Media - Muesli and healthy eating related articles

Media

At Monster Muesli we endeavour to take a balanced approach to fat.  The following article appeared in The Daily Telegraph on February 4 2008.  We have posted it here for your information. Check our Nutrition Information.

'Healthy' foods that hide fat

By Kelvin Bissett
February 04, 2008 12:00am

BREAKFAST mueslis and many ready-to-eat meals found in supermarket aisles can contain more fat than a Big Mac.

As the nation battles with a growing obesity epidemic, The Daily Telegraph can reveal the surprising results of a survey that suggests fast-food outlets are being unfairly singled out as the villains in the crusade to stop Australians getting fatter.

While a Big Mac has an official 12.7g of fat per 100g, supermarket aisles are littered with quiches, chicken dinners, frozen fish meals, pizzas, pies, curry sauces and desserts with even more fat.

A number of supposedly healthy breakfast mueslis also have more, including one premium-brand, Carman's Deluxe Fruit Muesli, that had 28.7g.

In the ready meals sector, many foods were fat heavy, including an Ingham's brand garlic butter chicken kiev containing 16.4g of fat and a Steggles chicken enchilada with 13.4g.

A Heady's brand gourmet quiche with chicken, corn and asparagus contained 21.2g and Sealord beer-batter hoki frozen fish contained 15.9g.

A wide range of processed foods in supermarkets have high fat levels.

A Woolworths own brand chicken thigh stir fry in satay sauce had 14.3g.

Pacific West's salt and pepper squid had 14.8g. A Maharajah's choice brand butter chicken simmer sauce had 12.5g.

McDonald's Australia said the obesity problem "is complex and requires an all-of-community response".

Its public affairs manager Amy Lawrence said the company had been responding to concerns about fat levels and obesity since 2000 by introducing healthier menu offerings based on guidance from accredited dieticians.

"The issue of obesity is on the minds of many Australians and has also been on the mind of our business for a long time," she said.

Dietician Alan Barclay said many consumers were unaware of the high fat content of many foods thought of as reasonable family meal options.

He said high fat levels should not be the only concern - the overall kilojoule content also needed to be considered as food manufacturers sometimes replaced fat with sugar in low-fat foods.

"There's danger being caught up with one particular nutrient," he said.

Woolworths spokesman Benedict Brook said the average supermarket offered around 32,000 different products for sale, including many that were healthy options and some that "might be a bit of an indulgence".

"Our customers expect choice," Mr Brook said.