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Debate is swirling over the endangered bluefin. Nobu, the Japanese restaurant chain, has angered its celebrity customers by keeping it on the menu.
After the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT)sanctioned an unsustainable catch this year, Mitsubishi Corporation - which controls at least 35 per cent of the bluefin trade - said that bluefin was "being overfished and without effective regulation and conservation management" and noted that "this situation will worsen."
But guess what? In its January statement, Mitsubishi added:
"After reviewing ICCAT meeting results, MC believes that it can best contribute to the sustainability of bluefin tuna by remaining in the business for now and continuing to work with other stakeholders to improve the regulation and management and management of bluefin tuna fishing in the Mediterranean."
That wording again: "MC believes that it can best contribute to the sustainability of bluefin tuna by remaining in the business."
After the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT)sanctioned an unsustainable catch this year, Mitsubishi Corporation - which controls at least 35 per cent of the bluefin trade - said that bluefin was "being overfished and without effective regulation and conservation management" and noted that "this situation will worsen."
But guess what? In its January statement, Mitsubishi added:
"After reviewing ICCAT meeting results, MC believes that it can best contribute to the sustainability of bluefin tuna by remaining in the business for now and continuing to work with other stakeholders to improve the regulation and management and management of bluefin tuna fishing in the Mediterranean."
That wording again: "MC believes that it can best contribute to the sustainability of bluefin tuna by remaining in the business."
Got a great idea for an executive toy? Boys toys e-tailer Firebox is asking for inventions that can be made into products. You don't have to have a prototype or anything expensive - just a workable idea that can be made into a cool gift. in return you'll get 50 per cent of the profits.
A panel of technology geeks including Stuff magazine editor-in-chief Tom Dunmore will judge the entries. Click here for more details.
A panel of technology geeks including Stuff magazine editor-in-chief Tom Dunmore will judge the entries. Click here for more details.
Bread will still be sold in the UK with unecessarly high levels of salt, despite a crackdown announced this week.
Manufacturers will have to meet the Food Standards Agency's new salt reduction targets by 2012.
The FSA is rightly proud of its success in encouraging food companies to lower salt, which causes 21,000 deaths a year - at least - through heart disease and strokes, and its new targets should reduce the number of these pointless deaths.
But the agency has backtracked on its target for lowering salt in bread. The FSA had consulted on lowering salt from its 2010 target of 1.1grams per 100 grams of bread to .93 grams. Instead - presumably after intense lobbying from the baking industry - the new target will be 1.0 grams.
The FSA should have stuck to its planned target. As the Independent reported last year many supermarkets are already baking bread with around the .93 grams level that has now been abandoned. By contrast Warburtons is baking bread with about 1.08 grams.
A fifth of our salt intake comes from bread. Currently, the average adult daily consumption of salt is 9 grams (down from 12 grams a few years ago), but the target is for 6 grams. Salt campaigners CASH say we should be aiming for half that, around 3grams.
Bakers can cut salt if they want to...
Manufacturers will have to meet the Food Standards Agency's new salt reduction targets by 2012.
The FSA is rightly proud of its success in encouraging food companies to lower salt, which causes 21,000 deaths a year - at least - through heart disease and strokes, and its new targets should reduce the number of these pointless deaths.
But the agency has backtracked on its target for lowering salt in bread. The FSA had consulted on lowering salt from its 2010 target of 1.1grams per 100 grams of bread to .93 grams. Instead - presumably after intense lobbying from the baking industry - the new target will be 1.0 grams.
The FSA should have stuck to its planned target. As the Independent reported last year many supermarkets are already baking bread with around the .93 grams level that has now been abandoned. By contrast Warburtons is baking bread with about 1.08 grams.
A fifth of our salt intake comes from bread. Currently, the average adult daily consumption of salt is 9 grams (down from 12 grams a few years ago), but the target is for 6 grams. Salt campaigners CASH say we should be aiming for half that, around 3grams.
Bakers can cut salt if they want to...
Little Chef's chief executive Ian Pegler is still thinking whether he will roll out chef Heston Blumenthal's new menu, which would come at a cost: to customers in the form of higher prices and to the firm in the form of costlier ingredients.
In the meantime, Little Chef is keen to reposition itself as a more classy roadside diner. Last night the company was given a Good Egg award for switching its 13m eggs a year to free-range. Other companies which have gone free-range are Starbucks, Virgin Trains, Booths, and Debenhams (at its in-store cafes).
If you want to check whether your favourite chain restaurant is free-range, Compassion in World Farming has the list of Good Egg winners.
In the meantime, Little Chef is keen to reposition itself as a more classy roadside diner. Last night the company was given a Good Egg award for switching its 13m eggs a year to free-range. Other companies which have gone free-range are Starbucks, Virgin Trains, Booths, and Debenhams (at its in-store cafes).
If you want to check whether your favourite chain restaurant is free-range, Compassion in World Farming has the list of Good Egg winners.
More good news on tips following the Government's decision to end the minimum wage loophole. One of Britain's biggest restaurant groups, Clapham House, has stopped pocketing tips at its Real Greek and Tootsies chains.
We featured Clapham House's policy of pocketing some tips left to waiting staff here.
In yesterday's Evening Standard, Paul Campbell, Clapham House's chief executive said: “We removed the service charge at The Real Greek and we're going to tips-only at Tootsies next week.
"We like the idea there is no confusion. We like customers to feel that what they leave goes straight to the staff. It has had a positive impact already. It creates a virtuous circle because staff know they are going to be well-rewarded for outstanding service but if they give bad service then there is a good chance they will get nothing."
Despite the change of the law - which comes into force in October - restaurant chains can still keep tips providing they pay the full minimum wage first centrally. Best to leave a tip in cash...
We featured Clapham House's policy of pocketing some tips left to waiting staff here.
In yesterday's Evening Standard, Paul Campbell, Clapham House's chief executive said: “We removed the service charge at The Real Greek and we're going to tips-only at Tootsies next week.
"We like the idea there is no confusion. We like customers to feel that what they leave goes straight to the staff. It has had a positive impact already. It creates a virtuous circle because staff know they are going to be well-rewarded for outstanding service but if they give bad service then there is a good chance they will get nothing."
Despite the change of the law - which comes into force in October - restaurant chains can still keep tips providing they pay the full minimum wage first centrally. Best to leave a tip in cash...
The independent investigation into the efficacy of the rival food labelling systems works has finally reported. Despite its boring title, the Nutrition Signpost Evaluation Project Management Panel (NSEPMP) has some important things to say.
NSEPMP was asked to find out which front-of-pack labelling system for salt, fat, saturates and sugar was best understood by shoppers seeking healthy food.
The answer, essentially, is the traffic light colours devised by the FSA (red for high levels of salt, fat, saturates, sugar; amber for medium; and green for low) together with its accompanying words High, Medium and Low.
The Guideline Daily Amount percentage system less easily understood by consumers but favoured by a breakaway faction of junk food manufacturers should be incorporated into this traffic light scheme, the panel says. (This is something the FSA has long urged manufacturers to do if they think traffic lights don't work.)
The FSA and the Government now have all the evidence they could possibly need to force Tesco, Nestle, Danone, Mars and others to start using traffic lights.
The Conservatives expressed their previously unqualified and support for GDAs - something which I railed against in an angry blog.
Andrew Lansley, shadow health spokesman, appears to be sticking to his odd stance, despite today's compelling case for traffic lights. But there are signs he is softening his position. This is what he said today:
"We have consistently called for a simple, unified food labelling scheme to be developed that goes on the front of food packaging. We are clear that it should be based around providing Guideline Daily Amount indicators of things like fat and salt content, and that it could also include traffic light indicators if producers want to.
"Our focus should be on educating people about what constitutes a good diet or bad diet, rather than castigating people about what is good food and what is bad food.
"Labour have dithered over food labelling and have failed to secure consensus to set up a single scheme, which has led to several different indicators being set up causing confusion for consumers who want to try their best to eat a healthy diet."
Ahem, Andrew, I hardly think you have been doing much work on a "consensus". It's time for the Conservatives to give a green light to traffic lights; not take a wrong turning signposted by food manufacturers.
In the meantime, take a bow those retailers who took a principled decision to back the best scheme: Sainsbury's, Asda, Marks & Spencer and Waitrose.
Which? is wheeling out breakfast cereals for a fresh bashing today. In its Cereal Offenders report the consumer group found 92 out of 100 cereals got an FSA amber or red light for sugar. They did better on salt, with 77 scoring red or amber.
Which? complained that 28 out of 28 cereals marketed at children were high in sugar - Kellogg's Ricicles, for instance had 37grams of sugar per 100 grams. Morrisons Choco Crackles, which Morrisons has reformulated, had 38g sugar per 100g.
Only one cereal scored green for all nutrients: sugar, salt, fat and saturated fat. Step foward Nestle Shredded Wheat, probably the most boring breakfast cereal invented.
There's a reason why they add salt and sugar to breakfast cereals... but we don't need as much sugar as the £1.37bn-a-year cereal industry is adding.
Which? complained that 28 out of 28 cereals marketed at children were high in sugar - Kellogg's Ricicles, for instance had 37grams of sugar per 100 grams. Morrisons Choco Crackles, which Morrisons has reformulated, had 38g sugar per 100g.
Only one cereal scored green for all nutrients: sugar, salt, fat and saturated fat. Step foward Nestle Shredded Wheat, probably the most boring breakfast cereal invented.
There's a reason why they add salt and sugar to breakfast cereals... but we don't need as much sugar as the £1.37bn-a-year cereal industry is adding.
After pollack was renamed 'Colin' last week, shoppers have been snapping up the cod-like fish. Over the Easter week, Sainsbury's sold 68 per cent more Colin (pronounced Colan, according to the supermarket) across all its stores.
Limited edition packaging designed by Wayne Hemingway was trialled in just 10 stores. Not bad for a publicity stunt...
Sit down, still your heart and prepare for a shock: BAA has done something helpful. From today passengers can charge up mobile phones and iPods at 47 places around Heathrow - for free.
The 'power poles' are at terminals 1 and 3 and, soon, terminal 4.
The 'power poles' are at terminals 1 and 3 and, soon, terminal 4.
I wonder if BAA has been stung by Which?'s survey which revealed that its airports are the least popular in the UK. Whatever it is, it's working.
The insurance industry's argument in today's Independent about the hikes in unemploment cover for mortgages is logical: the risk of joblessness has increased, so, naturally, insurers have had to increase premiums.
Norwich Union explained insurance to me. All the premiums go into a big pot and then the money is used to pay claims. Explaining the changes to payment protection insurance (PPI), he went on: "Ultimately we need to ensure there's enough money in the pot to pay the claims and in the current climate the number of claims has increased, so we need to increase rates to put more money into the pot."
Motor insurance works like this. According to the Competition Commission, 78 per cent of motor premiums are repaid to policy-holders. So insurers keep 12 per cent.
With PPPi, the situation is reversed. Insurers pay 14 per cent back to policyholders in claims and KEEP 86 PER CENT. Or rather, they give half the money to the banks which sold the rip-off insurance.
So in the good times insurers were making a mint out of PPI and in the bad times, well, you'll just have to pay for those, folks.
Norwich Union explained insurance to me. All the premiums go into a big pot and then the money is used to pay claims. Explaining the changes to payment protection insurance (PPI), he went on: "Ultimately we need to ensure there's enough money in the pot to pay the claims and in the current climate the number of claims has increased, so we need to increase rates to put more money into the pot."
Motor insurance works like this. According to the Competition Commission, 78 per cent of motor premiums are repaid to policy-holders. So insurers keep 12 per cent.
With PPPi, the situation is reversed. Insurers pay 14 per cent back to policyholders in claims and KEEP 86 PER CENT. Or rather, they give half the money to the banks which sold the rip-off insurance.
So in the good times insurers were making a mint out of PPI and in the bad times, well, you'll just have to pay for those, folks.
The Food Standards Agency announces today that 18 fast food, restaurant and canteen companies are to display calories counts:
KFC
Burger King
Pizza Hut
Pret A Manger
Subway
Wimpy
Marks & Spencer cafés
Sainsbury’s cafes
Waitrose cafes
Co-operative cafes
Sodexo
Compass Group UK and Ireland (Royal Mail canteens)
Tesco staff restaurants
ISS Mediclean (London hospital restaurants)
Chessington World of Adventures theme park
Harvester restaurants and Scream pubs (Mitchells & Butlers)
Unilever staff restaurants (in partnership with Sodexo)
7 Day Catering (college restaurants)
By June the FSA says that more than 450 food outlets across the country will (and I quote the FSA):
- display calorie information for most food and drink they serve;
- print calorie information on menu boards, paper menus or on the edge of shelves
- ensure the information is clear and easily visible at the point where people choose their food.
A few points. This is all good; customers may be surprised to learn their muffin has 500 calories (a quarter of the daily amount for a woman) or a pizza 2,000 calories (the entire daily amount for a woman).
But why did this take so long? Why is it only being introduced on a trial basis in some restaurants by some operators? Why will calorie counts only cover "most food and drink"?
In 2007, 60 per cent of English adults were overweight or obese. The (admittedly imperfect) Foresight report estimates that by 2050, unless no action is taken, 60 per cent of men, 50 per cent of women and 25 per cent of children will be obese.
A big problem... requiring a big solution.
KFC
Burger King
Pizza Hut
Pret A Manger
Subway
Wimpy
Marks & Spencer cafés
Sainsbury’s cafes
Waitrose cafes
Co-operative cafes
Sodexo
Compass Group UK and Ireland (Royal Mail canteens)
Tesco staff restaurants
ISS Mediclean (London hospital restaurants)
Chessington World of Adventures theme park
Harvester restaurants and Scream pubs (Mitchells & Butlers)
Unilever staff restaurants (in partnership with Sodexo)
7 Day Catering (college restaurants)
By June the FSA says that more than 450 food outlets across the country will (and I quote the FSA):
- display calorie information for most food and drink they serve;
- print calorie information on menu boards, paper menus or on the edge of shelves
- ensure the information is clear and easily visible at the point where people choose their food.
A few points. This is all good; customers may be surprised to learn their muffin has 500 calories (a quarter of the daily amount for a woman) or a pizza 2,000 calories (the entire daily amount for a woman).
But why did this take so long? Why is it only being introduced on a trial basis in some restaurants by some operators? Why will calorie counts only cover "most food and drink"?
In 2007, 60 per cent of English adults were overweight or obese. The (admittedly imperfect) Foresight report estimates that by 2050, unless no action is taken, 60 per cent of men, 50 per cent of women and 25 per cent of children will be obese.
A big problem... requiring a big solution.
You know the drill, you're supposed to ask for CORGI-registered heating engineer to fix or install your boiler, right? Well, you shouldn't from tomorrow (April 1 2009).
CORGI is being replaced by the Gas Safe Register (GSR). Approved engineers carry photo ID and a unique registration number. You can check whether the guy who turns up is registered here.
Why should you bother? Fourteen people in the UK died from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning last year due to badly installed, repaired and maintained gas appliances.
Fifty-one per cent of the public don't check whether their engineer is legally registered, according to GSR. It's a bit of a risk.
Taxpayers should disregard the comforting words of the Local Government Association today about the £954m of council money stuck in Icelandic banks. The LGA suggests only adjustments need to be made to local government finance. Really?
Consider this fact: the credit agencies began downgrading the Icelandic banks in April. Consider another fact buried deep in today's Audit Commission report into the affair:
"Large sums of money were deposited in the Icelandic banks from April onwards. Between April and October 2008, 84 local authorities deposited almost £564 million that was due to mature after October 2008. Had all local authorities stopped placing deposits in the Icelandic banks in April 2008, the total amount of funds at risk when the banks collapsed in October would have been £389 million instead of £954 million."
In other words, councils put the most of the money they lost (sorry, which is currently unavailable) AFTER signs that the banks had begun to wobble.
Consider this fact: the credit agencies began downgrading the Icelandic banks in April. Consider another fact buried deep in today's Audit Commission report into the affair:
"Large sums of money were deposited in the Icelandic banks from April onwards. Between April and October 2008, 84 local authorities deposited almost £564 million that was due to mature after October 2008. Had all local authorities stopped placing deposits in the Icelandic banks in April 2008, the total amount of funds at risk when the banks collapsed in October would have been £389 million instead of £954 million."
In other words, councils put the most of the money they lost (sorry, which is currently unavailable) AFTER signs that the banks had begun to wobble.
The Royal Standard of England in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, won two titles at the Publican awards last night; pub and freehouse of the year.
It's a 900-year-old alehouse with mullioned windows serving Brakspear, Marstons Pedigree, ale, mild, cider and Belgian Trappist lagers. To eat; fish and chips (with "proper chips"), Welsh lambs' liver and bacon and roasted pork belly.
It's a 900-year-old alehouse with mullioned windows serving Brakspear, Marstons Pedigree, ale, mild, cider and Belgian Trappist lagers. To eat; fish and chips (with "proper chips"), Welsh lambs' liver and bacon and roasted pork belly.
Today I report on new research which shows that 63 per cent of diners always ask for, or prefer, tap water to bottled water. Cost and the environment are the most likely reasons. In some circumstances, though, bottled water can be the green choice.
As you can see here, bottled water has a relatively low carbon footprint. Tap water generates even less Co2 and is far cheaper. If you have the choice, tap is always better than bottle.
But if you're in a shop or the pub, it's worth bearing in mind that bottled water is less environmentally damaging than other drinks such as orange juice, wine or beer. The same applies in a restaurant, though you wouldn't necessarily want to order water as your main beverage, especially if you're celebrating...
Tough times are on the way for credit cards. Not only are consumers whacking less on 'plastic', the Government is planning to ban two of the industry's most reckless practices - unrequested increases in spending limits and credit card cheques - as revealed by the Independent. www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/m
Now the Conservatives say they will impose a cap on interest rates. Credit card rates are about 16 per cent. The Bank of England base rate is 0.5 per cent.
The Conservative Treasury spokesman Mark Hoban said this week: "We will force credit card companies to give consumers much clearer information about borrowing costs, impose a cap on extortionate store card interest rates and launch Britain's first free national financial advice service."
Now the Conservatives say they will impose a cap on interest rates. Credit card rates are about 16 per cent. The Bank of England base rate is 0.5 per cent.
The Conservative Treasury spokesman Mark Hoban said this week: "We will force credit card companies to give consumers much clearer information about borrowing costs, impose a cap on extortionate store card interest rates and launch Britain's first free national financial advice service."
About time too. But we don't know the level of the proposed cap. If it's set too high, say 40 per cent, it will only help a few customers. As ever with financial matters, the devil is in the detail.
After two years of fudge from the Government, the Health Select Committee's report on health inequalities get its right on food labelling today. The committee www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm2008
The beauty of traffic lights is that you don't need to be able to do arithmetic in the aisles to work out what's unhealthy - unlike the rival Guideline Daily Amounts system favoured by Tesco, Nestle and Pepsico etc.
If the Conservatives were serious about improving the nation's health, they would drop their shameful support for GDAs.
If you've bought loan insurance in the past few years, there's a strong possibility it was missold. You can claim it back here by filling in a form at Which? It takes about 5 minutes, according to Which? You could get back hundreds of pounds.
What is covered?
Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) for mortgages, loans and credit cards.
Why might you be able to claim?
- If you were pressurised into taking out the PPI, for instance by being told you had to take it out.
- If you weren't told you were buying it
- If you an existing medical condition that would have ruled out a claim
- If you were self employed for the same reason
What is covered?
Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) for mortgages, loans and credit cards.
Why might you be able to claim?
- If you were pressurised into taking out the PPI, for instance by being told you had to take it out.
- If you weren't told you were buying it
- If you an existing medical condition that would have ruled out a claim
- If you were self employed for the same reason
Could ginger beer become the new cider? A brewer called Halewood International is launching a ginger beer with 4 per cent alcohol which it hopes will be served over ice with a slice of lemon.
Aimed at 18 to 35-year-olds, a half-litre bottle of Crabbie's Alcoholic Ginger Beer will cost £1.99.
Halewood reckons a cool ginger beer could achieve some of the credibility - and sales - achieved by Magners. Or, as Halewood's Richard Clark put it: "We are aiming to bring an innovative new product to the cider fixture."
If only it had been around when I was 13.
Aimed at 18 to 35-year-olds, a half-litre bottle of Crabbie's Alcoholic Ginger Beer will cost £1.99.
Halewood reckons a cool ginger beer could achieve some of the credibility - and sales - achieved by Magners. Or, as Halewood's Richard Clark put it: "We are aiming to bring an innovative new product to the cider fixture."
If only it had been around when I was 13.
You may have noticed a story in other papers today about high saturated fat in recipes by the likes of Rick Stein, Nigella Lawson and other chefs.
Saturated fat is bad for our hearts and the Food Standards Agency has launched a campaign urging us to eat less, for instance by switching to leaner meat or lower-fat milk.
A panel of nutritionists called The Fat Panel is behind today's reports. What is the Fat Panel? Several papers describe it today as "an independent panel of experts." This is how it is described on its website, which makes no mention of its backers.
The Fat Panel is wholly funded by the Margarine and Spreads Association, whose members unsurprisingly make margarine: Unilever (Flora), Dairy Crest (Clover), and Kerry Group (Move Over Butter).
Is margarine healthier than butter? It seems so, judging by the Food Standards Agency's advice:
'Margarine is lower in saturated fat than butter. Whether you choose to eat butter, margarine or low-fat spread depends on your taste and personal preference. But bear in mind that we should get no more than 35% of our total daily energy (calories) from fat, and no more than 11% from saturated fat. This means we should eat high-fat foods in small amounts.
'So, it's OK to eat a small amount of butter as part of a healthy balanced diet, but you miht find that using low-fat spreads will help you reduce the amount of fat in your diet, and contribute to an overall healthy diet.'
So, margarine: high in fat, a bit better than butter, but... far from transparent.
Saturated fat is bad for our hearts and the Food Standards Agency has launched a campaign urging us to eat less, for instance by switching to leaner meat or lower-fat milk.
A panel of nutritionists called The Fat Panel is behind today's reports. What is the Fat Panel? Several papers describe it today as "an independent panel of experts." This is how it is described on its website, which makes no mention of its backers.
The Fat Panel is wholly funded by the Margarine and Spreads Association, whose members unsurprisingly make margarine: Unilever (Flora), Dairy Crest (Clover), and Kerry Group (Move Over Butter).
Is margarine healthier than butter? It seems so, judging by the Food Standards Agency's advice:
'Margarine is lower in saturated fat than butter. Whether you choose to eat butter, margarine or low-fat spread depends on your taste and personal preference. But bear in mind that we should get no more than 35% of our total daily energy (calories) from fat, and no more than 11% from saturated fat. This means we should eat high-fat foods in small amounts.
'So, it's OK to eat a small amount of butter as part of a healthy balanced diet, but you miht find that using low-fat spreads will help you reduce the amount of fat in your diet, and contribute to an overall healthy diet.'
So, margarine: high in fat, a bit better than butter, but... far from transparent.
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Page Summary
![[info]](/googleai/decoding-https-web.archive.org/web/20091226023548im_/http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
martin_hickman : Mitshubishi: Selling bluefin will save it [+5] - martin_hickman : Dream up a man toy [+0]
- martin_hickman : Salty bread still OK in 'crackdown' [+1]
- martin_hickman : Little Chef does a big thing [+0]
- martin_hickman : Tips: now Real Greek backs down [+0]
- martin_hickman : Surprise, surprise: Traffic lights are best [+0]
- martin_hickman : Snap, crackle and sugar [+0]
- martin_hickman : 'Colin' flops off the shelves [+0]
- martin_hickman : Re-charge at the airport... [+0]
- martin_hickman : A topsy-turvy world [+0]
- martin_hickman : Calorie counts (what took so long?) [+5]
- martin_hickman : Don't ask for a CORGI engineer [+2]
- martin_hickman : Iceland: the £564m question [+0]
- martin_hickman : The best pub in Britain [+0]
- martin_hickman : Bottled water can be green [+2]
- martin_hickman : Credit cards - why not impose a cap? [+0]
- martin_hickman : MPs get it right shock [+0]
- martin_hickman : Claim hundreds of pounds back here [+0]
- martin_hickman : Ginger beer on the rocks [+0]
- martin_hickman : Who's behind the Fat Panel? [+1]
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