2 peanut butter questions

[Guest guest]

Fellow list colleagues,

OK, either I have taken too long a professional break, or technology continues

to forge new frontiers. I have 2 peanut butter questions. Please excuse any

downright ignorance if I am overlooking something I should know--

1) The ingredients list on this jar of Jif peanut butter I am holding reads as

follows: " Made from roasted peanuts and sugar, contains 2% or less of:

molasses, fully hydrogenated vegetable oils (rapeseed and soybean), mono- and

diglycerides, salt. "

Since when did " partially hydrogenated " oil get replaced with fully hydrogenated

oil in PB? Is this healthier? Is it perhaps a way around the consumer's

increasing awareness that " partially hydrogenated " is equivalent to bad trans

fatty acids? Is it a new production technique to reduce trans fatty acids since

labelling regulations now require disclosure of trans fats? And how does the

manufacturer know how " fully " the fat gets " hydrogenated " during the process of

pumping hydrogens onto the fat anyway?

2) The jar of Skippy Natural peanut butter I have is " no need to stir " . Yet

the ingredients list only the following: " Roasted peanuts, sugar, palm oil,

salt. "

There is absolutely no oil separation, as in other natural peanut butters. It

sure tastes like the old partially hydrogenated brands. The front label also

boasts " As Always NO TRANS FAT per serving " . Call me suspicious, but it tastes

closer to the unhealthy partially hydrogenated brands than to a hand-mixed

natural peanut butter. Could it have to do with the palm oil since adding palm

oil is one of the most saturated vegetable oils? Again, there is no " partially

hydrogenated " fat on the ingredients label now, which SOUNDS healthier.

Our ever-changing food supply never ceases to amaze me.

Diane Preves, M.S., R.D.

N.E.W. LIFE (Nutrition, Exercise, Wellness for LIFE)

www.newlifeforhealth.com

e-mail: newlife4health@...