Canola Ink  July 17, 2008

California says hasta la vista, trans fat – All that remains for Assembly Bill 97 to pass into law, thereby banning all artificial fat from California restaurants is a signature from Govenor Arnold Schwarzenegger. When he does sign, restaurants and bakeries will have until July 1, 2009 to remove fat from non-baked products and another year to remove it from baked products.

Failure to comply will result in fines between $25 and $1,000. For more on the state’s trans fat ban, go to: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article4340206.ece

Quebec quietly OK’s yellow margarine – One of the vegetable oil industry’s hardest and longest-fought battles quietly came to an end June 25. The Quebec government would not confirm it immediately, but the provincial government has adopted a cabinet decree that will end its ban on yellow margarine.

The old regulation states that margarine "must not be a colour more than one degree and six tenths nor less than 10 degress and five tenths yellow or yellow and red combined, measured on the Lovibond colour scale." Three years ago, Quebec inspectors actually seized 72 tubs of yellow margarine inadvertently shipped to local Wal-Mart stores.

To read more, go to: http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=fb023f56-20f8-461c-a93a-7977c679e341

Canola oil in Disneyworld friers – Walt Disney World’s Joel Schafer, manager of special dietary needs has confirmed in an online Q&A that the oil used in the park’s friers is high-oleic canola oil. For more of the question and answer session with Gina Clowes of AllergyMom, go to: http://www.godairyfree.org/200806162598/News/Nutrition-Headlines/Destination-Disney-Balancing-Fun-and-Food-Allergies.html

Canola biodiesel maker to use off-grade canola – Canadian Green Fuels Inc. announced this week it has secured a contract with a US customer for 10,000 tonnes of canola biodiesel and related products. The company says it will fulfill this contract by crushing off-grade canola seed to make into biodiesel, beginning in August.

For more on this story, visit: http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/story.html?id=be7f4be0-21de-4614-add0-ad66765f5f7b

Canola oil plays prominent role in alternative food pyramid – The University of Michigan’s Integrative Medicine department has released its own version of the food pyramid, based on the USDA’s food guide. The U of M’s version is the "Healing Foods Pyramid" and it features canola oil in a prominent role among the foods recommended for daily intake.

It recommends canola oil as one of the top sources of both monounsaturated fat and omega-3 fat. For more information go to: http://www.med.umich.edu/umim/clinical/pyramid/index.htm