Sifting through the chips

It is noon — lunchtime — and the scene at the Independence Square outlet of a fast food chain is one of chaos as people rush for seating and jostle each other to be first in the condiment line. The queues at the four cashiers extend almost to the door as people wait expectantly to get to the front of the line to place their order. At other fast food outlets a stone’s throw away, the scene is no different — long lines of hungry people.

Coming out of one outlet with his three piece chicken combo tucked under his arm, barely concealed in the familiar brown paper bag, Newel Alexis was on his way back to his workplace to partake of his long — awaited lunch. Why the office? “There is no room in there to sit,” he said. “The place is always full. No matter what time or what day you come here, it is full.” He says he eats the fried stuff every other day. “It’s easier for me since I live alone and I can’t really cook and besides, it tastes good.” A female customer, who preferred to remain unnamed, said that the fried chicken was a weekly treat for her. They are among a growing army of people for whom fast food has become a way of life. But in the US, things took a dramatic twist recently with lawsuits filed against some big-name fast food outlets.  As a result, American magazines and newspapers have been bombarding readers with blaring headlines on the hazards of fast food :  “FAST FOOD KILLS!”, “WE’VE GOT TO STOP EATING LIKE THIS” and “MAN SUES FAST FOOD COMPANIES FOR OBESITY.”

In recent times, lawsuits against fast food companies in the US have become common place. In the biggest suit filed to date, Caesar Barber, a 56-year-old maintenance worker took broad-based action last July against the fast food industry, specifically four restaurants, for allegedly contributing to his obesity. Standing at 5 feet 10 inches and weighing over 270 pounds, Barber claimed that the restaurants, where he was accustomed to eating four to five times a week, failed to disclose the ingredients of the items on their menus. The case, which was filed in the New York State Supreme Court, also says that the four restaurants — McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy’s and KFC — failed to warn the public of the dangers of eating too much. According to Barber’s lawyer, Samuel Hirsch, the multi-billion dollar fast food industry has an obligation to warn consumers of the risks associated with eating from their menus. He alleges that the fast food companies were negligent in selling food high in salt, sugar and cholesterol in spite of numerous studies linking such foods to problems of obesity, diabetes, coronary heart disease, high blood pressure and strokes among others. Could Trinidad and Tobago, which allegedly has the highest ratio of fast food outlets to population in the Caribbean region, go down that litigious road ?

According to Pizza Boys CEO, Jearlean John,  fast food, like everything else was meant to be eaten in moderation. However, if a company realises that their product can affect people’s health, “there is need for disclosure,” she maintained. “The average person here understands that once something is not done in excess there will not be any significant problems, said Dane Darbasie, KFC CEO in TT. “I don’t think this will be a big issue in Trinidad.” The class-action suit filed by Caesar Barber, John said, was not unexpected, especially in light of lawsuits against tobacco companies. “Whether it was justified is a matter of personal choice and how strongly the plaintiff feels about his case,” she said. “It is possible that the same thing can happen in Trinidad and Tobago,” John went on to note, “since the world is connected and people are aware of world issues and events.” “However,” she asserted, “I don’t believe that businesses can be held accountable for every grievance that society has,” adding that “there is an element of personal responsibility here.”

According to Dr Geoffrey Frankson, head of the Wellness Centre, TT’s  health cost will rise if we do not take stock of the type of food we consume. Frankson stressed that the problem of obesity and heart disease was growing in TT. In fact, heart disease is the number one killer among the adult population, while obesity significantly contributes to other diseases such as hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular problems. Obesity, Dr Frankson said, is also the number one health problem among people who believe that they are healthy. “The risks associated with obesity are not generally recognised,” he maintained. When asked if the fast food industry should shoulder some blame for our obesity problems, Dr Frankson said, “they can do whatever they have to in order to make a profit,” he said. “However,” he went on to add, “by giving in to the demand of the public for high calorie food, they are indeed contributing to the problem of obesity.”

There have also been at least two previous lawsuits alleging negligent or misleading practices in the fast food industry. Some years ago, McDonalds settled a $12 million suit and apologised for wrongly describing its French fries as vegetarian. A similar lawsuit was filed against Pizza Hut for supposedly using beef fat in its Veggie Lovers Pizza. Obesity is fast becoming a significant problem in the US, where more than 60 percent of adults are overweight and more than a quarter are obese. This means that these individuals are 20 percent over their ideal weight and face  major health problems. It has been estimated that one third of all cancer and heart disease, as well as up to 80 percent of diabetes could be prevented if people ate less, ate healthier food and exercised more. However, until this realisation hits home, the rising cost of being overweight continues to contribute to an overburdened US health care system. In the year 2000, obesity-related health costs totalled $117 billion, according to a study done by the US Health and Human Services Department.

Frankson further noted that problems like heart disease and diabetes put a strain on productivity, in addition to the fact that many times they were difficult to treat. “More than 25 percent of the National health budget goes into the treatment of diabetes and we are as yet unable to meet the demands for the treatment of heart disease,” he said. One in eight people in TT, over the age of 35, are said to be suffering from the disease. Dialysis treatment for kidney problems costs almost $10,000 per month, another expense that is difficult to meet. “Of course there is no treatment for the lifestyle disease and by the time people become ill, it is essentially too late,” he asserted. In the US, the battle rages on as consumer and health groups lobby to get the country’s leading fast food chains to list calories, along with prices on their menus. This move will follow the lead of a number of packaged foods. However, the consensus is that the fast food industry will not exactly welcome the idea with open arms. Some say, if implemented, this might mean that companies will ultimately sell less food. Darbasie thinks listing calories will not deter people from buying fast food. 

“I can’t see us losing business once people know how much cholesterol food may contain. They will still treat themselves to it once in a while.” This sentiment was also shared by John, who believes that people will buy at the same rate, even if they are aware of the calorie count of food items. “In fact,” she stated, “sales might increase as people know exactly what they are paying for, and in that regard, be able to make more informed decisions and selections.” Darbasie said that the international KFC Corporation was indeed making plans to follow in the footsteps of the packaged food industry in listing the ingredients of their menu items. However, he noted, this plan was set for the long-term and the local franchise would only adopt it once the international corporation gives it the thumbs up. Darbasie linked the cases of obesity and health problems cited in the US lawsuits to excessive consumption of the products rather than to the ingredients used. He said, “obviously anything consumed in excess will have a negative impact on health and most fast foods tend to be fried foods since frying is the quickest method of cooking. Oil as you know is the biggest contributor to the problem of high cholesterol.” He noted that this problem is dependent on how much oil is used in the frying process. If ‘old oil’ — oil which has already been used — is utilised, as opposed to ‘new oil’ then, he explained, the food tends to absorb more oil.

The KFC standard requires that only new oil be used to cook food to prevent absorption of oil, he said. “In TT, where the general population is concerned, our cooking habits tend to include the usage of large amounts of oil, from stewed chicken to even curried chicken.” However, he noted, there are some members of the upper and middle classes who are exceptionally health conscious. Darbasie said, “I don’t think that there is a significant problem of obesity in Trinidad, at least not when compared with that of the United States, where the people basically live on fast food. We haven’t begun to abuse it yet.” “From where I stand this is not a big issue in TT,” he said. The local company is planning to introduce a number of other, more wholesome products including corn nuggets, no-fry sandwiches as well as other non-fry options. Commenting on allegations that the fast food industry is guilty of using additives in their recipes, as well as supersising their products to boost sales, Darbasie said that the use of additives in food was not an issue in TT. “Generally,” he said, “the majority of products used in our menu are local, although the fries are imported. There is absolutely no use of additives.” “Supersizing,” he went on, “was never a success in TT and I am not aware of any local company which adopted this practice.” “Trinidadians are not big eaters like the Americans and we don’t usually buy what we can’t eat. In the US, the standard drink is a 60 ounce Pepsi, there is nothing like that here.” The local franchise presently offers a promotion which states that you can upsize a regular portion of fries and a 16-ounce drink to a large fries and a 32-ounce drink, which is served in a plastic cruiser cup. This, Darbasie maintained, is basically considered a collector’s item by customers. “If you have the proper standards in the industry and offer a wide variety of products to supplement the various tastes of the clientele, then you should have no problems,” he said.