Evelin Ilves, the wife of President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, sent a letter to the Kalev Chocolate Factory, apologising to the employees of Kalev and of other enterprises who have felt offended due to the media reflections on her positions on the use of trans fats, writes Postimees Online/LETA.
Ilves noted that her statements regarding the trans fats was certainly not meant about employees of Kalev, but were uttered in the global context where enterprises, in the growing pricing competition, might make concessions at the expense of individuals’ health.
“I am sorry if my reference to the ingredients of some products of Kalev that in the initial private letter simply expressed my own and my family’s consumer preferences has been turned into a call for a boycott against the products of your enterprise as a result of misinterpretation of information,” wrote the President’s wife. She assured the employees of Kalev that a boycott against the enterprise’s products has never been her objective.
“I would like to emphasise once again that the harmful impact of certain substances and their compounds used in certain foodstuffs on the human organism has been scientifically proven and in some countries, their use has been completely banned by now,” stated Ilves in her letter, referring to trans fats. “Children are particularly sensitive towards these substances and their compounds,” she added, noting that Kalev’s representative also admitted that certain products of Kalev include the harmful trans fats.
Evelin Ilves emphasised that she considers it extremely important to have information on these substances to be as available as possible to consumers. She added that unfortunately, there are no rules imposed in Estonia on noting information on trans fats on the products’ packages.
Estonia has been on the cutting edge of so many technological advances especially in the computer/electronics field that more mundane but equally important sectors in other fields may be overlooked. That the Estonian Presidents wife, Evelin Ilves', comments illuminates this serious health issue about transfats elicited an appology from her is ironic, she should be applauded. Kalev chocolates now has an opportunity to become a leader in the food industry to promote removal of transfats from the shelves of all of Estonian cupboards.
Posted by: Peeter Jakobson, MD | October 05, 2009 at 00:14