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From: thunder cat <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Wednesday, 25 July 2007 11:06:16
LANJUTAN ISU OREO-OREO HARAM!
USA & EUROPEAN COUNTRIES BANNED ON OREO COOKIES CONSUMPTION
GOOD REASONS WHY MUSLIMS IN MALAYSIA SHOULD AVOID EATING OREO BISCUITS BY GHANY
AOUESKHANOV On the 21st June 2007 the Syariah Panel of PPIM wrote a letter to
Diethelm Malaysia Sdn Bhd, the exclusive Malaysian distributor of Kraft Foods
Inc. with regard to the quality of Oreo biscuits. Our questions to the second
largest food and beverage manufacturer in the world were :
Does Oreo contain hydrogenated oil (trans fat)?
What oil is used in manufacturing Oreo and where does it come from?
Does Oreo contain genetically modified ingredients (GMO)?
Does Oreo contain animal-based ingredients?
Diethelm Malaysia couldn't answer our questions - there was simply nobody in
the company of 4 persons who knew anything about the quality of Kraft products
because, as I was explained by the CEO Mr. Lai Soon, there was no manufacturing
facility of Kraft Foods in Malaysia, only a distributing arm. Yet, this
"little" firm currently distributes some 65 items of Kraft Foods in the
Malaysian market. By the way there is also Kraft Foods Malaysia Sdn Bhd located
in the same office with Diethelm and staffed with same 4 persons. I couldn't
quite understand what was the difference between the two companies but neither
of these clones were able to alley our concerns.
So, on the 29th June 2007 Kraft Foods Philippines answered PPIM's inquiry with
a Crafty Letter which, if simplified, said:
1. Oreo might contain trans fat.
2. Oreo might contain GMOs.
3. Oreo contains animal ingredients. The question about oil being used in
manufacturing Oreo biscuits was completely ignored! Let us see what does this
answer means to us, Oreo lovers. 1. Hydrogenated oils (trans fats) are
vegetable fats and oils that undergo a process
in which hydrogen is added to solidify the oil. Trans fat has been used by food
manufacturers for the past 100 years as it helps to cut the cost, increase the
shelf-life of the products. The danger of trans fatty acids has been known for
more than 30 years among scientists in the US who found out that trans fat
elevates blood levels of low density lipoprotein known as "bad" cholesterol
while lowers levels of high density lipoprotein or "good" cholesterol thus
causing clogging of arteries which leads to heart attack, type 2 diabetes,
obesity and cancer. However for decades the medical and food authorities in the
US ignored these facts while blaming saturated fat for the dramatic increase of
heart-related diseases. Already in 1994 Center for Science in the Public
Interest petitioned the FDA to require trans fat labeling on food packages
because according to the Center "trans fat caused about 50,000 fatal heart
attacks annually". Therefore on January 1, 2006 FDA required
compulsory labeling of trans fat, and not just mentioning the presence of
trans fats, but listing it in the Nutrition Facts label. It took 12 years for
FDA to make a simple decision: allow consumers to make an informed choice on
trans fats. Since then many food manufacturers, restaurants including fast food
chains declared they would cease the usage of hydrogenated oils. The
administration of New York City announced there would be no trans fats in food
outlets in the entire city by the mid 2008. In the light of aforesaid tendency
it is a shame for such a famous company like Kraft to still continue promising
to resolve the "trans fat problem"; this is despite the fact Kraft Foods was
sued by an American consumer over trans fats in Oreo biscuits 4 years ago. In
their letter to PPIM Kraft mentions 3 times that "their ultimate goal was to
reduce or eliminate trans fat" . So it is still not clear what is the ultimate
goal of Kraft Foods: reduce or eliminate?? The difference
between the two is infinite. Yes, there are small amounts of trans fat in
butter, meat and dairy products which is not the point of consumers' concern.
We, Muslim consumers, demand the artificial trans fat found exclusively in
partially hydrogenated oil to be totally eliminated from food products. There
is plenty of trans-free oil alternatives, especially palm oil it has natural
semi-solid consistency which is easily available in the South-East Asian
region. Instead, Kraft Foods prefers hydrogenated soybean oil coming from the
US where most of the crops are GMO. In their letter Krafts Food asserts that
Oreo biscuits contain a small amount of trans fats which is "insignificant
according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)". Kraft Foods is a 100
years old multinational corporation, they must know by now that reference to
FDA's "safe levels" is not valid in the eyes of any serious consumer union.
Even in the US itself there are a few thinking creatures who
believe in the integrity of this institution. As the US Congressman and
medical doctor Ron Paul said, FDA is a tool of drug and food conglomerates. But
ethical and health-conscious consumers do trust the independent and honest
scientists whose opinions are based on factual findings and long-term studies.
They say: "The safe level of trans fat is zero level. Consumers don't need them
at all in their food". Even report of National Academy of Science's Institute
of Medicine released in 2002 a mainstream medical establishment concluded
there could be determined no safe level for consumption of trans fats.
2. Kraft Foods says in its letter: "We have no safety concerns with biotech
(Genetically Modified) crops currently in the market". This is arrogant and
malicious statement; it shows Kraft has no respect to its consumers. Moreover
it is irresponsible. No safety testing has ever been done on GMOs because in
1992, when GMO program began in the US, FDA determined that GE foods were "the
same as or substantially similar to substances commonly found in food".
Majority of Americans are kept in darkness about GMO but of course not all. A
renowned American doctor and author of the best-selling book "Total Health
Program", Dr Josef Mercola, said: "Genetic Engineering of crops is a sheer
lunacy. Consuming GM foods is like participating in a giant experiment".
Although no studies have been done on how GM food consumption affects human
body, the animal tests showed the damage to immune system, abnormal changes in
the organs, poor brain development, cancer, allergies and even death. The
environmental scientists too have blown a whistle: GM crops destroy the
natural eco-balance and contaminate non-GMO areas, and if the GE revolution
continues there will be soon no organic food available. Worldwide resistance to
GM foods is rapidly rising, especially in Europe, many countries require
mandatory labeling of GMO. In 2002 Zambia refused GM maize in food aid despite
the threat of famine.
3. Kraft Foods admits that some Oreo biscuits sold in Malaysia might contain
ingredients derived from animal material; the ingredients likely to be found in
Oreo biscuits are: milk powder, whey powder from cow's milk, eggs. It is well
known that milk powder manufacturers add animal fat, especially lard into
skimmed milk in order to increase the fatness of the powdered milk. Whey is the
watery part of milk which is drained away after cheese has formed into curd; an
enzyme called rennet which is derived from slaughtered animal's stomach is used
to curd the milk. Both, milk and whey powder are employed in commercial food
manufacturing to substitute normal full-cream or skimmed milk which is more
expensive. But the question of Muslim consumers is: Are the animals, from which
rennet and fat is obtained, Halal? According to Consumer Association of Penang,
any food which contains whey could be Haram. Taking into account the fact that
Oreo biscuits come to Malaysia from China,
Indonesia and the US, where production of Halal milk powder and whey is rather
limited, the Halal status of Oreo biscuits is highly questionable.
4. The most disturbing point of Kraft Foods' letter to PPIM is their silence on
our question regarding fats and oils used in manufacturing Oreo. We are left to
guess: Do Oreo biscuits contain fat and oil of animal origin? Does it come from
Halal animals? In biscuit manufacturing there been used a shortening agent, a
fat which can be of animal or plant origin; what type of shortening is used in
Oreo? If Oreo biscuits were totally free from animal fat then what kind of oil
is being used in its manufacturing? Why - after selling Oreo biscuits to Muslim
consumers for several decades and knowing that animal fat is the most
controversial element in Halal industry - Kraft Foods regional HQ preferred to
skip the question? Kraft Foods Malaysian arm, Diethelm, stated that all Oreo
biscuits and wafers sold in Malaysia are certified Halal by Majlis Ugama
Indonesia (MUI) but couldn't explain though how "Chinese Oreo" were monitored
by MUI. Diethelm also admits there might be parallel
imports of Oreo (by other unofficial) into the country whose halalness
Diethelm, of course, would not guarantee.
In view of these considerations Muslim consumers are strongly advised, next
time they want to indulge in Oreo biscuits or waffles, to think whether it is
worth or not consuming a Mushbooh and unwholesome food.
