Difficulties of Donut-reform: diplomatic dispatches to mary ann's NO TRANS FAT
**UPDATE** After All we've been thru, Mary Anns is finally saying they phased out TF**
The crux of the FDA-mandated phase-out of partially hydrogenated oils is to protect our arteries. Ignorance can only be blissful for so long. Health educators need to be upfront with Trans fat food companies that preventing heart attacks MATTERS. The longer it takes to comply, the grosser the negligence.
So what if it means breaking BAD NEWS, funerals are bad news too! Some folks don't care about their health, but that's no reason to leave a suicide trap wide open for the kids.
For some time Canton, OH Donut maker Mary Ann's has been the highest dosage trans fat food item in my community. We're appealing to their owners and vendors to become food-safe, so their wake-up call isn't a tragic die-off of their fans. As of July 24 we uncovered 3 more donut stores in NE OHio (with a combined 14 locations) that join Mary Ann's in OFFING US SLOWLY by using Partially Hydrogenated "SuperFry" shortening. These are Peace Love and Little Donuts, Jubilee Donuts of Akron, and Jack Frost of CLE, now added to the Main "HOW TO AVOID TRANS FATS blog guide". I'll post more correspondence/Pressure-on these Donut Companies as things develop. Here's the Review we left for mind-fuck "Peace love" that is literally killing people and calling it love, employing hippie iconography in a shameful ploy. SO OFFENDED.
I'm opening up my correspondence with MARY ANNS, for the record, so that anyone can feel confident and well informed picking up where I left off
FIRST Email to the OWNER:
On May 26 from:Omega Fats Action <omegafatsaction@gmail.com>
to:patwelden@maryanndonuts.net
date:Fri, May 26, 2017 at 4:09 PM
subject: Reformulated without trans fat yet?
Hello pat i hope its a blessed day!! At Hills and dales location the manager said the production manager was switching out partially hydrogenated oil, to comply with FDA guidence & mandated phase out
Has that happen? because when i called the staff seems unaware that a change is even impending. Thank you!
------
May 26 response from Pat Welden: "Who or what is omega fats action? Are you aware of the Compliance date?"
Since he remarked "what's this activist-y account emailing us?", I messaged back from a personal email:
Jeremy Hempy
to:pat.welden@maryanndonuts.net
date:Sat, May 27, 2017 at 8:11 PM
subject:From omegafatsaction re trans fat phase out
Sorry abt that Pat, I'm not trying to spam or troll, thought a signature was assigned on emails, But working on devices with bad settings.
I'm Jeremy Koosed, cleveland-akron civilian and health advocate. Website Actonfats.com have health policy blog and more ideas for eco omega3s.
How come the allergen warning on Speedway cases says dairy and wheat but not PH Oil? Folks with heart disease risks may have heard the heart assoc advice to avoid and eliminate Trans Fat, and deserve a disclosure from yaals.
I'm Familiar with the 2015 FDA memo mandating a phase out, expressing concern for arteriosclerosis that trans fats are spiking. Link to press release by FDA http://bit.ly/1JVhrcq
The compliance period appears to be a year out but they also expressed optimism that folks will reformulate asap.
Program directors at several public health NGOs and agencies including Health improvement project Cuyahoga and the State health dept creating healthy communities initiative are aware of the acute dosage of Trans Fats Mary anns serve.
Are you looking for a buyer for your supply of partially hydrogenated oils? I'm sure folks would chip in to turn them into biofuel,so it cannot harm our neighbors.
Please expedite getting GRAS, generally recognized as safe.
I was hoping you have good news since the manager at hills and dales said partially hydrogenated would be out by now.
thanks for taking the time!
[and left them my #]
2 weeks pass, no response. June 9th I left their first negative FB review related to trans fat content.
FOLLOWED UP
Omega Fats Action <omegafatsaction@gmail.com>
to:patwelden@maryanndonuts.net
date:Fri, Jun 9, 2017 at 5:55 PM
subject:Re: Reformulated without trans fat yet?
I was forced to leave you a bad review about it on FB, the doc krummerow who discovered the artery clogging properties recently passed away and NPR was reporting on it. Please take accountability to make ur food at least as safe as krispy kreme or else speedway has no reason to stock mary Ann's and increase their complaints from health groups?
from:Pat Welden <pat.welden@maryanndonuts.net>
to:Omega Fats Action <omegafatsaction@gmail.com>
date:Fri, Jun 9, 2017 at 7:28 PM
subject:Re: Reformulated without trans fat yet?
mailed-by:maryanndonuts.net
Sorry to hear about the loss. We are working in compliance with FDA, Speedway ,and every other authority. Just not you and not sure on what authority you have.
Is this you?
He attached this old FB profile pic off net. I'm a little freaked out he bothered to do that, I'm trying to discuss the disease risk and safety of their food and they are preoccupied making sure to ID me in the crowd? When my shit at this point does not even approach constituting harassment. I'm trying to be astute, concerned consumer covering my bases, and I bet Pat's grasping for hippie stoners stereotypes to undercut my cred.
Flabbergasted at Pat's poor justification, voice in my head is saying
"In no way are 7g TF apple fritters safe to eat. The FDA was clear in their press release why we needed protection. Where is the surgeon general when acute chronic disease risks are available at hundreds of locations. My neighbors are clogged by this and degeneration of cognitive functions is BAD for public safety. My Gosh what if the lead-toxified kids get a hold of this... it'll impair their brain cell membranes ability to keep it together".
Mary Anns is relying only on the FDA's lax phase out period, as if to justify "It's ok people are going to die, because it's still legal to die this way". Just because FEDS don't plan on enforcing the standard till next year, does not detract from the science indicating a serious malfeasance is taking place.
How can they not tell people!? The food injustice of it all!
Ahem, 2 years after the NOT SAFE designation was FINALIZED!!!
Speaking out alone, out front on an important issue without a PHD, has me desperate to reach health professionals. I'm well networked, but WHAT A SHIT SHOW. My emails to HIP-Cuyahoga weren't getting responses. At the Food Trust meeting I missed my presentation period where I could have taken a couple minutes to debrief Cleveland's health angels. I talked to colleagues one on one and everyone seems to share general concern but lacked the impetus to take action, even if it's right in line with their job description.
Mustering up courage, attempting to be thorough, I sent Pat this LEGIT-AF compilation of science-news context informing my plea for getting-GRAS expeditiously. Since he stated I have no authority. I referred to a bunch of public health projects that have positions on this, which I support in a civic context. If there's a mandate on agencies to prevent chronic illness & health disparities? how can they avoid getting specific in warning people which foods have trans fat? and does mary anns want that for their brand, to be flagged as dangerous on health-outreach lit?
I even suggest compromise that they could advertise "NOW SAFER" by cutting the shortening with an actual-food Veg oil.
Omega Fats Action <omegafatsaction@gmail.com>
to:Pat Welden <pat.welden@maryanndonuts.net> date:Thu, Jun 29, 2017 at 4:17 PM
subject:Re: Important follow up, Reformulated without trans fat yet?
Hi again Pat, Yah that's me, I'm an oddball hippie but please don't make fun! I'm delayed responding because some health agency professionals were supposed to assume responsibility for overseeing Mary Anns trans fat phase out. In case they have yet to touch base, here's some context health educators are considering.
First off, I won't misrepresent my credentials or impersonate a regulatory agency. I have an Akron BA in Geography and Planning. I used to make snack bars for the farmers markets and started doing Omega3 awareness/access campaign after learning people needed this fat but we're at risk of depleting the oceans for it. I'm sure we agree on stuff like cancer and lead-poisoning suck. To encourage folks to get Heart healthy fiber, I worked with Cleveland City council to pass a Meat Free Monday Resolution- entirely mainstream stuff!
Currently, I'm affiliated with the Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL) committee of HIP-Cuyahoga, a very well organized Health Improvement Project. Their mission is to reduce health disparities & improve healthy foods access.
HIP-Cuyahoga professionals, staff for the State health dept. "Creating Healthy Communities" program (which operates in Summit and Cuyahoga) have been debriefed as to various sources of dietary trans fat on the retail market. These agencies have a mandate to prevent chronic illness, so folks are deliberating how to warn people of the heart attacks trans fats induce. Mary Anns donuts, Popeye's Louisiana Kitchen fries and onion rings, and a few grocery items top the list as containing high doses and therefore high priority for advising folks to avoid....
The State health dept devised Food and Beverage guidelines "designed for worksites and community organizations that are looking to make changes to create a healthier food environment" These toolkits also recommend avoiding/eliminating trans fats
Healthy Cleveland, authorized by city gov't also advises avoiding Trans fat https://www.healthycle.org/eat-right/
It's not just heart attacks, there's concern about Ohio's 10%+ diagnosis rate for kids with ADD/ADHD and spiking rates of Dementia and Alzheimers in our elders.
Did you know USA Today reported on memory loss science? https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/11/18/trans-fat-damage-memory/19213173/
Cleveland Clinic heart lab also tweeted this study that poor heart health generally coincides with impaired cognitive function. https://twitter.com/CLEHeartLab/status/878648194535759874
Supporters of health programs are not left with much choice but to list Mary Anns specifically on disease risk mitigation outreach materials. If you'd like to minimize scrutiny, it seems like a good idea to disclose trans fat content overtly in donut shop and on the website. If you don't eliminate entirely ahead of the compliance date, you could advertise "now safer" by cutting your shortening down with a GRAS veg oil.
I hope this helps, look fwd to any updates!!
________________________________
NO RESPONSE from Pat on these Hella-relevent concerns.
I was occupied protesting Akron's grotesue 4-day long "holocaustival" Rib Fest July 1-4. Pick back up Week of July 10-14: Phone Calls and awkward run-in w/ Delivery guy
Called 2 Canton Donut shops, told them i had a allergy and asked if they still fried with Trans Fat oil, was told they had no idea, I would need to call the corporate office. How re-assuring that people have no idea what they are serving! I put off calling corporate and that night, Mary Anns delivery guy gave me thumbs up responding to my Hemp bumper stickers as he turned into Speedway. I had to take the opportunity to make friends
He says at first they were getting ahead of trans fat mandates, but reviewing this footage, you can't decipher part of his response. I got the sense from his speech, he could have a minor disability, so go easy on him. Definitely, I didn't like hearing him say the ingredients are on the website, because that's most certainly FALSE!
After 3 inconclusive responses, I'm hankering to speak to a production manager. I talked a woman in wholesale orders who said that whatever nutrition sheet was there s true because the vendors would get new nutrition sheets if alteration was made.
I informed her that several speedways and all Circle K's I'd witnessed lacked nutrition sheets. This predicament makes it virtually impossible for a consumer to know they are eating Trans Fat unless they know it as "vegetable shortening". Considering shortening in the grocery isles is palm oil these days (Zero TF), we're really being screwed. The Nutrition sheet is the only one displaying grams TF per donut, if it's missing, good luck having a clue.
She thanked me for alerting her to the need for nutrition sheets & put me thru to Wholesale accnt manager, Dan Peirce. I left him a very pleasant and thoughtful VM about safety for people who could die of heart attack.
NO RESPONSE BACK JUST YET
Witnessing risk @ CIRCLE K: I kept my cool talking to clerks about the inadequacy for their nutrition disclosure. In this video, I mess up describing the situation a bit. The ingredients sheet was not displayed, but stationed under the donut shelf, in the back. Nutrition facts are completely missing. Witnessed same scenario at 3 Circle Ks now, and left stickers at 2. Although it's vandalizing, I'll stick by it because consumers deserve information and a CHANCE to prevent a fatal heart attack!
Finally, I created a QUESTIONNAIRE for Health-NGO Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. They have an "Invest Health" team specifically working in CANTON on improving impoverished community health indicators
date:Tue, Jul 11, 2017 at 8:30 PM
subject:Inquiries for Canton, OH invest health team re: trans fat content donuts
Hello From Jeremy Koosed, an ally to health improvement projects here in Ohio. I called a couple weeks ago and sorry to be so slow. I am backlogged!
My club @omegaFatsAction ActONfATS.COM wants to work promoting sustainable omega3s but we are caught up damage-controlling trans fats because they are so dangerous, exacerbating disease the good fats help with. I really appreciate attention to this matter. This is a major chronic disease risk in Canton because of the donut co, Mary Anns. Attached is their nutrition reference sheet and ingredients from a speedway donut case displays.
Questions for the Canton Ohio investhealth team for story i am writing:
How Would you suggest Mary Anns let customers know of Trans Fat content during time of purchase? currently no notices are given to protect folks, folks could be obese and elderly, at risk of fatal heart attack, and not be afforded information that could save their life.
Several Speedways carry the donuts where only the ingredients sheet is provided for reference to consumers, The ingredients sheet says "fried in veg shortening". Folks cannot Grams of trans fat per serving without the nutrition facts sheets. How would you suggest gas stations standardize their donut displays to protect consumers from heart attacks? Would you co-sign an appeal to speedway and Circle K to serve SAFE donuts (made with ingredients and oils that carry GRAS status with the FDA)?
Elaine Campbell, would Mercy hospitals offer arteriosclerosis or mental health screenings targeting folks who have been eating these donuts?
Would you sign a cease ad desist letter to Mary Ann's donuts? Request their expedited compliance with phase out of Trans Fat oil, as mandated by the FDA?
Have you discussed the disease risks of trans fats with Mary Anns?
Adrian Allison, Would you offer advice to parents about risks associated with serving donuts with 2-7g trans fats ea. to their children?
The Donut eating contest the company is holding in partnership with a Football Hall Of fame festival, would you offer to warn participants of the artery clogging affects? https://www.facebook.com/events/1374575749285376/?acontext=%7B%22action_history%22%3A%22null%22%7D
When there's a problem at the Speedway donut case, i try to record it. Made a few videos like this for the youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7mr4_pyYII
I have a couple emails to donut company owner which he said they may not phase out until the FDA enforcement kicks in next year. I'd be happy to fwd these correspondence to anyone interested. You can see the review i left on their Facebook page as well.
Here's a couple reference links i have sent to the company and any health advocates interested.
Thank you so much for any prompt replys!!
trans fats damage memory, USA today science article https://usat.ly/2rH1aXc
FDA press release banning trans fat, instituting phase out period http://bit.ly/1JVhrcq
Actonfats BLOG: avoiding Trans Fats http://bit.ly/2bIbaFl
Dr Krummerow june 17 obituary http://wapo.st/2tpxcUD
