southsider2k5 Posted May 13, 2003 Share Posted May 13, 2003 http://www.msnbc.com/news/912868.asp?0cv=CB20 A lawyer who says he has spent much of his life enjoying Oreo cookies has sued Kraft Foods Inc., seeking to ban the much-loved cookies in California because they contain trans fat, an ingredient he says is inedible and dangerous. KRAFT SAYS THAT people have eaten 450 billion Oreo cookies since they introduced the chocolate wafer sandwich cookies with a creamy filling in 1912. But if attorney Stephen Joseph has his way, that culinary love affair will come to an end, at least until Kraft stops using hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils to make the cookies. Kraft calls the suit filed in Marin County Superior Court just north of San Francisco baseless but Joseph says he is taking advantage of a provision of the California civil code that holds manufacturers liable for common products if not “known to be unsafe by the ordinary consumer.” COMMONPLACE INGREDIENT Trans fat is used in thousands and thousands of products. In an interview on Monday, Joseph said, “I am probably full of hydrogenated fat because until two years ago I didn’t know about it. I resent the fact that I have been eating that stuff all my life.” Hydrogenation adds hydrogen gas to vegetable oil, helping to solidify it into products such as margarine. Health experts say the process makes them as unhealthy as real butter, if not more so, as the hydrogenated fats act like cholesterol in the body. Trans fats are common in cookies and crackers and part of both the cookie and filling in Oreos. “That’s what’s so shocking; that it has been so well hidden,” said Joseph, who has set up an advocacy group called BanTransFats.com Inc. “I hope if nothing else comes of this lawsuit that more people know about trans fat than before.” Last, summer the National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine said trans fat should not be consumed at all because it is directly associated with heart disease and “bad” cholesterol. KRAFT TO FIGHT SUIT Kraft says it is already testing alternatives to trans fats but said it intends to vigorously fight the lawsuit. Its parent company Altria Group Inc. is also the owner of cigarette maker Philip Morris USA, itself no stranger to legal battles over product safety. “We know the importance of good nutrition and we are committed to helping people lead a healthy lifestyle, but we have no choice than to draw the line against baseless lawsuits like this,” Michael Mudd, a Kraft spokesman, said in an interview. “We’ve been ... exploring ways to reduce trans fat in Oreos and those efforts are continuing,” he continued. “You can make a cookie without trans fat but what you’re trading off is the unique taste and texture that people have come to expect.” U.S. companies, the world masters in processed foods, are showing an awareness of trans fats. Frito-Lay, part of PepsiCo Inc., announced last year it would eliminate trans fats from snacks such as Doritos. McDonald’s Corp. also said it would make French fries with less trans fat. In February, a federal court threw out a lawsuit against McDonald’s that claimed its burgers and fries cause obesity. The commissioner for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has said the agency will soon require labeling information about trans fats in foods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BridgeportHeather Posted May 13, 2003 Share Posted May 13, 2003 I heard about that on The View today, and they said they should put it on the lable...Think so, but I still wouldn't see it...I guess people should educate themselves on ingredients that might be harmful...Hopefully it isn't TOO harmful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IlliniKrush Posted May 13, 2003 Share Posted May 13, 2003 I love the double-stuf oreos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espnjohn1 Posted May 13, 2003 Share Posted May 13, 2003 I love the double-stuf oreos Anybody see a pattern? Dumbass lawyer who doesn't bother to read ingredients that have always been listed for much of his lifetime is too much of spineless prick to control himself so he needs to sue the manufacturer to control it for him. More mindless passing the buck of responsibility from the consumer to the manufacturer. I think these guys should be disbarred for at least a yr when such suits are dismissed and classified as frivolous. I guess next we're going to have surgeon general's warning on everything from cookies to popcorn. What's next? It will be so commonplace, that no one's gonna pay any attention to it. Thus defeating it's original purpose. And taking the flip-side of the argument, maybe I like the Oreo's just the way they are. Kraft on behalf of the billions who helped consume some of the 450 billion Oreo's tell Joe to go blow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Critic Posted May 13, 2003 Share Posted May 13, 2003 Here is the label they should put on Oreos: This is a bag of COOKIES. Cookies are NOT health food. Cookies are NOT meant to be eaten instead of a well-balanced meal. Cookies are NOT meant to be eaten a bag at a time. Cookies will NOT kill you IF you have an ounce of self-control. If you do NOT have an ounce of self-control, and you are such an out-of-control overeating f***head that you have to rely on the courts to regulate your eating habits by force, then please throw yourself under a train. You will be doing the world, and YOURSELF, a huge favor." "If you try to hide your dietary weaknesses behind some bulls*** story of protecting children from our product, then throw yourself under TWO trains." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Showtime Posted May 14, 2003 Share Posted May 14, 2003 Here is the label they should put on Oreos: This is a bag of COOKIES. Cookies are NOT health food. Cookies are NOT meant to be eaten instead of a well-balanced meal. Cookies are NOT meant to be eaten a bag at a time. Cookies will NOT kill you IF you have an ounce of self-control. If you do NOT have an ounce of self-control, and you are such an out-of-control overeating f***head that you have to rely on the courts to regulate your eating habits by force, then please throw yourself under a train. You will be doing the world, and YOURSELF, a huge favor." "If you try to hide your dietary weaknesses behind some bulls*** story of protecting children from our product, then throw yourself under TWO trains." You're the man Critic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CubKilla Posted May 14, 2003 Share Posted May 14, 2003 As if we needed more fodder to call for the heads of all lawyers. I'll bet this fat f*** has been denying that he has a problem his whole f***ing life. So now, when a doctor tells his chunky ass to change his diet of Oreos and McDonalds or he is going to die, he still can't fathom that it was HIMSELF THAT WAS SHOVELING THE OREOS DOWN HIS FAT f***ING GULLET, so he, being a shark, sues. Un-f***ing-believable!!!!! :fyou Lawyers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest hotsoxchick1 Posted May 14, 2003 Share Posted May 14, 2003 the courts better throw out this stupid s***... if he makes a win on this my stocks will take a huge hit...........ill be pissed and out for his blood... think i can counter sue him for damages to my portfolio??? lol...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mathew Posted May 14, 2003 Share Posted May 14, 2003 the courts better throw out this stupid s***... if he makes a win on this my stocks will take a huge hit...........ill be pissed and out for his blood... think i can counter sue him for damages to my portfolio??? lol...... You have stock in Phillip Morris. They're evil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mreye Posted May 14, 2003 Share Posted May 14, 2003 You have stock in Phillip Morris. They're evil. It's Altria now. Same stock symbol. New name. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mreye Posted May 14, 2003 Share Posted May 14, 2003 I heard about that on The View today, and they said they should put it on the lable...Think so, but I still wouldn't see it...I guess people should educate themselves on ingredients that might be harmful...Hopefully it isn't TOO harmful. You watch the View? They're evil! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mathew Posted May 14, 2003 Share Posted May 14, 2003 You watch the View? They're evil! Definately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest hotsoxchick1 Posted May 14, 2003 Share Posted May 14, 2003 You have stock in Phillip Morris. They're evil. yeah be that as it may.. they make me a ton of money.....lots of little companies under that huge mound of evil............ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest hotsoxchick1 Posted May 14, 2003 Share Posted May 14, 2003 You watch the View? They're evil! Definately. this i wont argue...... not only are they evil they suck..........tell me starr really shops for shoes at payless and that they would even have anything big enough to fit her huge ass feet lol............. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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