Austin360 blogs > Dale's Table > Archives > 2006 > October > 10
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
More food for thought
Food safety issues continue simmering. First, spinach. Then beef. Now lettuce. All facing recalls due to confirmed or reported contamination from the E. coli bacteria.
It certainly raises serious questions about the safety of the food supply, as well as what additional oversight is needed. The recent confirmation that a toddler died from E. coli after his mother served him a smoothie made with fresh spinach may make it much more difficult for the commercial recovery of a product that for decades was the symbol of healthy eating. How confident are you that no contaminated irrigation water is being used on another field in California? Confident enough to serve bagged fresh spinach to your 2-year-old?
New York City’s recent steps to ban trans fats from restaurants clearly are the harbinger of diet changes. Uno Chicago Grill announced today that it is eliminating trans fat from its French fries at its 200 locations nationally, claiming to be the “first national casual dining chain to eliminate the chemically modified fats from its French fries.” The chain said it took a year of experimentation to find a frying oil that would impart the favorable taste it expected in its fries. Look for more chains to follow that direction.
