Finnish Margarines - Jungle

[harryc]

Has anyone successfully navigated the jungle that is the Finnish margarine market?

It's been quite a fight to get today's profit-greedy corporations to at least put on their labels what these grease-packages contain - and it seems it's even possible for some to just say 'vegetable oil,' But almost all still say Palm Oil - and some Coconut Oil. NONE of them ever say how much in percentage! They are now forced to put ingredients in a 'quantity' order.' This allows some interpretation but does not solve the problem.

Palm oil has a controversial background - both for health and ecology. Coconut can have definite health questions.

Unilver refuses to say anything and says they are recipe secrets. Evira says the law doesn't require them to - but we mostly know the lobbying power of corporations - so what is law just means what the corporations have agreed to.

Becel 'Olive' is interesting - 'Olive' is the NAME of the product - it has all of 6% Olive Oil!

[007]

Has anyone successfully navigated the jungle that is the Finnish margarine market?

It's been quite a fight to get today's profit-greedy corporations to at least put on their labels what these grease-packages contain - and it seems it's even possible for some to just say 'vegetable oil,' But almost all still say Palm Oil - and some Coconut Oil. NONE of them ever say how much in percentage! They are now forced to put ingredients in a 'quantity' order.' This allows some interpretation but does not solve the problem.

Palm oil has a controversial background - both for health and ecology. Coconut can have definite health questions.

Unilver refuses to say anything and says they are recipe secrets. Evira says the law doesn't require them to - but we mostly know the lobbying power of corporations - so what is law just means what the corporations have agreed to.

Becel 'Olive' is interesting - 'Olive' is the NAME of the product - it has all of 6% Olive Oil!

for the post.

[Rosamunda]

Becel is not a Finnish margarine, it's made by Unilever. It's not a Finnish problem. As you say yourself, the issue is a industry problem. There is a lack of self-regulation.

You might find this website useful: http://www.vegaanituotteet.net/perusruuat/margariinit/
Follow the links for more info on the products.

For example Keiju is 46% rapeseed oil.
http://keiju.fi/tuote/margariinit/keiju ... e-55-400-g

If you would rather avoid GM oil products or palm oil, then organic butter is a good alternative (Lidl sells one, there are others). I avoid margarine simply because it is such an over-processed food.

[Rosamunda]

Becel is not a Finnish margarine, it's made by Unilever. It's not a Finnish problem. As you say yourself, the issue is a industry problem. There is a lack of self-regulation.

You might find this website useful: http://www.vegaanituotteet.net/perusruuat/margariinit/
Follow the links for more info on the products.

For example Keiju is 46% rapeseed oil.
http://keiju.fi/tuote/margariinit/keiju ... e-55-400-g

If you would rather avoid GM oil products or palm oil, then organic butter is a good alternative (Lidl sells one, there are others). I avoid margarine simply because it is such an over-processed food.

[harryc]

Becel is not a Finnish margarine, it's made by Unilever. It's not a Finnish problem.

(And btw I looked at labels on at least FIFTEEN margarines - even one with 'voi' had PALM OIL)

Another good example of the bad aspects of the EU. But remember - Unilever was able to corrupt the Eduskunta long before Finland became a EU member. Also remember Unlever has a stable of MANY products - including Flora which was the mainstay of margarines in Finland in 70's already!

Butter is not a solution for all - eg cholesterol which is a real problem n Finland. It's also more expensive - and so many people have to watch every €.

Margarines could be made in a healthy and economical way if we have people in public service who are really conscientious and are impossible - or at least, difficult - to be bought off.

[Piet]

I guess the more it says "light" or in Finnish "Kevyt", the more bad it is for your health. Normal margarine is still the best option as an alternative for regular pure butter (voi)
why? In real butter there is almost no vitamine D compared to the added vitamine d in margarine. all the light rubbish is processed too much. Most important is that the margarine should be 100% plant fats and not containing any "trans-fats", those a real bad.

If you can, avoid the use of any butter / margarine at all, like all dairy products, they heighten the risk on cancer. (ok I cannot live without cheese...especially the stinky smelly and old ones )

but to summarize: They say that not drinking any alcohol, not using any sugar, not using any fat, eating just very (tasteless or disgusting) healthy stuff, will make you live longer.
I believe this is not true, it just makes it feel longer

[Bavarian]

They say that not drinking any alcohol, not using any sugar, not using any fat, eating just very (tasteless or disgusting) healthy stuff, will make you live longer.

The health nannies never mention the quality of life aspects of being left the hell alone. (I think it's because they're perverts who get their rocks off bossing other people around, but that's another story.)

[Flossy1978]

Piet. If you take out all of the so called things which are so terrible for us, cause us cancer.... bla bla bla.... One probably cannot even drink water to survive. Because scientists/health experts, will even find something unhealthy about it

Just eat like the oldies did. Real food. Vegetable, meat, normal margarine/butter etc.

Look at the oldies these days. Very few of them suffer from all the sh"t younger people do. And that's because they led a decent healthy normal life. None of this over processed junk. Diet drinks, diet yogurts etc. Which aren't better for you than the real stuff.

My Grandpa is about 90 years old. At his last appointment, the Doctor said he had the body of a 60 year old. And he for sure looks like it! He eats just normal foods. Never all that diet crap etc. Even drinks wine everyday (not an alcoholic!). Normal meat, veggies, bread, milk, wine etc. Much healthier than a lot of the younger generations.

[007]

They say that not drinking any alcohol, not using any sugar, not using any fat, eating just very (tasteless or disgusting) healthy stuff, will make you live longer.
I believe this is not true, it just makes it feel longer

[harryc]

Ibsen: The Enemy of the People

Aslaksen. I have learned in the school of life and experience that moderation is the most valuable virtue a citizen can possess--

Peter Stockmann. Hear, hear!

Aslaksen. --And moreover, that discretion and moderation are what enable a man to be of most service to the community. I would therefore suggest to our esteemed fellow-citizen, who has called this meeting, that he should strive to keep strictly within the bounds of moderation.

A Man by the door. Three cheers for the Moderation Society!

[Rip]

H NONE of them ever say how much in percentage!

I checked the bottom of my Becel package and it had percentages with the all the oils except the last one (palm oil, subtracting everything else from 60%, content of that was apparently 8%)

[harryc]

But almost all still say Palm Oil - and some Coconut Oil. NONE of them ever say how much in percentage!

Sorry - I should have made it more explicit that I was referring to the Palm and Coconut Oil percentages. The 'Poison Oil' corporations are fighting any regulation as to how much of these oils are in their products. The Finnish Nutrition Advisory Council - and basically all other public health organizations recommend that the public consume a MINIMUM of these oils. But no one can choose any 'minimum' because these CROOKS refuse to say how much they use! Eight-ten % is already too much - and these nutrition people would like it to be 3-5% (it seems some amount solves some 'culinary' concerns - but margarine is eaten on a daily basis - thus the benefit of less - and people could choose accordingly).

[Rip]

Frankly, I don't get what is the fuss here, as dietary recommendation come and go. I doubt it can be considered well established that any of the oils after they have been processed to be solid (or the few that don't need processing for that) are healthy to use.

[harryc]

"More Doctors Smoke Camels!"
--- https://www.google.fi/search?q=%22More+ ... DHQQsAQIIg

"Stop all this fuss over climate change! Climates come and go."
--- Donald J. Drumpf

Yeah - maybe Rapeseed oil is also bad after solidifying (or before!) - but now we know palm and coconut are not good - so we start there and move on. We've taken lead out of gasoline (a known poison to the oil companies in the 20's!) - and tobacco into locked cabinets - etc. etc. And mind you - by dragging the producers screaming and kicking into accession.

[Rip]

"Stop all this fuss over climate change! Climates come and go."
--- Donald J. Drumpf

Blaah. If you want to go with "conventional wisdom" then the conventional wisdom is that palm oil is safe enough to be used for human consumption. I did try to look what is said about its dangers, but i couldn't find anything relevant at least reasonably fast. With "Irrevlevant" here I refer specifically to any comparison to vegetable fats that flow more or less freely in room temperature and therefore are not, because of their physical characteristics, replacements for palm oil in margarines.