Lawyers: You Got To Hate Them!!!

[Sir Taliesin]

Can you believe this!!! Just who in the hell, does he think he is! Where's the lynch mob when you need them!!!

http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/05/13/or...eut/index.html

Suit seeks ban on Oreo cookies
Tuesday, May 13, 2003 Posted: 5:57 AM EDT (0957 GMT)
SAN FRANCISCO, California (Reuters) -- A lawyer who 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 calls inedible.

Kraft boasts that people have eaten 450 billion Oreo cookies since they introduced the chocolate wafer sandwich cookies with a creamy filling in 1912.

But if British-born 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."

The ingredient 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.

'Shocking' case
"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."

Kraft says it is already testing alternatives to trans fats but said they will 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, Kraft's senior vice president for corporate affairs, 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.

Was there anyone who seriously thought that Oreo cookies were good for them?

I love them, but Im under no illusion now or in the past that they were a health food... Only in america...well really only in California [img]smile.gif[/img]

[harleyquinn]

If you had any idea how bad Hydrogenated oils are for you and how much food it's in, you'd never want to eat again. The purpose of the suit is not to stop people from eating it, but is actually to create awareness about Hydrogenated oils and require companies to start using other, safer, oils. Or, failing that, at least put labels on the food. The media always puts it's own spin on every story which is why I rarely watch the news.

[WillowIX]

Originally posted by harleyquinn: If you had any idea how bad Hydrogenated oils are for you and how much food it's in, you'd never want to eat again. The purpose of the suit is not to stop people from eating it, but is actually to create awareness about Hydrogenated oils and require companies to start using other, safer, oils. Or, failing that, at least put labels on the food. The media always puts it's own spin on every story which is why I rarely watch the news.

But why go after a company with loads of money? I agree with you, hydrogenated oils are worse than saturated fatty acids. But still, why go after the money? [img]smile.gif[/img]

[ 05-13-2003, 09:24 AM: Message edited by: WillowIX ]

[harleyquinn]

Originally posted by WillowIX: quote: Originally posted by harleyquinn: If you had any idea how bad Hydrogenated oils are for you and how much food it's in, you'd never want to eat again. The purpose of the suit is not to stop people from eating it, but is actually to create awareness about Hydrogenated oils and require companies to start using other, safer, oils. Or, failing that, at least put labels on the food. The media always puts it's own spin on every story which is why I rarely watch the news.

But why go after a company with loads of money? I agree with you, hydrogenated oils are worse than saturated fatty acids. But still, why go after the money? [img]smile.gif[/img] [/QUOTE]Ignore the money. In most of these cases, people don't actually get the money. Suing for the money is just the only way you can get the companies attention to the issue.

[ 05-13-2003, 09:29 AM: Message edited by: harleyquinn ]

Originally posted by harleyquinn: If you had any idea how bad Hydrogenated oils are for you and how much food it's in, you'd never want to eat again. The purpose of the suit is not to stop people from eating it, but is actually to create awareness about Hydrogenated oils and require companies to start using other, safer, oils. Or, failing that, at least put labels on the food. The media always puts it's own spin on every story which is why I rarely watch the news.

Actually I have an idea and I still eat...imagine that [img]smile.gif[/img] I think this lawsuit had more to do with money in a lawyers pocket and less to do with humanitarianism...else he would publish in medical journals and news papers...instead he sues for cash settlements and will in all likelyhood be happy to settle out of court.

Originally posted by harleyquinn: Ignore the money. In most of these cases, people don't actually get the money. Suing for the money is just the only way you can get the companies attention to the issue.

I think you may be just a bit naive in this case. We shall see..bet he settles out of court..if the judge allows the case to be heard at all that is.

[Azred]

This is stupidly ridiculous! [img]graemlins/madhell.gif[/img]

I agree that hydrogenated oils might be bad for you, but so are most things we eat on a regular basis! Hydrogenated oils are in almost everything you buy at the grocery store, including the creamer in the coffee I am drinking as I type.

When are people going to take responsibility for their own actions? [img]graemlins/madhell.gif[/img]

If you don't want to eat Oreo cookies, then don't buy them! No one forces you to eat them. argh!

*ahem* As you can tell, I get rather upset when people do things like this just so they don't have to take responsibility for the choices they make.

[WillowIX]

Originally posted by MagiK: [QBI think you may be just a bit naive in this case. We shall see..bet he settles out of court..if the judge allows the case to be heard at all that is. [/QB]

Yepp my thoughts as well. And let's not forget what a perfect stepping stone towards a political career this move might turn out to be.

[ 05-13-2003, 09:46 AM: Message edited by: WillowIX ]

[Timber Loftis]

I agree! We should ban trans fats from use in food. They're ridiculously bad for you. At pennies more, you could use vegetable oil. Heck, let's require you to use virgin olive oil. And, it will be a boon to the olive industry (looks for Thorfinn to come trotting in with a Bastiat quote).



If you want to know how I feel about this, see the smoking ban thread(s). It is your responsibility to care for your body. And, if you don't know that hydrogenated oils are awful, you simply don't look into nutrition enough.

However, labels currently list Fats and Sat.Fats. I think it would be fair to add trans fat info to lables. FDA labelling rules are based on "nutrition information," and I think this qualifies. I also think GMO foods should be labelled. It's not about forcing a company to take responsibility for me, it's simply about asking them to give enough info to me for me to make my own decision.