Zurich Citizens News, 1974-05-02, Page 5THURSDAY, MAY 2, 1974
TODAY'S HEALTH
Consumers Concerned
about food additives
by David Woods
Space trawl. pollution and the
TV dinner are all products of mod-
ern technology.
More and more people are asking
where that technology is leading
us — especially where food is con-
cerned.
Of course we can't simply turn
back the clock and return to a rus-
tic past where man sustained himself
on 'one acre and a cow'. Nor can we
find a solution in the so-called
natural foods --- organically-grossn
vegetables, for example •-- because
there aren't enough of them to go
around,
But you're entitled to know what
goes int() the food you buy, or
what's been removed Iron) it. And
how much of the tampering with
food is necessary or nutritional.
Let's say right away that most or
the processing is done ror a good
purpose. The technology that gave
us canning and freezing. so we don't
have to he constantly hauling
around sacks full of groceries, has
done us a favor.
Similarly, the chemical additives
that preserve food are obviously
helpful. Jams without benzoic acid,
for instance, would quickly go
mouldy. Other chemicals are used to
stop fats becoming rancid, to im-
prove taste and texture. and to con-
trol bacteria.
Much of the bread we buy under-
goes a variety of chemical manipu-
lations: flour is milled, then
bleached. In the process, much of
the nutritional value is removed.
Later. the bread is 'enriched' with
vitamins to make up I'ior the 'good-
ness' that was removed.
But with bread. as with other
foods, the manufacluo r gives us
pretty much what we want. We want
bread that slays fresh longer — so
that's what the baker gives us.
Most manipulation of food has to
do with convenience, hygiene, and
preservation and storage. Some is
done for cosmetic reasons — like
artificial coloring, because we want
peas to look bright green and mar-
garine to look yellow.
All of the chemical additives that
go into our food are tightly control-
led by government. And most serve
some useful purpose. Technological
processes like pasteurization and
homogenization have made food
safer.
But one researcher at the Univer-
sity of Toronto's School of Hygiene,
Dr. T. W. Anderson, says that arti-
ficial ingredients are appearing more
and more frequently in food — and
the only way to he sure what their
effects arc is to do long -terns studies.
"In general", he says. "the less inter-
vention. the less avoidable mani-
pulation of our food, the Netter".
What can the consumer do about
all this? Well, first of all, try to find
out exactly what you're eating to
determine the nutritional content of
what you buy.
Nutritionists advise avoiding
foods like synthetic snacks, artificial
creamers, fruit drinks with no fruit
in them -- and non -enriched cereals
with perhaps less nutrient value than
the cardboard packages they conte
in.
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fhey also suggest taking a little
more time: balancing diet bet ss een
the convenience foods and those that
need more work but provide more
nutrition. For instance. cooking rice
from scratch rather than buying -it in
a package is not only less expensive
it's better for you.
As world food supplies become
scarcer. the trend is to more rather
than less technology being brought
10 hear on what .we eat. And even to
the development of more totally
synthetic foods.
Knowing what's in your food is
the first step: balancing diet between
convenience and nutritional values
is the second, And if technology
makes this harder to do -..- you can
always grow your own tomatoes.
One nutritionist I know grows them
in her apartment.
David Woods is a forillc'r rcliwi. of
Caucasian Fatally Physician am.c,'a-
zine. Ile has se'rve'd on the scall of
fora medical publications, and writ-
ten lot' several others in Canada and
internationally.
ZURICH CITIZENS NEWS
Shortagesstall. hydr� .
PAGE 5
Ontario hydro has appealed
to developers and industrial
customers to provide the utility
with earlier notification of
planned new developments
requiring transformers and other
electrical equipment.
Clinton Area Manager Walter
Palmer explained that a world
shortage of critical materials,
particularly steel, is causing
severe delays in deliveries of
electrical equipment. "One
area of particular local concern
is the matter of upgraded farm
services," Is ir. Palmer said.
"There will be delays in our
ability to react to these service
changes as promptly as we have
in the past."
Farmers planning service
changes are asked to have their
electrical contractor advise the
local Iiydro office of their plans
as early as possible.
Where once manufacturers
were able to supply transformers
within a few days of receiving
an order, deliveries today may
take as long as 40 weeks, said
the Hydro official,
"Unless customers can give
us substantially more lead time.
he said, "we can't provide them
with the electrical equipment
they need, on tithe,"
Manufacture of transformers
is being held up boat by a steel
shortage and a scarcity of the
special oil they use. In addit-
ion, the oil shortage has red-
uced the supply of plastics used
for electrical insulation with
the result that cable and wire
can take up to six months to
deliver.
Wood poles are also in crit-
ically short supply. "Some
10, 000 feet of damaged cable
resulting from the recent torn-
ado-like storm in Ribbert
Township is being reclaimed
for local use as guying material,
rather than being scrapped."
said tdr. Palmer.
To meet the shortage in
transformer oils, Ontario 1lydro
is investigating ways of recond-
itioning oils frofn old transform-
ers so that they can be reused
in new transformers.
Hydro is also making a con-
centrated effort to reclaim or
rehabilitate worn-out equip-
ment instead of simply selling
or scrapping it. For example,
when a transmission line is up-
graded, the old conductor may
have 20 years of remaining life
and may be useable.
Various reasons are given for
the material shortages --among
tltent environmental demands
that diverted some production
to cleanup devices, inflation
which created additional stim-
ulus to demand and the excess
capacity of 1970 and 1971 that
discouraged the expansion that
might have met today's short-
fall.
No accurate predictions can
be made on when the steel short
age will ease, but is expected
it will continue through 1974.
Everyone deserves the .... °tunny
to get the best possible education..
This is what Ontario is doing
to see that you get your chance.
The government here in Ontario
believes that no one should ever be
deprived of a higher education simply
for lack of money. And, we're doing
something about it ... through the
Ontario Student Assistance Program
(OSAP).
OSAP consists of government -
financed loans and grants designed to
help qualified Canadian citizens and
landed immigrants pay for their higher
education. And they are based on
need, not on academic achievement.
The loans are interest-free until 6
months after graduation, and repay-
ments don't begin until then. The
grants don't normally have to be
repaid at all.
Already, 2 out of 5 students at
Ontario universities and community
colleges receive some form of
financial assistance from OSAP..
If you would like to know what
assistance is available, how to apply
for it, and how much you may be
qualified to receive, contact the
Student Awards Officer at the
institution of your choice.
Or write to:
Inquiry Section
Student Awards Branch
Ministry of Colleges and Universities
Queen's Park
Toronto, Ontario M7A 1 C6.
James A, C. Auld, Minister
Government of Ontario
William G. Davis, Premier