Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Alberta decides not to cut out the fat (Canada)

"The Ministry of Health in Alberta backtracked from a province-wide ban on use of trans fats under pressure from the food industry. Ron Liepert, Alberta's Minister of Health, announced on March 15, 2009 that the province would continue to allow eateries to, in effect, police themselves rather than instituting a government regulation. Since Health Canada, the national department responsible for health issues affecting the whole country, may well enact its own regulations, Alberta has decided to "wait and see" how things play out on the national stage. Trans fat is a name given commonly to a type of unsaturated fat that is known to play a significant role in heart disease and other illnesses. Trans fats not only increase the amount of so-called "bad" cholesterol in the blood stream, but they also decrease the amount of "good" cholesterol. In the past the human diet has included very little trans fats, exclusively from fats present in certain cuts of meat" - eCanadaNow

No comments: