Hidden salt may sabotage healthy diets, Consumer Reports study says

By Uncorked | Monday, December 1, 2008, 06:00 PM

Here’s a copy of a story scheduled to run in Tuesday’s (12-2-08) Dayton Daily News:

A study by Consumer Reports magazine has found large amounts of sodium in unexpected foods that could sabotage consumers’ efforts to control high blood pressure and other health risk factors.

The study singled out products such as Kellogg’s Raisin Bran, a cup of which contains 350 milligrams (mg) of sodium, and a single Pepperidge Farm Whole Grain White Bagel, which contains 440 mg sodium. In all, Consumer Reports analyzed 37 supermarket staples and found larger-than-expected levels of sodium lurking in several, including many that were labeled as lower-fat products, the magazine said. Dietary guidelines recommend that healthy adults get no more than 2,300 mg of sodium a day, the amount in just one teaspoon of table salt, Consumer Reports said.

The hidden sodium could derail some people’s efforts to eat healthy and “sets up some of my patients for failure,” said Dr. Susan Williams, assistant professor in Wright State University’s Boonshoft School of Medicine and director of the Center for Nutrition and Metabolic Medicine at Greene Memorial Hospital in Xenia.

“This is a very significant study that should raise the awareness of every physician and medical care-giver to help them guide their patients,” Williams said.

A high-sodium diet might increase a person’s risk of high blood pressure — and subsequent heart attack, kidney disease and stroke — as well as risk of asthma, kidney stones, osteoporosis and stomach cancer, Consumer Reports officials said.

The full report on the study is available in the January 2009 issue of Consumer Reports and online at www.ConsumerReportsHealth.org.

— Mark Fisher, Staff Writer

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Are restaurants on the rebound?

By Uncorked | Monday, December 1, 2008, 11:14 AM

The National Restaurant Association reports this morning that its Restaurant Performance Index (RPI) posted a slight gain in the most recent measurement.

The association’s RPI is a monthly composite index that tracks the health of and outlook for the nation’s restaurant industry, and it reached a record low in September before rising ever-so-slightly in October, apparently because of improved outlook by restaurant owners and operators. Actual performance didn’t keep pace with the slight uptick in optimism, however.

Of course, that was October, and this is already Dec. 1. Plenty of crazy things happened to the economy in November, so these RPI numbers may be somewhat dated even though they were just released today.

What’s the current mood of Dayton-area diners and restaurant owners?

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Olympic champion Michael Phelps to shill for Subway

By Uncorked | Wednesday, November 26, 2008, 07:49 AM

Step aside, Jared. Olympic champion extraordinaire Michael Phelps is about to blow you out of the water. Check out this Restaurants & Institutions Magazine web story entitled “Michael Phelps to represent Subway brand”.

So … first Subway subs help some guy shed beaucoup poundage, and now they help another dude become the fastest swimmer in the world? Amazing stuff, those subs …

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Pizza rules on Thanksgiving Eve

By Uncorked | Tuesday, November 25, 2008, 11:22 AM

(Looking for restaurants that are open on Thanksgiving Day or to add yours to the list? Click here to go straight to it.)

By Mark Fisher

Staff Writer

Pity the poor Pilgrims.

How did they possibly prepare the first Thanksgiving Day feast without speed-dialing the local carry-out pizza joint from their cell phone to take care of dinner the night before?

We’ll never know. But we do know their descendants in the 21st Century will punch those pizzeria phone numbers plenty Wednesday night on Thanksgiving Eve.

“The Wednesday before Thanksgiving is one of our busiest days of the year,” said Roger Glass, CEO of Marion’s Piazza, which operates seven restaurants in the Dayton area. “People are busy focusing on preparations for Thanksgiving dinner and don’t have time to cook the night before.”

Vic Cassano Jr., CEO of Cassano’s that operates more than 30 restaurants across the Miami Valley, said his pizzerias also do gangbuster business on Thanksgiving Eve. “We know it’s coming, so we prepare ourselves” with additional staffing, pizza ingredients and supplies, Cassano said.

The Ann Arbor-based Domino’s Pizza chain will deliver more than 1.1 million pizzas to homes across the nation on Wednesday, Nov. 26 — a 50 percent increase over the typical Wednesday. That puts Thanksgiving Eve into the top five busiest days of the year, along with Super Bowl Sunday, Halloween, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, Domino’s officials say.

And while Thursday brings a holiday respite, the pizza-makers get right back at it on Friday, which for Marion’s pizzerias at least, is even busier than Thanksgiving Eve.

“A lot of people return home to Dayton from out of town for the holiday, and they need to have their fix before they go back,” Glass said.

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How to survive airport dining

By Uncorked | Tuesday, November 25, 2008, 07:08 AM

(Looking for restaurants that are open on Thanksgiving Day or to add yours to the list? Click here to go straight to it.)

Just in time for the busiest travel period of the year: Check out the Food & Wine Ultimate Airport Dining Survival Guide, which comes complete with specific dining recommendations at 15 of the nation’s busiest airports, with insider tips such as which restaurants require a trip through security.

The web package also includes a slide show on “recipes to make ahead for the plane”. Seriously? Does anyone do this?

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Food Fight: corn growers, grocers square off over high grocery prices

By Uncorked | Monday, November 24, 2008, 03:29 PM

(Looking for restaurants that are open on Thanksgiving Day or to add yours to the list? Click here to go straight to it.)

What in the world prompted this catfight — or in this case, food fight? Here’s a copy of a news release I received today from the Ohio Corn Growers Association and ethanol producers:

Big Food’s Greed Comes at Expense of American Families

Grocery manufacturers continue to gouge consumers

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Food manufacturers that are reaping huge profits with skyrocketing food prices continue to look for someone to blame as corn prices and transportation costs continue their steady decline.

At a news conference today, representatives from Ohio’s agricultural and ethanol industries publicly called on big food companies to pass on savings to the consumer rather than gouge them in the grocery lines.

“For months, the Grocers Manufacturers Association (GMA) has spread misleading information about corn and ethanol while they lined their pockets with huge profits,” said Dwayne Siekman, executive director of Ohio Corn Growers Association. “Now that corn prices are down, which is what food manufacturers used as its scapegoat, why do Americans continue to suffer at the grocery store.”

Siekman was joined by Mike Wagner, of Buckeye Renewable Fuels Association, and Mark Borer, of Growth Energy, a coalition of responsible ethanol producers who have joined together to fight the misinformation put forth by large food manufacturers.

The cost of food has increased at a brisk 7.6 percent in the past year, the worst rate of the past 20 years, and has continued to increase while the cost of corn and other commodities have fallen in the past four months. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the price of basic foods in the United States is currently rising at twice the rate of inflation and is expected to continue to rise in the future. Here are a few examples of some of the drastic increases in food staples from March 2007 and March 2008:

— Milk prices - 13.3 percent

— Cheese - 12.5 percent

— Eggs - 29.9 percent

— Bread - 14.7 percent

Big Food is sowing profit growth from these higher prices. Kraft’s revenues increased nearly 20 percent from the year-earlier period and saw net income shoot up in the third quarter to $1.4 billion. Sales at Kellogg’s climbed 9.5 percent and third-quarter net income increased to $342 million, up from $305 million the year earlier.

Noting the rising food prices this past spring, the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) planned an attack in a leaked PR memo (go to GrowthEnergy.org) to distract Americans from the rising cost of food by mounting a campaign against American ethanol producers. Their argument centered on the premise that biofuels production increased the demand and cost of corn, which forced food producers to raise food prices for consumers.

“With the current low corn prices and transportation costs, GMA’s flawed argument has been exposed,” Siekman said. “Ethanol has been proven as the most viable, homegrown alternative fuel right now to help us begin the process of reducing our dependence on foreign oil.”

Siekman said the economic impact ethanol production has on Ohio’s 2,000 corn growers, as well the overall U.S. economy, is remarkable. For example, in Ohio, the three POET facilities in Leispic, Fostoria and Marion employ about 120 local people, while The Anderson’s/Marathon plant boasts another 45 jobs. These four plants alone will produce almost 300 million gallons of ethanol.

Overall, Ohio’s ethanol plants invested over $700 million in the state employing 210 people and spurring local economic activity with growth in rail sectors, improvement in local roads and tax investments into communities while giving Ohio farmers another market for their corn and less reliance on federal help.

The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that for every one billion gallons of ethanol produced, 10,000 to 20,000 jobs will be added. In 2007, the ethanol industry contributed $47.6 billion to the nation’s GDP, created more than 200,000 jobs and generated an estimated $4.6 billion in revenues for the federal government.

About Ohio Corn Growers Association

The Ohio Corn Growers Association represents the interests of more than 20,000 corn growers in the state. OCGA works in Washington and at the Ohio Statehouse to ensure government participation in legislation is beneficial to Ohio’s growers. Farmers provide food, feed and fuel to power Ohio. For more information, go to http://www.ohiocorn.org.

About Growth Energy

Growth Energy is a group committed to the promise of agriculture and growing America’s economy through cleaner, greener energy. Growth Energy members recognize America needs a new ethanol approach. Through smart policy reform and a proactive grassroots campaign, Growth Energy promotes reducing greenhouse gas emissions, expanding the use of ethanol in gasoline, decreasing our dependence on foreign oil, and creating American jobs at home. More information can be found at GrowthEnergy.org.

But what in the world is going on? Well, my reporting colleague Laura Bischoff did find this little kernel from the grocery manufacturers association web site that may explain some of the garment-rending:

July 10, 2008

(Washington, D.C.) - Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) Vice President for Federal Affairs Scott Faber today testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works regarding Federal food-to-fuel policies and their negative impact on the environment.

“Congress should carefully evaluate the environmental impacts of food-to-fuel policies, said Faber. “Diverting food crops to our fuel supplies has artificially increased the price of commodities, accelerating the conversion of pasture and forest lands to crop production at home and around the globe, releasing carbon into the atmosphere and reducing the availability of carbon ‘sinks’ that help sequester carbon. In addition, increased production of row crops has increased water pollution, compounded water shortages, and contributed to the loss of habitat for wildlife. In particular, increased fertilizer use has increased the amount of nitrogen and phosphorous being washed into rivers and bays, including the Chesapeake Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, and will increase ground level ozone in some regions. Increasing the use of distiller’s grain - a byproduct of ethanol production that is fed to animals but has less nutritional value than feed - also increases the amount of phosphorous reaching waterways.

“We urge Congress to freeze federal food-to-fuel mandates, restructure food-to-fuel policies to reduce the use of food to produce fuel, and accelerate the development of advanced and cellulosic bio-fuels that do not pit out energy needs against the needs of the hungry and the environment.”

Laura called the Grocery Manufacturers Association for comment on the charges leveled in the press conference, and received the following from Scott W. Openshaw, communications director for the GMA:

“Over the last few years commodity prices have been extremely volatile. Until Congress facilitates the rapid development and delivery of second generation biofuels that don’t pit our energy needs against our food and feed needs, this volatility will only continue. Commodity prices rose dramatically between 2005 and 2008. Even after recent declines, farm-level corn and soybean prices have more than doubled since 2005/06. Retail food costs continue to reflect record commodity prices and volatility.”

Anybody else have any insights about (or beyond) this brouhaha?

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New restaurant opens in Kettering

By Uncorked | Monday, November 24, 2008, 08:45 AM

(Looking for restaurants that are open on Thanksgiving Day or to add yours to the list? Click here to go straight to it.)

Siam Pad Thai has opened at 3027 Wilmington Pike in Kettering.

The 30-seat restaurant opened in the location that formerly housed the China Chef restaurant. Siam Pad Thai offers Thai dishes as well as an extensive menu of sushi and sashimi. It is owned and operated by Pakawan “Fon” Christman, who helped introduce Thai cuisine to the Yummy Burger, a downtown Dayton diner, and who also was co-owner of Ban Thai restaurant (now House of Thai) in the Beaver Valley Shopping Center in Beavercreek.

The restaurant is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, and carryout is available. For more information, call (937) 293-9606.

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