Originally published January 24 2006
Famous popcorn brands to adjust recipes to benefit consumer health
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Conagra Foods Inc, maker of Orville Redenbacher and Act II microwave popcorn, will remove trans fats from its popcorn recipes in the coming year, to make their snacks healthier for consumers.
The recipe for Orville Redenbacher and ACT II microwave popcorn will change next year to make the snack healthier.
By February, almost all the different popcorn products made by Omaha-based ConAgra Foods Inc. will be free of trans fatty acids, which contribute to higher levels of LDL cholesterol.
Known as the bad cholesterol, LDL can increase the risk of heart disease.
ConAgra expects to minimize or eliminate trans fat in most of its 120 products by the end of 2006.
ConAgra's "Smart Pop" varieties will also be free of saturated fat.
Pat Verduin, ConAgra's senior vice president for product development, said this change is part of a companywide effort to improve the nutritional value of its products.
The company has already reformulated its soft margarine -- including Fleischmann's, Parkay and Blue Bonnet -- to eliminate trans fat.
Nessie Ferguson, a registered dietitian with the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, said ConAgra's plan is a good idea, but not a surprise.
She said most food companies have been working on removing trans fats before the Food and Drug Administration's Jan. 1 deadline to list the substance on nutrition labels.
Ferguson said consumers are becoming more aware of the dangers of trans fat, so companies don't want to have it on their product labels.
She said she thinks popcorn is a healthful snack, but the problem was all the fats companies added for flavoring.
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