| **50% of Scottish Babies fed Organic Baby Food | | | | allow customers to place their own orders from a |
| According to the Scotsman, more than half of | | | | 15" touch screen, and then pay for their order |
| Scottish children under two are now fed an | | | | with the onboard credit card processor. |
| exclusively organic diet. In fact, organic baby food | | | | Customers then pick up their order at the |
| accounted for 43% of total baby food sales in | | | | counter. Industry estimates show that self-serve |
| 2004. That represented sales of more than 63 | | | | technologies can cut customer waiting time by as |
| million GBP in 2004. | | | | much as 33%. |
| A survey of 805 mothers and pregnant women | | | | The company is targeting the 115,000 fast food |
| conducted by the polling company BMRB found | | | | restaurants in the U.S. Similar technology has |
| that four out of five mothers chose organic food | | | | already been deployed in ATMs and self-checkout |
| for weaning their young children off of milk | | | | grocery stores. |
| (between 6 months and 1 year old). The reasons | | | | Would you like fries with your meal? |
| given were clearly related to additives and | | | | Would you like fries with your meal? |
| chemical spraying. Mothers in the survey cited | | | | Would you like fries with your meal? |
| "less risk of chemical pesticides" (87%), "no | | | | **FDA says snack makers must show trans fats |
| additives" (80%), and "no GM" (84%) | | | | The term "trans fats" has become a synonym |
| Intensive marketing campaigns by groups such as | | | | for "unhealthy". That's because these ingredients |
| the Soil Association Scotland are getting the | | | | hide in most mass produced snacks, cookies, and |
| message across about the negative effects of | | | | frozen french fries and then help to clog our |
| pesticides. This is clearly having an impact on the | | | | arteries and contribute to our obesity. |
| buying preferences of parents, and also on | | | | As of January 1, 2006, the FDA is requiring the |
| changes in school menus. | | | | labels on packaged snacks and foods to list the |
| Organic milk also has positive health | | | | amount of trans fats per serving. |
| characteristics. It can contain up to 71 per cent | | | | Trans fats are an ingredient in nearly 40 percent |
| more omega 3 than non-organic milk and most | | | | of packaged foods, and they are suspected of |
| organic milk has a better ratio of omega 3 to | | | | contributing to diabetes, heart disease, strokes |
| omega 6 than conventional milk. Companies such | | | | and many other unhealthy conditions. |
| as Hipp are bringing new products to market -- | | | | Health researchers have found that trans fats |
| such as organic purees for weaning purposes -- to | | | | raise the levels of unhealthy cholesterol and lower |
| take advantage of the demand. | | | | the levels of beneficial blood cholesterol. They say |
| But adults are not changing their own eating habits | | | | as little as 2 to 3 grams a day -- less than is |
| nearly as quickly. Asda, a Scottish supermarket | | | | contained in a typical donut -- can be detrimental. |
| chain owned by WalMart, says organic produce | | | | Trans fats are common in processed foods |
| for adults accounts for only about 2% of total | | | | because food manufacturers can use cheap liquid |
| sales. | | | | oils and turn them into solids by hydrogenation. |
| **Self-Serve Machines moving in on fast food | | | | Most experts agree it is better to use products |
| restaurants | | | | that have been made with polyunsaturated or |
| People fond of ridiculing low-paying fast food | | | | monounsaturated fats such as those found in |
| restaurant jobs will be pleased to hear that many | | | | canola and olive oils. |
| of these jobs will soon be a thing of the past. At | | | | Simply avoiding processed foods and snacks |
| least if RoberServer has its way. The company | | | | accomplishes the same thing, since whole, |
| has recently unveiled its new fast food self serve | | | | unprocessed foods do not have trans fat |
| machines called the "Line Buster." | | | | additives. |
| According to RoberServer, the Line Buster will | | | | |