 'prepared tor babies' Increas ing cri ticism for its apparent suppor t 'or Farex Baby Rice Cereal will cost you £2. 64 per taste buds' and 'developed in accordance with baby products. It has now been revealed that pound. Milupa Baby Rice costs £2.99 per the latest medical opinion'. Seemingly this the BPA's annual conference. held in April, is pound. Robinson's Baby Rice is a colossal excludes the Health Education Authority, who sponsored by Cow &Gate And Nestie. subject £4.50 per pound . advise against adding extra sugar to baby of an international boycott for the l! breaking But worse, it may not be rice. Milupa's is, fo ods, and if using tins or packets suggest you 01 the Baby Milk Ma rketing Code. provides the being just ready-cooked rice flakes. Farex is 'look for the ones without added sugar '. coffee. BABY FOOD How well fed is your baby? Under scrutiny checked a few products 10 set' whether the meat that Missing meat Howdid th. commercial baby foods malch up 10 the manuiacturers claimed was actually thert'. In a colla borati\'t study carried out with researchtrs r«ommended nUlnlionall"vel;' We looked al lI'e looked at 172 commercial bab)' food prod· at :-./('W"castJe Poi)1t'Chnic, we a naJy~ed 8. range of ""'mlleading brands of ready· lo·serve meals in uri, sold as suilable for older babies, sa)' ~\O ""'.my baby foods ba'Cd on mral 10 find oUI how Linsaod jars and St!l"(, 1'31 just-add-water instant monlhs. For the dry foods we assumed that Ihe much was aclually presenl. mixes. Wr looked at thClf Calorie content and their food had been mad e up according to Ihr packet Meat and fish content i!oi recommended by protein conten l compart'd with ESPGAN r("Commen instructions. ESPGtlN 10 be no lesSihan 40 per cenl of'mainly dations. -11lt'n W(' looked at howmany of these from lhe lable il can be seen Ihat, of lhe 172 meat and fi sh di !oihes' and no less than 20 per cent of products contained thirkeninj:! agent s. and how producls we examined. 68 (40 per cent) failed ~ pul 'complc:tc meals'. When Wt' analysed the produtis much of the product people would need to buy if f'nough calories in tht di~h , And we found that 3 we gave the companit':o; the benefit of th edoubt by their baby [rlied on JU(jt tating comme rci al baby out of97 (39 perc:enl) of Ihe ,",vourydishes faik'" 10 as.suming tMt all the protein in lht' product came food (assll ming the baby would , Iso be gelling 500ml su pply en ough protein, fro mlean meat of the sort shown 0 11 th e label. and of whole cows mi lk) . And if' baby is III rely on Ihese We were surprised tu finn so many products nOllc fro m the soya Oour. milk powder and other com mercial fo ods, w~ asked howmuch it wo uldcost iailing to meet minimum nutrie nt levels. \Vhy did prote-ill foods \Io'hich lIughl also be prese nt. a parent to ferd tht>i r baby for a week. they con tain so lillie food? Despite these allowances in favo ur of thr com· Lastly we co llaborated with researchers at The answer is Ihe food leehnologisls oldtsllri("k: mercial products.,. we wpre greatly disappointed. Newcastle Polytechn ic' to assess the maximum meat added water and Ihickrnmg agenlS. The ESPGAN On ly .wo of the 23 product> lesled pa 12frnH')C1U M.... I,V.I't: u~n .il1 \l: I'WI the presence of chicken meat, using enzymatic peanut butter, frozen peas, tuna and banana. species identification tests. The method caunot IT'S NOT SO DIFFICULT! Plain yogurt mixed with mashed fruit is good. indicate the quautities of chicken present but is See if your baby likes mashed pasta and considered a reliable method for finding out if Making baby food flOm your own meals is not so mashed baked beans. chicken is preseu t or uot. To double check we re difficult. and helps the baby learn about real Make extra amounts and freez e tbe surplus. tested each Ilroduct. family food. Blend, mash or puree - the old For perfect portion control you can use ice-cube Happily. all the chicken di shes tested positive fashioned Mouti is good for smallish amounts. trays. they all contained chicken. But so did both the beef Bu t the back of a fork will do! Serve on a There is plenty of help and advice you can dishes: Robinsons BeefCasserolc and Boots teaspoon. Dont add salt. get from books, from other parents, from health Vegetable and Beef Dinner. Neither product If you want to make foods just for your baby visitors and baby clinics. Ask for the Health admitted to chicken in the ingredientiisl but both then there are plenty of recipe books around. Education Authority's new leaflet 'From Milk To samples of both dinners scored positive for chick· Go for the highly nutritious foods like smooth Mixed Faading ' . en. The manufactu rers assured us this was impossi· ble and have promised to make tests of their own. \Ve shall bring you their results when they report them. HVP - The disappearing trick Quality assurance Manufac turers insist thillthey are using only the Manufacturers face a dilemma. If their food is Washmgton University scientists have suggest best ingredients for their products. They continual over·diluted with thickeners and water then it ed banning amino aeid additives hom all foods, ly put out reassuring literature and publicity to canlaste rather bland. A baby can't compla in. in case babies should be offered some to eat. encourage us to trust them . bu t parents have a habit of tasting baby food , According to US researchers, HVP contains But in this survey we found repealedly thallhe lor example to check its temperature. And dicarboxylic amino acid , par! of a protein that quality is poor and not what parents have a right to very bland food mtght make parents suspect affects the body's growth. and expen advice c:xPCl'l The products are often low ill calories. They thete is too much water present. has been given to the US Food and Drugs are also often low in protein. They are :-ihort or Apinch of salt might be the answer, Administration expressing concern ver recommended levels of meat. And the meat rnay nol although manufacturers are aware of the need babies' cons mption levels, and suggestlflg be all you think it is. to limit the sodium in their products . Herbs and that research shouid be und ertaken on the Since 1986 all meat products have had to d('c1are strongly·flavoured ingredients such as tomato levels of this chemical found in baby foods the amounl of meat they('ontai n. Acan of beef ItW paste could be used, but these are expensive Further more. HVP can con tain monosodium or a pork pi ~ will show. somC'ft'here on lht label, a So there is a temptation to add some cammer · glutamate, which itseU is banned from baby Minimum ~1eat declaration , such as '~Ol less IhlD cial flavour ing agents and flavour boosters into foods. :~ O% meat'. But th e 1986 regulations mad e an the baby food , of a sort you would rarely use at HVP IS not a good way to feed babies. It is exception fo r baby foods. Wl}cn we asked the home. Cettain flavour enhancers such as used to reassure parents there is more flavour Ministr yoi Agriculture why baby foods werc monosodium glut amate are not allowed , but than the meat alone could give-. It is not exempt, they said Ihe only reaSOli they knew of wa~ another type of fla vour boos ter, hydrolysed necessa ry and should nev er have bee n used w ·the amounls of meal in lhc food are too small to be vegetable protein, is permitted. It has been the first place worth dedaring'! very popular with baby food maJrers. This is all very unsa tisfactory. Parents have a Hydrolised veg righl to know: etable protein (HVPI • howmuch meat i ~ in th e.ir baby's meat dish is a processed food • what animal species may b(' presen t besides the concentrate some· onr declared what like yeast • whether m('chanirally reco ....ered meat is present extract . You can find • what parts of the animal may bave been us('d it added to Farley's • thai products meet good nutrition standards. and Robmsons. BilL Confidenre in commercial babyfoods took a Cow & Gate are knock when tampe red jars were found with bits of removing it. And glass in them. Although accused of being slow, Heinz did so over a when the (ompanies did ac t they made it dear they year ag o. were serious about rnsuring their products were HVPis largely a tamper·proof. mixture of amino Let tbem now take ~e r iously the urgent need to acids. Studies on improve their formulatious and the qu,dity of the infant animals have in~redients they are sdling: to us aud 10 our children. shown that imbal· ances of amino acids • \\ i lnt1lilMl rt:'U!l1rt~ br Tllll i..rXiIO!('I;/l may be linked to Hem, qutetly dropped HydlOilsed Vegetable Protem as part of lhelf . !\CM.tKlILQ].~. Hl!llI!!IISmiUI brain damag e so 'on gomg strategy to use only natural products where pOSSible ' F..5PG.A.~ c.onunla~on Nlllnllon (;~ tb l rr. f:!I. tr.. r.fmt U'lntln U ud rn Mt4 PMd IQ :n(~ St QlldllCn ira :!'iQ n 11and STJl (lYII:!) - OFF THE SHELF - OFF THE SHELF - OFF THE SHELF - OFF THE SHELF Consumer Checkout takes a look behind the scenes to answer readers' questions about food Throwing light on potatoes Do supermarket lights make potatoes go green? Yrs. "lllr Illiorc!\cenl lights u::.cd iu DliLn Y packaged polaloes. but Ihe tlsual plastic packaging will suJ)l:rmiilttl,j arc parlicuiarly t'fft:'{1i'ft' in encouragi ng not stop the potatoes gret.'ning - although it might j)OtalOe510 turn l,rreen (better even than dayli1{ht) . make it hardrr for Lh e shopper to noller! tInder such light a typical potatn wiD show ~igJl$ of Agood supermarket shou ld rotate potato stock and greening within a day or twG. have a fast. turnovrr. SO potatoes won'I be Iclt on ~ ret>o . sprouting pot,u""" >huuldbe avoided djspi.ay (or more than 3 day or t·...·o. But problems can bet"""" alOI\jl wilh 1M Il'"en colouring "3used by ariM' with the free-flow displays favoured by many harmlc" chlorupbyll 3 tuxic sub",n'" knu wn " supermarket'S . where the ~ hoP P€'r sclrrt3 the potatOf'S -solanin is JIfOlluct."d . Solanin is a steroi(J. b{l ~erl Ihenb' l.... leaving any they dnn't like. If stafl don'I saponin·uke ,gl ycoalkaloid structure 111at can product' rolale the slock regu larly. old potatoes wi ll be on ",Ie dtscolniort and d:l1nage 10 the gastro·inlf'stinal Iracl. 10 Ihr public, and may be mistakenly purchased. The exact nf'l.l rochemiral e:rrt."Cb of the t:ompound Irradiation of potatoes (now permitted in the UK) :i remain 10 be established. but it should particularly bl' can prevent them frolll greening and sprouting but EO avoided during prtgna.ncy, as it carnes an increased dues not halt the production of solanin. Irradiation !j!: ri"k of I:.pina bi fida. Although most shn plwf s knowto means apparen tly fresh potatoes could in fact be Quite j avoid potatol":i tl tal have- green t"d arfordi ng to the old and contain significant amounts of solanin. § POlate) \1arketing Board, a :;lIJ11ri~ ingl y large !lumber Ii .a potato is only faintly green. jX'ding $htH..d ll E of conS U!1\er~ still !;uffer fromthe cHects of eating ~uffice to remove the sotanin. !f the colour is drept."r lhem b)' accident. then solanin will be present throughout th e potato Potatoes ill louse. open display.are more at risk than making it int diblt'. corresponding nt'gative electrical charge, forming a lacquer on its surface. Smoking out the bacon The use 01l iquid smoke avoids much of lhe weij.{ht · l ~ :-, by evaporation inherent in trad itional smoking p rae t it'c~ . 'I1Il' modern method allo\lfS as l11ueh a!i 10 per ce.n t more watN content than tilt' Has smoked bacon really beensmoked? tradi ti onal mpthod. and is oae of Ihe r raso Jl~ why modern bacon dOt'$fl't ~il1l f in the pan but bubblrs instf'lId. Not JK'C'e~s a ri ly. 'Ilwre an'" twn principjf ml'lhods a( =be added). ·illt ,",ok. may b. puri fied by Unlike traditional sinoking, tht'" SI)ray-on liquid produl'ioR smoked batonaftrr the Oesh has been electrostatic precipitatioil or a water spray. 10 remo\'(' 51TI0ke Ilwthod has no preservative effect on the cured in brine, Onc is the 'IrJditional" process of any Oow-risk) carcinogenic benzpyrenes and related bamn. In fac t the application of Inoisture to the exposing tarca s...~ s to wood smoke. the other is a tarry sub5tanccs that might otherwise adhere to Ihe prepared bacon would actually reduce its keeping modern method whrreby the smoke l1avour is applied meat. Some modern mculods inmrporate a five Qualities if it wasn't for thr use of nitrites (E249 and to the bacon as a liquid ",lutill n. minute \,teaming' phase into Ihe proc('ss . in \\'birh E250) or nitrates (E251and E252) in the curing brine Smoking meat i:-; a vrry ancienl method of heat and hUlllidity acting together en rich the colour of lh ill a('t a!' pre::oervativ(':-;. a~ well as adding l1avour and prrsen'iltion which origina.l eci with the practlce of pigmcn b produced by the smoking (lhe rind of preveming Ihe bacon looking g.... y. hanging l1lt' at ~ in a chill1 ney or nl11'lan: to dryont. smoked bacon. if boiled , bladen s by tht' Sdllll' '11" bocon can also i><.rnlled wil h """kr soluliun 'llle t"\'~ p() ra lio n o( watrr fro m Lhr me.. ! (res ul ung in ,1 proces.s) . b)' Incorporat ing tlI(' ~o lu tio n in tI) the l'urinl{ brine .)..6\ wright 10:' :-; using modern method'S) has a Howev-er, Illuch 'smoked' bacon I!; prOOlJl'ed these (along with the nitrites amI n i tratt'~) or by dipping Ihe preservative riled - "' doe' Ihe fIOO k. itself day~ l1~i,ng smoke solutions mIllet' than rf'al smokt'. carCbS into II smoke solution, but th e~ are 1(,,5s (phenolic compound a ci d ~ kill certain hannful These ~olu t i o n s are generally prepar(-d fro m cO lllmon praclice~. barleria.. and the smoke also has an anb-oxmanl l'oncrntratcs that are spe-t'ificalty manufaclurrd in 'Illt' only way the consul1Ier can tell which tn>e of aet.ion on the fat (' () n taifl(~ 1 in the lIleat). 1lle smoke laboratories. us.ing either lIatu rdl gaseou:- ~mok(' smoking ha.Ii been used i~ if the label de:;l' rib('~ tht! also gives lht' Inc.lt a l'trong flavou r. conc.eotrated into a liq uid form or synthetic bacon a:; 'traditio llally' smoked. ill wh ic.h case rt:'al These days the' 'traditiona l" method inv()lvt'"s navouring age.nts. avai lable in di fferent wood ~m okc ~ h 04JkI have bffn used. Otherwi:;e the smoking carcas~e:; on rat.:ks in large oven~ with fan~ fiavours . TIl lS liquid smoke is thell normally applied shopper cannol tell to blow in th t' ~mok(' (produt.:ed by burning vario \l~ to thi' bacon as a positivdy char,g-t'd mi:s t or spray. I'.'oods- Qak .d<:al. bC'eth and hickory - 110 additives which sticks to the bat:Oll thaI has betn given a • For more f~ 011 bacoPl. Slf Jbk Unrll' &b nn pagr 23. Itt nn: ruou ~tM.."'lllo~ t N'IllIJ.f\I;-;£ (1)]1 OFF THE SHELF - OFF THE SHELF - OFF THE SHELF - OFF THE SHELF- When hi-juicemeans Io-juice Orange juice fraud Some brands of orange j u~ drink like to promote lhCl - Ives as havin .II a lotoC'cXlrJ jni('e' in tJlem. We checkout the fraudulent Beware. 'nil: juice probably i,lIs well belowthe "-,\lei you would eX()e( t. fruit juice brands juice drinks (not th(' pure ju ict'S,llote, but the ones Witll lhe word 'drink' in tbe ti tle) are allowed to 1nank:-; to an unusually detailed report ffQnl the juice ,t all The trade call it pulp,""sh. contain as.lible as five per cenl juice, the rest of the Ministry of Agricul ture, Consumer Checkou t is able Pu l""...h wa pr"""'t in ten of the Minislry', 21 carton being made up wi th watC:'f, sugar, and til bring you brand· by· brand d,\aiis of the lat<"l [mud ~p!es. Expn: Pure Orange Juice was the worst. PfJSSiblyadditives such as coloU1;ngs and lhid:.rnl'r5 in the soft-drinks market - the practice of add ing with 43 per C<'llt pul pwash. followed by Safeway's. (0 stop the mix looking too thln and ~'31er )'. sU,Q'ar ilnd pu !pwash to a drink being sold as purr S.1in~ bu ry 's, i\.-;sis ann Boot's. all of them(olltaining Some drinks have more than five per cent. A orange juicc. ooe th im or more pulpwash. survey by TIle Food Magazin ein 1989 found the Mos\ orange juice is concentrated where it is Lastly ~ O ll caD add some fruit acids. to o ff~e! the ~ighe s t juice levels ill brdIlds such as Del Monte and Ilres:,cd kg in Br.l7i1where a lot of our juice !Comes added s-ugar, Several manufactu rers used these. only rive Alive, with juice levels averaging 4().6() per renl. from ). tr'd nsporled in tankers to the UK and the)' used apple acid s (malic acid) instead of citric Similarly, Rritvic 55 has - )"l.'S; -55 pe.r cent juice. reconstituted with water before bottling or packaging. ao:i d. 0111 samples tested. ten had malic acid in the If you really don't want pure juice and want a high· There is always a temptation to add a li ttle exIra water. oJilJlge juice. jllice. sw h;ned blend,theo thes<' briiflds offer the Thf' problem with adding exlra water i~ that this In the USA , federal grand juryfound a brand of higher juice levels_ makes the drink laste weak - SO extrd acids, sugars orange juice to be fraudulently sold, as it contained By comparison, \'arious so-called hi-juke (such as beet sugar and corn syrup) and fl avourings beel. ugar. cam S)' rup. pu lpwash anu vari OUs. products can have much less than this. Sainsbury's need to be put in. MAFF took a lookat theso additives. Thr dirrcto r~ of the Chicago- basfrl high-juice had under 20 per cent juice. possibilities, starting with sugar. Food regulations company faced possible :;entences of 57 years And while Sun Pride high-juice orange was ju~t allow up to 1.5 per cent ~llgar to be added (to imprisonment and fin t'S of over S4m each. 20 per ("ent juice, a product marketed sperifically for compf'n5ate. they say, IOf very sour orangf':;) . Above As to our own fraudsters, th );iiuislry is planning children, Thomas the Tank Engine Hi--Ju i("t'. had t hi~, compani ts have to call the juice 'sweetened ', But no p(Usecution~ . 'J expect that all Hrms marketing around 15 per ("entjuice, 1'hese drinks cost as milch a highly diluted juice may need more than that Jj per orange juice willnuwput in hand the nrcessary steps as pure juice but are nutritionally little DeUtr than cent 'pinch' of sugar. Do they then label it as 10 check their supplies: said Agriculture Min ister dilute SQuash. swt'etened? As MAFF fouod, lIIany do nO\' John Gum.... r. Sainsbury'~ J affa Orange Juic(' was the WOJ'$! of Ihe .\1inistry's bunch. wi th ovpr athird of!he sugar in the juice coming from sugar·beet. Safeway's and More than pure orange juice Supreme orange juice also stored badly. Another trick is to add a bit of extra flavo ur ill with Brand Beet Sugar Corn Syrup Pulpwash the water. Juicr make.rs have developed the habit of !)"I Monte Pure Jllice 00 no no soaking their lefi-ove[ squeel..ed orange-s ill water and ISun Pride Pure Joice YES no no then Ri\ing them anolher good sQue~ze. What you Just JutCe Pure Juil'e no YES no get is orange-flavoured wa tl' r, which is legallynot De 1'Ora PureJuice no no no Stlvd ""al).ice no no no Princes Choice jui Unilever dominates the grocery brands Position Unilever subsidi,uy Brands at the top 4 PO TIps Brooke Bond Oxo 5 Fk>ra Van den Burgh & Jurgens t6 Menu Master Birds Eye Walls W1UII do showers love most? Coffee.Coke. sugar. tea. Top twenty food brands 21 Steak House Burgers Buds Eye Walls marge and ""ans acroroing to analyst Nidseo's latc~t Sales 1990 30 John West Salmon John West Foods fiKUTf'S for tM nation's top-sening brand-name I Nescale (187m 32 FIShFinger, Birds Eye Walls grotcrit-:-. 2Coca-Cola [176m 39 Frozen Peas Buds Eye Walls lind thr companywhirl> domin.'lIes w·", IJ(IlJIl lar 3 Sdver Spoon Sugar [139m 51 John west Tuna John West Foods J1foducts L' l'ni1"'~ r. with 141000 produrt' (and f(lur 4 PG TIps Tea (1 34m 54 Oxo Culles Brooke Bond Oxo "ashing powders) in the lOp 100 br.mds. 'n"ir fu od 5 Fiora Margarine (liOm 62 Red Mountain Coffee Brooke Bond Oxo prodm:ts alont· ""t'n' worcTI O\'l.'f £670 miUion in sales.. 6 Heinz Beans (1 05m 71 Stork Margarine Van den Burgh &Jurgens Although non-food products ...peeiali, pet food s and 7 RobinsoM Squash £97m 72 Fray Bemos Corned Beef Brooke Bond Oxo ~, 1JO",·dl'fS., look sOll1e of thetop places. food 8 Tetley Teabag' (OOm 73 Ma tlesotlS Sliced Meats Mattesons Walls prodm:ts predominated overall. taking ovt'r 80 of the 9 Walkers Crisps £90m 75 Steak House Gnlls Birds Eye Walls 100 slots. Multinalional ,,,ml"loi,, Nesue and Coca 10 Mr KJpling Cakes £88m Although ~onw brands maintained slrong po5 it j on~ Cola tou k the fir.-;t t""·olood po s i t j on~. with Cnilrver'!' 11 Anchor Butter (87m PG Tips " d Anra taking fo urth and fiflh pl,ce. 12 Heinz Soups (87m without s i,(~nifi can t advertising (neither Stork margarine nor Birds Eye fr ozen peas was advertised 13 Tate & Lyle Sugar Ul2lll 14 KitKat Chocolate (80m du ring I~~K)), nther brands in fiercely compelitive 15 Kellogg's Cornflakes £'76m markeb spent forlune~ - N&afc advertising to pped Lunchbox favourites 16 Birds Eye Menu Master £69rn £B million in 1990, and Coca-Colal'xcl't'(k-1l £13 millio n. 171uIpak Butter £62m Returns on advertisinJ.! may not be reflerte-ci in immediate boo,ts to sale<. and building a prodUCl up Sandwiches and cri:;p~ lOP tll(> li:;1fo r parkt<1 hlncht>:o, 18 Ski Yogurt £62m from gc rdtch may ~how initial poor rrturns. Lucozade accord ing to a survey hy researchers at Ko tlingharn 19 Rlbena !: It.tiHErooUM.-\c',\zI~ J::t .'.l'!<1VJr'!\E 1911 Exploding the "Ihe e)'es of my w-ay ? L .l1'~ nnt lUd former I a her.,;; , (lur~.:ht~· it you 1 l;1\'~ I da3Smales and Ihat kind "ilunrh colleagues. I haV t; ('hanct· .... an' >'nu h:i\'\" sinned. In speeches to healthy eating th'l kind uf dinnn dlt'trtltlJl S aJld food Bu! the 'no h;,,1f".oI,' indu~[n' grollpos , in proponents. worry thai d nt' Yi sP41 IWr jllkr~'il''''''!1 W(' 1ilJ,l: :o;OnH" foods liS and in talk s tu 'b,d', people mighl br cnnSUJl1e rs, J have myths afraid to eallht'1U r~nounced the Basic Hogwa,h , lI'e all Four Food Groups. And II ndtr»WIII'g,JOd \- bad thaI', not U,. hal fof it. Wt· k.t11111.' tlL'l1 i! ~ o h I h.vt ded.re that dnnk. candy bar and 'balaou', v3ridy and moderation' nrC' Pl ot Lh(l kfYS to I n a challenge to her popsicle don'I make a good lun esearchers have lried on individual.ttit"des and bcli,ls. While Sign ificantlyihese barriers to buyi ng,ser vi ng ani; public kn uwledgr and.ttilu. es rluinfiuellte beh,,;our. eaLing hC !llth~ (ood£ h3d !10l dimulisiltd tn lh~ lll~e undu~ n Hp~ sis should not Ix: placed on these fac to;':' rears iJ(,lwet"!! the ::..i.l n (' y~. iOOnt'". Two large rld LlO!lJ! survey;; (arned oul by Social "d CQlIlmunity P"."ing Resem (SCI'R) in 1966 1 Attitudes to healthy foods ~ an-s \ochil;nge. e'." e!l fOI thaIl ordinaryminced beef. Si lniiar filldings WI"'" lhose wit h good incomes andtdU('3{jon. Toas~-:l '''Ilnrlt'd by lho 1I",IU, Ed",,"ol! Autilorily I io 1989. ~ wha t these- barriers are respondents \I.·ere askt d aU(lIl! TIt{> inl13 ted prie~(hl!rg ('d tor ' spt"C i lli i ~r healthy fol)od ~ diIiirultks buying. serving atl d ea tin~ 'food tilal is good may al"n Mid to tOt> lri(Lwlhat eati2lR hralthity cost ~ IOf you' - and nr}'l'.'kr lhfYsa wgood healthJS f,l lli5idl: mort en ,hei""'",n>!. n1t~ SCPR surveys. fou nd th.'\J "So me pt'oplt>, 111 Lark 01 availab il ity.'UK! Ihe:' additionni tjJllf' re~:jUlred parlirul.r m,,,ual wurk!'rs. tiledder;" 3Ild til, less w"I!· 10 prcp-art' heallhy food were nflt regarded ru;.a bilrrif'r ffillf iller. ,lrtL mnrt Ukdy til fart'" nK)rc borricrs III heait1lyea!i;'tS. Refio nal difiere[lC t:s wen ' ntJ>! markt'tl : Q) ;1-1,tr1;111(:; ptITCIlt.a.gt' (45\ ) in the South (rnmpar~ In Exercise and diet Sll, in other regions) ;,grced thaI good food wa~ loore t'Xpt'D9!r'{'. \\'l.ilf! nliiiiy respondents !'-e lt rood exprrls ga\'(' • E I Healt.h educators stress the importw1.ce of runtradictory ad\'ice 00 ht'alt.hy eating,1It(l:',l p<1) pk'::. exercise and a good (tC! to r.1 rlIDtain health In ima.g~ ""'ere broadly in line \'oilh thaIoj numti onl"Sts. .... the SCPR survey there was an eEf:OUngmg BuHhcre \I \.-re gaps otnd misunderstandings 10 [It"opk:s reduction, from 31 per cent In 1986 ;:027 per Gent knowledge which led 10 confu sion. Thr S<"lould .... m 1989. of those who bob"ve that as long as you c{) nstitulta further bar rier lochilJ'Jge. hi-rexample lake enougb exerCise, you can eat whatever ca foods you want. Surularly57 per cent - op from sin!:!.; i ssrn~ nutrition messages, such as 'sugargn't'" ~'UU l'llergy",d(:s.igm.'rl to 54"11 parl icular products . ha\'C 51 per cern m 1986 - thought that exerCise was It'd (0 wicl'spread confusi(lll. TIw ad vt'r ti.!i.ing indus.try nQ subslltute for a healthy dlet. ~ and till' mass iIledia play an irn porlan t ro!e hoth in JIl' ;\tF. Fl.(JII 1ol ·\ ~ dietary l1f3c tice in public instiMions serving food leg < Sd lOOls. hospil;lIs. pri G() n ~ . office canteens. trains dr). ~ • n ,e hones! brokc rngc of iluormaliunand OP\lOSlU"" ;; lu t'O I'l)O ralf' misinformation, • 'Ill!! lk"'t'ioprnl'llt orandparlicipaliori in 3n;ll",oal " research s lr a t e/..~' CHI nUlntion. '< • TIle lraining afheallh ~nn('1 in minimum [;' standards of nutritional knu ~ltdge aod ,kill. - TIlere still rrm."lin man)' unanswmd Que. ·ans a~ to why I t~ sor fats in the ditt remain unaccep~tbly high informingand misleading consumers. Expenditure on Outdatedideas, particularly those which point to dr$pile allempb:. by ~1f public tu lIl...,: r C"".i~ i . intake. food advt'ftising is huge but, most of it is aimed at starchyfood s a.s fattrn ing, are another common Gover nment poiit'ymakers and nutritirtntslS need Iu encouragmg people to eat food s nol recommended as obstacle to health-promoting changes. For example, investigate ways10 G\'ercolnt the obstac ~ that man}· partof ahealthydiec weight CO llirollsa r.:ommon reason fo r reducing bread people face in ch04.J"ifll,! ahealthy die t. consu mptilln. 1l1is runs counter 10 current nutritional evideot'<. I. Sbrih..nlA. M.rnoA.\\.RP"'11 Ollud R.Il.l ~ II£. . flll~ ~v..-: Tu minimise the frustrations of shoppingon it low 1 !~.h.ludd':rl..Br: mi $nn.zj ..h:1I10 - n.. J~'iR~rt I~dlltd~ ~ Fat displacement J...-dl.. ~ \\~Ih'n;KIIIDmd 1 twlllk) (lillOa' Ibhlbh!I12C(}.,"-dI'f"J'''',L bud!:"t, th l' H I'~~ study' found th at rcspondents ,p!I:>1I9 dl!vrloPl")(1a 'Illnnel vision' approach to buying food. l. ~ \1 ;wm(·t "' j ll")turBab!l.6wOAlI AII!I';:II,itl'l:lpI"( Willie many people thlI1l< they are cu ttmgdown 111€ Yshopped quickly and only looked for ramilia r 1 1f'~ J:I"f.l.1i ~At::lt.w.ftt-1lIf JQAIf1It~l i".n~Mt b~ IUfl\l:f"lI on t.h e fat they em ntlre does appellr fa be a ~ WUhf'r.,q1C1lIh amI. LBruW.t. (jll "'~ 1'1lIlJ As doctors turn to disease prevention t.hey too need special training. Another 'so lu~on' is lo Health education materials rely on leaflets and other health education matrri.1!s to by offering dietary advice, where do CPs and prac~ce nurses also need leaOets, videos, etc go into detai ls thaI the GP doesu'\ know or hasn't buR' wh ich back up their advice and which their patienl:: they get their information - and tn discuss. Bu l who is going to train G~ and praclirt' can lake away 10 study a\ home. Several surveys (lor whose educational materials do they flu r.-l'S - and write and supply the leaflets? exampl<' a recent one by MAFF) suggest that people hand out to their patients? distrust hralth claims in food advertising bUI do Training believe the information given to them by Iheir doc tor. , s your GP r"'~nIi1 sUl1lri",'II )'ou by asking TIle goverlllllent's ll ealth Education Authority has one It is clearly 10 Ihe advantage of a food company qlle~tion!' mboot "" hal you em ? Or ha~ he or full-tilUf' dietilian on thrir staIfwith respon :;.ibiiit y for interested in impro ....ing its image or promoting its H she im·iled you Ie t1u~tr fle wdin ic to discll\;S improvi ng lilt' training of GPs and praclicr nu ~'s in product to offer information to lhe public, seemingly YCMlr dl('\ and oUlcr a'q.H.'Cls a.f >'our !u(.-.,tyll"? TII('fr is nutrition. The food indu stry and pharmaceuncal rndorsed by the medical profession. inm-asing inltrt'Sl in healthy eating among public and industr )· art: fallinK over themselves 10 h('lp. TIle We are therefore likely to see a rush of food health prolrss.ianals aiike. but under the If'rnt'i (.f the !raining of GPs after medical school is already heavily product advertising in our surgeries masqu erading as 'GP C!IIItracl'. which calile iolo forcefa", April, GPs subsidised by drug companies, which sponsor courses, health education materials. From a rerent 'list of are now rf'qui rl" and example has bet,'n approadleti by over len food ieallt,ts produced by tht food ilidustry QUOle doclors nla£azincs which doclors,..ad 10 updalr thrm.I<'Iv"" companies in Ihe last itw months. indudi ng Quaker to support their casco A leaflet from the SaIl ... abo oflcn wrong, if they deal wjlh the subjecl at all, Oats, Ra nks lIovis McDouga ll and the Bullrr Information Bureau about blood prf'ssurt' Quotes So boware G~ going til copr ....ilh their n' Information Council. It is aJready working wi th Flora Pro(tssor John Swales 'onr of Britain's leading con1nK.1? OTK" 'H)luuon' has been fo appoint a practice and the ~,tion :tl Dairy Council. There are ah 'ody experts' 00 the subject. Arecent iraOrl by the Bunl'r 'lUf';t' 10 takr un the new....nlt. Tht' Royal CoIlegt>of \'arious Coot>s of practice which regu late thr dt.'alings inf(}mlalian Council Quotes Dr Colin Wai ne, Chairman ~UN'"S t-...wllatl't1 thaI thl'fl· art> noW11,(XX~ pnctl\"C' of hea lt h professionals wilh the pharn ltlceutical uf the Royal ( oUtge of General Practi tioners, aur.,t'.s in lhl' l'K- I1 P3rl)' doublt-lhat of (\lo G }t"CIrs induqry bU I such codc~ du not yel rr(er 10 jilinl E\·en b<'ttN Ihall;m individual's apparenl approval ago. Bul again "' Ir \'t' y~ of how lJlu('h pr3{'ticc nUN~ ventures with the food i n d u~ tr y - per hap~ lht.'Y i~ tllt' tndorsemenl of a government organisation. 11le kilO' about Iliel and health art noll'lK1>Ur.lging should , Health Educa ~ o n Au thorilY has receotly allo we :!,"nn ~III~' \(-\I-,o\lt' r. \!'W!l·JI \r IWl ermar e established a working group with other inln('sted [n particular we are looking al the possibility of a cu rrently operates in Finland and there seems no experts. As a first slep the working group will be schenle wh ich would evaluate health educational reason why olle wouldn't work here. producing a policy statement, which will set out the materia ls submitted from any source and give them Mike Rayner & Helen fjgb(O~l e-r questions which need further research. It will also accreditation if they meet nutrition al and other The Ccronory !'rtW !lUIIII r.rIMi1I. J(rl (jl~--st.rr I'tact:. identify what we know already and make criteria. The body respo nsible for setting up, running llr.".don WC1H? DA recommendations for action. We hope thai this policy and monitoring thi s scheme should probably be Imogen Sharp Thf' f\.r'jo~ forum kiT CortinaI') HdM rli~~' 1'Il'\'t'ItiIJCI. H.umltoo statement will be endorsed by awide range of government-funded , but with representation from ]IIX!SC'. "bh~ R.L~ . I.JJDdllll WelH m organisations, from health professionals' bodies to consumer and heahh organisation s, A successful (Tht V ~ CIJlITSil'l1 ia th:t;. adell';if!: ool llf'lfl"'isanlY Ih~ \1rw 11.i1.. consu mer and voluntary groups. accreditation scheme fo r health education materials lhe- mtmhtn OhM 'urwn \ Who is providing the healthy eating message in doctors' surgeries? A survey carried out by Karen Munro on behall of the Health Education Authority looked at dietary educatiOn In general practIce. Flfty·four practices were contacted by postal Questionnaire of which 34 rephed. Most practices used written matenals - booklets. ~ eaflets , dIet-sheets - to back up thelT advice. These materials came from 36 dtfferent sources of which 24 were local - dietetics depart.. "'llems and heaith education umts of health a uth ont ie~, etc. The temairung 12 were national - the Health Education Authority, two charities, four drug companies and five food companies or orgamsations representing food companIes. The nationally produced materials were obtained and evaluated. We looked at their content to ascertain whether this was mainJy educational mJorm alion based on the current consensus regardmg healthy eating) or promotIonal (advenising the producers of the matenals or theH products) Th e materials were also rated on how useful they would be to the average consumer on a scale of 1 to 5. Publisher No of Users Comments Rating Bristol Myers Co Ltd E 4 Diet sheet 'Guide for Low,Cholsterol Eating **** Britlsh Heart Foundation E 2 Booklets 10 the Heartln/ormation Series 'Food and Your Hean' (No 7) and 'Hyperlipidaemia and Familial Hypercholesterolaemia' (No 16) ** Butter Council P Booklet 'The Bu sy Persons Guide to Fats in the Diet' Butter Information Cou nCLllogo on bottom of every page ** Duncan Flockha rd E Diet sheet 'HeartHealth dietary guidelines' *** Family Heart Association E Diet sheet 'Healthy Eating Healthy Heart' **** Flora Project for Heart Disease PIE Leaflets &fact sheets on healthier eatmg. Booklets WIth recipes WhlCh *** Prevention use Flora products Health Education AuthOrity E 11 Booklet - 'Guide to Healthy Eating' from the Look Nter Your Heart campaign and other leaflets *** J Sai nsbury pic PIE Booklet - 'Food for Healthy Hearts' (No 10 from Sainsbury's Living *** Today senes), Mentions Samsbury's pJOducts in text and shows pictures National Dairy Council PIE Booklet - 'Food for Action' - What to eat to get the most out of exercise ** Weetabix Ltd P 6 Leaflet - 'The Right Weight Fibre Diet' . Promotes Weetabix products ** Wintrop PractitIOner Service E Low fat diet sheet ** Key: No of users'" the number of Ratmg: = satlsfactOry P = mam.ly promotional pracllce tea ms using these = very good = poor E :. mainly educational material s = good = very poor REVIEWS LEITERS ORGANIC FARMING And yeldipping in and outor it over ~icoln s Lampkin, Forming Pre>, Books, S€vera l d ay~. i star ted to wonder who it Alcohol-free gripe water 4rriar; Courtyard , 30 Pri nc,"s Street, was ""Tinenfor. It is nol a reference Ipswich. WI IRJ,£1995 1SIlN t) 1\52:16 book, but the ind t:xcould have usefu lly 1912 contained much more. I was loolting for Dear Food Magazine edition of The Food Mogozi11 e. Here is a block·buSlerof 3 book fl eW information on problems that Ihad n,e January 1991edition of The Food E C Galer whk h will $iJ!"dy ht-come a stannard never real!)' soJVl.'tl in the pa~t- l i ke Magazine cuntainedan ar ticle concern· SecretariaJ and Administration ",k'fl'fk't work for anyone concerned dealing withcolorado beetles on ing gripewater products, which slated Manager SmithKline Beecham wi!h tile prin,iples "r "rgan" farming. potatoes, Qr cho(olate ~pot fungus on thai 'Dinnefords (mad. OJ Bet.",ham .. ThdiJl>1 pari "flile b ·t!,!. ruuu<)r) ~1."\LV.! ' t. . A PH':1.,} r 'Il l! L"l1 example, is a notorious case of acrop grown to excess in nch countries, ASK UNCLE BOB The which beggars the econo mies of poorer cane·producers. Public analyst Bob Stevens In the crazy world of CAP ecoilOmics answers questions about Long British cereal [arme", plying lhe. food composition, • barrage of pesticides and fertilisers. may awcar effi cient and they !2.me nl lht Water in bacon VIew t. 120 per ton thry get now ror milling wheat comJlan~d with lhc £I lO (yes Q,I r . lilt 1 . IRJliil ll1JiJii r Food Irradiation Children's Food (OYY/IVIIJ Good food doesn't need irradiation. * Teething rusks sweeter than a Ii food had to be irradiated then ask rkiughnut' 'what was wrong with it?' With the * Fish /ingers less than hall/ish? UK government permitting food OO * Beefburgers can be up to 40% piglaU / VIJIJ~~J.l1 irradiation in 1991 this book is fO 111e book offers ways of judging essential reading. what is good or bad on the shelves ,JOOb ...,:.;' ~ " \\\\\l\~\~'\OW, .,. 1 '" . r'I~,:;.).... / ,T, I • 224pp ISBN 0-7225-2224-X £6.50 of our shops and gives sound advice ~U•• including post and packing. on how to ensure our children eat / -"'- .~ healthily. ~r--.. , I lo. l\l \ [ rJo. "", (/tr II.tJifIIl/k- Q";" l ' Food Adulteration . , ~ , 210pp ISBN 0-04-440300-3 £4.75 111e London Food Conunission's • .N . including post and packing l expose of the shocking state of food 1I111Jtl llHUI Ilimn quality in Britain, revealing the facts 11/1111/11101 fJrly Additives - Your Complete On additives, pesticides, nitrates, Survival Guide food poisoning and irradiation. What can you do about additives' We deserve the best bu t we will only f/J11:f~1t Ino.l Which are dangerous and which get it if we demand it This book are safe? spells out what the demands should illlrlllflll/lllN'ill il With comprehensive charts, the be. book explains 'E' numbers and 295pp ISBN 0-04-440212-0 £5.95 examines the evidence on each food including post and packmg additive. It tells you everything you need to know, but industry would Prescription for Poor Health prefer you didn't ask, about the 'OlOusands of women and young chemicals added to your food. chi l(lren live in cramped, unhealthy 288pp ISBN 0-7126-1269-6 Normally an d sometimes dangerous bed and - £4.75, but for Food Magazine readers I breakfast hotels. They may be , ?RtS(~ 1P110ttfOR just £3.50 including post and packing...... r' f,;,..c unable to cook or even store food. \l" JI/!', Yr.-<' I'IlD ~ . 'l. Their diet is poor. Based on Hl ~I1\\ Safe Food Handhook interviews with the women 111e key facts to help you .".. lhf!mselves, it is a unique record 01 \ understand current issues such as late-twen tieth century Britain as the use and misuse of pesticides. expenrnced by hundreds of \ Plus an A-Z shopper's guide to the thousands of people. \ most commonly bought foods, pin ilfiEfdOD 135pp ISBN 0-948857-18-8 £6.45 \ pointing risks and recommending mcluding post and packing alternatives. HIfNOBOOK Edited by Joan and Derek Taylor, StEPl-tP~ 2H1IU H "' Jl1 \ '''' \7 '\ I I AI'jll l II ''> 1- " ' )1 PIACE BACK ISSUES Take this opportunity to complete your set of Food Magazines. Make sure you ha ve at your Issue 1 fingertips three years of investigative and informative reporting about food and the food * B~T - what's in ow milk? business, packed with news, features and opinions , essential for reference and research. *Do we need added bran? *Taking the lid 011 canoed meat Issue 2 *Hidden hazards in healthy foods FOOD\1 'I ~ I , * A hard look at ice cream FOODII .\ (,I Z I ~ r *Horneless and hungry Issue 3 *Fast food secrets *School dinoers *The cost of healthy food = Is""e 4 *Baby foods - read the label - *The not-so-healthy cereal bars *Supermarkets' green policies Issue 5 *The 'premium' sausages rip-off r\)OD *Alcohol in gripe water \1 .' .\ . I \ I *Aluminium in baby milks Issue 6 *Microwave hygiene hazards • *Fruit drinks less than 50%Itdce *Vitamin enriched junk food Issue 7 *Fish missing from fish lingers *'Low alcohol' confusion • O'ff *Hazards (or cocoaworkers Issue 8 *Guide 10 butter substitutes *Caterillg in HM priso.. *Germaine Greer 00 """ and ORDER TODAY! food S'.'lld your order 10 Ih< !'ublica'ions Deparblltnl, n,. F",xl Cumm ission .&! Old '[(rl'i. wlld"'l ECl V9AR. Issue 9 Make '""1u,", p,yable 10 The Food ( ommi"i,n (uKI Lid . Prill'S quUled mdud, .ppro, iOlawly 15\ postage and pOCking. *Children'. TV [ood adverti,mg Overseas purch ll ser~ should ~r nd paymf'nt in ~erllT1~ . An additional t2 per ilem i!l required fo r airm3il deUvery, *MAFF cuts in food research ~ ------*Fisb scraps sok! u Bleak Th~ food MiIIll'ZiI\e, I,,"{~ __ @£2.fJO Please send to Food lmtliation M)1h & Realil) £6.50 Issue 10 \l,Hnf Food Adulleration & flow 10 Bealll £5.95 *Plastics that migrate into food Address ______Presc ri ption (or Poor Health fti.4S * Sugar in children's yogurt Morr Than Rirr nr! Pe(lS f17 f Poverty and heart disease, vitamins and IQ, and /ollow on milks - Eric Brunner reviews the medical press PO VERTY IN INFANCY mortality rales alilie lurn of the century risk of heart disease. Rather it suggests FOLLOW-ON MILK and adult mortality from various causes that 10 understand the relative AND EARLY DEATH in 1969-73, aeross 43 counties. Bul when importance of faclors acting throughout FORMUlAS The role of malfrial hardship in early an index of social deprivation althe time life iI is necessary to follow individuals The World Health Organisation's 1981 d""th has nol been dispuied ~nce the of death was usedto adjust the death and groups for their entire Uves rather code of practice restricts the adverrising Black Re porl was pub ~shed in 1980. Bul rates for present- daycircumslances, lhe than to focu s on a particular period, as of breast milk substitutes. the precise connections between poverty correlations betweeninfant and ad ult was done in the Barker studies, FoUow{ln milk formulas are exempt and ill·health are nol yelclear. mortality were either abolished or much Ben-Shlomo, Yand Davey Smith, from this code, and were recently defend lla~d Barker, al Souulamplon ed by Professor Brian Wharlon. amember reduced. G'Deprivation in infancy (}T' in adult lift: University, has identi.6.e 26t'-I1 :E H)(}n M,I,r,AZ INE t ..IJ'RI I)]r:\£ i991 - 1ax incentives to fan ners and agriculturalrescarrn 10 encourage tht breeding of low·fat animals and poultry. \Ieat l:"'Iling classificatio ns could be iutrOOlK'td 10 discourage (attening animals, aJong ~id e better rt'gutiltions on dear food labelling. As peopk eal mo r ~ prOC('!!Sl'li fuods,thtir runtrol (t' fOi l consumption btcul11 e~ mort' difficult :ood manu facturers are tna dom~ lIanl posilion as the). ha.\'t' the discretion to vary th fa l CCl nlcnt of their produCb. Control, on food standard, have been reduced om the year; ~ith the cmplLlsisshifun tuwards labdllllg thou,t;1 manuracturm have consistffil1y opposttl mandato ry nutrition IabelllnR. This Il"ls the !'fIIph.si; on tll.: purcha:,t·rto be: VIgilant. ....'lhoul prov,ding the necessary mformalion on which to base choicts in an easy·to-und('rstand (orm. Government action 11l('rr are i1 r.mSff nf possible ways that go \' ~rnment cou ld promote health. throughsponsored nll1rition puUdes andpro •!lunes. Tht.-se indude: • Thedevelopment and use of "',t.. fflCi....t!'Irategil'S in nutri tio neducation on d mass scale. < -.:. • TIle advocacy and administration ofIl'gUlat ions !;" on food standards, nutricnl labelling alld ad,..-lising. ~ " • Sub~di fo r plinrary food industries to encourage product developmrnt ~on~stent with di("t.1ry gutdrli n~ kg leantf mt.'at. illlprOH'(1rIShing methods lie). I • 'Ibe development of po ~cy and guidelines for :;;;