and now also Pizza Hut under suspicion of using Cow ingrediences - Nun auch Pizza Hut mit Rinderbestandteilen ?

June 22, 2002

U.S. Companies Worry They May Take Blame For Obesity

Source:

l0905EDT0045.DTL

USA, June 13, 2002: Fearing they may be held responsible for the nation's

expanding waistline, U.S. food and beverage makers are going on the defensive

with obesity. Some packaged-food companies are contemplating advertisements that

would discourage consumers from overeating their products. A handful are giving

exercise equipment to schools and expanding the health-and-wellness information

on their Web sites. Others are mulling legal issues in case they are accused in

lawsuits of promoting a growing national health crisis.

In December, a surgeon General's report warned that obesity rates in the U.S.

had reached epidemic levels and called for a "national plan of action." Last

month, the Grocery Manufacturers of America, the powerful food-trade group,

urged a congressional panel not to blame individual foods as the cause of

America's weight gain.

Recently a handful of lawsuits have accused food companies of deceptive

marketing. Sued for billing its french fries as vegetarian, even though they are

made with a beef flavoring, McDonald's Corp., said it would donate $10 million

to Hindu groups and others in the U.S. as a partial settlement.

„h A similar complaint was filed against Pizza Hut, alleging that the company

concealed the use of beef products in its "vegetarian" pizzas. While the current

litigation mainly targets companies for allegedly misleading claims, not for

selling fattening foods, some legal experts see the cases as a portent for

future obesity suits.

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