USDA Classifies Frozen Fries as "Fresh Vegetables"

USDA Classifies Frozen Fries as "Fresh Vegetables" >From 6/16/04 Published on Tuesday, June 15, 2004 by the Los Angeles Times USDA: Frozen Fries Are 'Fresh' Veggies by Andrew Martin WASHINGTON < Anyone trying to add more fresh fruits and vegetables to their diet may have just gotten an unlikely assist from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Based on a little-noticed change to obscure federal rules, the USDA now defines frozen French fries as "fresh vegetables." A federal judge in Texas last week endorsed the USDA's decision in a court case. U.S. District Judge Richard Schell said the term "fresh vegetables" was ambiguous. The USDA quietly changed the regulations last year at the behest of the French fry industry, which has spent decades pushing for a revision to the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act. Known as PACA, the law was passed by Congress in 1930 to protect fruit and vegetable farmers in the event that their customers went out of business without paying for their produce. The Frozen Potato Products Institute appealed to the USDA in 2000 to change its definition of fresh produce under PACA to include batter-coated, frozen French fries, arguing that rolling potato slices in a starch coating, frying them and freezing them is the equivalent of waxing a cucumber or sweetening a strawberry. The USDA agreed and, on June 2, 2003, the agency amended its PACA rules to include what is described in court documents as the "Batter-Coating Rule." Tim Elliott, a Chicago attorney who recently challenged the revision in a Texas federal courtroom on behalf of a bankrupt food distributor, said defining French fries as fresh vegetables defied common sense. "I find it pretty outrageous, really," said Elliott, who argued that the Batter-Coating Rule is so vague that chocolate-covered cherries, packed in a candy box, would qualify as fresh fruit. "This is something that only lawyers could do," Elliott said, pointing to a stack of legal documents debating the French fry change. "There must be 100 pages there about something you could summarize in one paragraph: Batter-coated French fries are not fresh vegetables." Meir Stampfer, a professor of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, said it "boggles the mind" that the USDA would label French fries a fresh vegetable since most commercial fries are prepared in oil laden with heart-clogging trans-fat. The USDA explained its rationale in its arguments in the Texas case. "While plaintiff argued that battered-coated French fries are processed products, they have not been 'processed' to the point that they are no longer 'fresh,' " attorneys for the USDA argued. "It is still considered 'fresh' because it is not preserved. It retains its perishable quality." © Copyright 2004 Los Angeles Times

French Fries are vegetables

'Eat your vegetables': For kids, it means fries Updated 3/3/2009 12:19 PM | Comments 91 | Recommend 13 Share on emailE-mail | Share on printPrint | Reprints & Permissions | Enlarge By Carlos Osorio, AP Do kids want fries with that? Evidently, yes: Fried potatoes account for as much as 25% of children's vegetable intake. WHAT'S IN A SERVING SIZE? The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture recommend that adults and children, 2 and older, consume 2 to 6½ cups of fruits and vegetables each day, depending on their calorie level of 1,000 to 3,200. Vegetables • 1 cup raw leafy vegetable • ½ cup cut-up raw or cooked vegetable • ½ cup vegetable juice (Try for a variety, including vegetables that are dark green and leafy or orange, and dry beans and peas.) Fruit • 1 medium fruit • ¼ cup dried fruit • ½ cup fresh or frozen or canned fruit • ½ cup juice (Consumption of whole fruits rather than juice is suggested to ensure adequate fiber intake.) Source: health.gov/DietaryGuidelines DAILY HEALTH BLOG Get wellness tips, medical study roundups and news for healthy living here, including info on ... • Fitness and nutrition • Parenting/kids' health • Watercooler-worthy bits Share Add to Mixx Facebook TwitterMore Fark Digg Reddit MySpace StumbleUpon Propeller LinkedInSubscribe myYahoo iGoogleMore Netvibes myAOL By Nanci Hellmich, USA TODAY Kids aren't eating enough fruits and vegetables, and when they do consume produce, they are more likely to eat french fries than nutrient-rich dark green or orange vegetables, a study shows. That won't surprise parents who have been trying to tempt their kids with better diets for years. CHILDHOOD OBESITY: See its effects on kids' bodies BETTER LIFE: Insurance companies, employers, medical groups teaming up against childhood obesity Researchers at Ohio State University analyzed government data on 6,500 children and teens, ages 2-18, and found that the children were consuming an average of 2 cups of fruits, vegetables and juice a day. Teens ate only slightly more than that. The government nutritional guidelines base recommended produce intake on total calories consumed. The range is 2 to 6½ cups of fruits and vegetables each day, based on an intake of 1,000 to 3,200 calories a day. Someone consuming 2,000 calories a day should eat 2 cups of fruit and 2½ cups of vegetables a day. Other findings reported in the March Journal of the American Dietetic Association: French fries are the most common type of vegetable children eat. Fries account for about one-quarter of children's vegetable intake. Juice makes up about 40% of kids' fruit intake. • Fruit and vegetable consumption is greater in families with higher incomes. Earlier research has shown that this is because fresh produce can be expensive, and there often aren't stores that sell it in low-income neighborhoods. If french fries and fruit juice had not been included in the survey data, then children would be eating far fewer fruits and vegetables than they should, says Hugo Melgar-Quinonez, an assistant professor in the department of human nutrition at Ohio State. Parents have to get their children to go greener by eating more deep-green leafy vegetables, he says. His advice: Always include vegetables and fruits in children's meals, even if it means putting baby carrots and broccoli or a sliced apple on the table with the meal: "Just a little effort makes a big difference in kids' diets and therefore their health." Barbara Lorson, a registered dietitian at Ohio State, recommends offering vegetables when the children are especially hungry, such as after school. READERS: How do you get your kids to eat fruits and vegetables? Do you adjust your budget to buy fresh produce? posted by Jomag Jose Magsaysay Jr. Joe Magsaysay

Entrepreneur Philippines

ENTREPRENEUR MAGAZINE-  JULY 2012 issue   FASTEST GROWING FRANCHISE   FROM STRENGTH  TO  STRENGTH   At first glance, Potato Corner and Posh Nails have little in common-apart from having to do your fingers, being franchise companies, and being Entrepreneurs Fastest growing Franchise co-winners for 2012. Yet these two companies are definitely going from strength to strength, as is Goldilocks Bakeshop , which gets our nod for the company that’s Best In Franchising support. Although smaller in size than either Potato Corner or Goldilocks, Posh Nails does have 21 outlets now, and as Founder and President Catherine Ilacad says, they are “coming up” with new services- more messages , more themed services like different “flavors of the month.” For our franchisees, we have more training for our nail technicians. All but one of Posh Nail’s outlets are franchised, and Ilacad says they have just opened branchise in Pampanga and Iloilo. Opening soon are outlets in Davao, Cebu and Batangas as well. Why is Posh Nails growing so fast? “I believe that we’re one of  the leaders in nail industry, one of the original concepts, “says Ilacad, who founded the company 10 years ago. At the same time, we keep up with what’s happening, the latest in nail technology- I’m leaving for the Las Vegas Nail Convention, and I keep in touch with spa gurus over the internet. They keep me updated, tewll me what we can adapt here in the Philippines, she adds. Posh Nails, which has been franchising since 2008  , also boasts of great marketing support for all our franchisees. We have a lot of endorsers for radio, TV and in print, and they’ve been a big help,” says Ilacad. A plan to launch their own line of products, such as foot scrubs and foot lotions, would aid their future growth, adds Ilacad. She also aims to add more branches for our clients in the provinces, and new services that they would only experience at Posh Nails. POTATO CORNER also offers a unique experience- of eating flavored French fries, that is. Now with over 250 stores nationwide and abroad, the flagship brand of Cinco Corporation is still trying to add to its roster of 104 franchisees. These include six recently-opened outlets in the California and New Mexico in the United States, Indonesia, Malaysia, and even in Panama. Apart from its newest local outlets at Robinsons Place Puerto Princesa in Palawan, at the Promenade Building along Wilson St. in San Juan City, at Robinsons Place Calasiao Pangasinan, at Shopwise in San Pedro Laguna,and at the Wilcon City Center along Visayas Ave. in Quezon City- Potato Corner has introduced new flavors, serving sizes, and offerings. The brand recently announced it gained Halal Certification (the lawful way of preparing food according to Muslim Shariah Law ), allowing it to sell more than nine million Muslim Filipinos- as well as over 200 Million Indonesian followers of Islam once Potato Corner expands its presence there. It also recently debuted its Vanilla Thrilla dessert offering and a Seaweed option alongside its mainstay flavors-cheese, barbecue and sour cream-and serving sizes, which are now up to Giga buckets ( at about P167 each ). Goldilocks, meanwhile, got the highest marks in Entrepreneur’s  franchise survey for the extensiveness of its franchise agreement, franchisee training, marketing support, and financial assistance. This is in part because the company founded in 1966 is always “mindful of the customers’ needs and wants and able to anticipate those with products and services that cater to their needs,”says Lin Deres, its franchise relation manager. New products, seasonal offerings, store designs, eco-friendly packaging materials, and energy saving devices have helped Goldilocks-  which began franchising in 1991- stay top of mind its customers around its 351 outlets nationwide, adds Deres. It’s also why  she sees their roster of franchisees growing beyond the 54 they currently have. For a 45-year-old company, it’s never bad to have bigger numbers.  

From Potato Corner Flavored Franch fries Lovers to business partners

The Philippine Star From Potato Corner lovers to business partners  Jennylei Caberte  July 16, 2012   MANILA, Philippines - When Jose (Joe, Jomag, Jojo) P. Magsaysay Jr., president and CEO of Cinco Corp., opened the first Potato Corner outlet in October 1992 at SM Megamall, students and young customers were instantly drawn to the new twists the brand brought to French fries. Today, some 20 years later, some of those students who became loyal patrons of Potato Corner would bring their interest for the brand and its products to a higher level by becoming business partners of Cinco Corp. with their own franchise outlets both in the country and abroad. He attributes a huge part of Potato Corner’s international success to them. Magsaysay, “Joemag” to his business partners and friends in the industry, is a Certified InternationalFranchise Executive who holds a Masters Degree in Entrepreneurship from the Asian Institute of Management. “Our new partners are young, usually in their early-30s. My partners in Indonesia and Panama were former students here and were regular customers of Potato Corner. When they finished their courses here and relocated outside of the country, they became my partners in establishing the business in Indonesia and Panama,” Magsaysay explained. He stressed the beauty and significance of being able to develop brand loyalty. “Our young customers before are now our business partners. That is the cycle we are experiencing,” he enthused. Aside from his partners, Magsaysay managed to develop a great concept and product, build a competent organization, come up with a good management system, and establish sound corporate policies that propelled the brand to its current billing as one of a handful of Filipino franchise concepts that are successful in the global arena. In Magsaysay’s own words, here are some of the factors that made Potato Corner an international phenomenon: “The product is now a basic staple. Burger King and McDonald’s made French fries staple, so it is easy for us to get into the mainstream. We just added flavor to it,” he added.  He said they are very flexible and have no problem with attitude. “We are flexible enough that one country can be different in terms of looks but the DNA has to be the same all over the world---the shaking that is done manually to mix the flavors with the fries, and the young customers.” Magsaysay said they have also professionalized their Board. “We got people from the academe, and we have three independent directors, so even if we are not a public company, we want to be very transparent,” he explained. Potato Corner currently has over 250 stores nationwide aside from eight outlets in the United States, 22 in Indonesia, and one each in Malaysia and Panama. Magsaysay, this year’s overall chairman of the Franchise Asia Philippines 2012 (FAP2012) slated July 25-29 at the SMX Convention Center, said the company is gearing up to further grow and expand its franchise outreach both here and abroad. “We are celebrating our 20th year this year, and business has never been better. While we gear to launch new brands, Potato Corner will remain our flagship product and we will continue to put Potato Corner on a pedestal. Locally, we will grow not so much in terms of the number of outlets but in sales. It is a premium brand, so we are very picky on the location. We will help our existing partners increase their sales further through enhanced promotions and development of new products,” he said. The company, he noted, is on track of meeting its 50-percent sales growth for the year, The United States is where Potato Corner will be seeing most of the action in the coming years, he disclosed. Magsaysay said even with the strict regulatory regime in the US, Potato Corner is lucky to become one of only two Filipino brands that have been given the green light to conduct franchise business in all its 50 states. Potato Corner will avail of that opportunity to establish about four additional franchise outlets this year, and about a hundred new stores there over the next three years. “We see Potato Corner US becoming bigger than Potato Corner Philippines. That is the value of franchising. You can really achieve rapid growth through franchising,” he emphasized. Although Potato Corner has entered the US mainstream and has been getting a lot of interest from prospective franchisees, Magsaysay said the company has been very prudent in managing its growth there.  “We are very careful. Right now, there are many offers from investors who are ready and willing to pay, but we tell them to hold on, while we further consolidate our organization. There are more than 20 who want to pay us franchise fees for certain locations, but our Operations Group is not ready for multiple outlets right away. We have the capability to open only one store every two months, but by 2013, we will be able to open one store per month,” he further explained.    Cinco Corp. has partnered with Cisco, the biggest logistics company in US, to make sure its products and collaterals easily reach its branches in California, Texas and New Mexico. Magsaysay said his membership in the Philippine Franchise Association (PFA) also helped him a lot.  “The PFA is like my cheering squad in growing the brand. That is why I’m telling those who are not yet members of the Association that they are missing a lot. You are in good company if you join PFA,” he further emphasized.  Magsaysay now devotes much of his time in ensuring the success of Franchise Asia Philippines 2012 (FAP2012), the biggest franchising event in Asia organized by the PFA. FAP2012 is a 4-in-1 event that includes the International Franchise Conference (July 25-26), featuring local and international franchise gurus and experts who will present the latest trends and developments in the global franchising arena; the International Franchise Expo (July 27 – 29), a one-stop-shop showcasing the best and unlimited business opportunities ranging from established and successful brands – both local and global – to new and promising franchise concepts covering every sector at various investment levels, including petroleum and related businesses opportunities in the Petro Business Pavilion; the Educational Franchise Seminars, simultaneous with the Expo, serving as an excellent forum for business matching between franchisors and would-be franchisees, and the Certified Franchise Executive (CFE) Program  (July 23 and 24),  a mini-MBA course on Franchise Management to be held at the AIM Conference Center. For inquiries about FAP2012, please call PFA Secretariat at (02) 6870365 to 67; 09178320731; or e-mail pfa@pfa.org.ph; or visit www.franchiseasiaphl2012.com.ph and register on-line for special admission rates.    

FASTEST GROWING FRANCHISE

ENTREPRENEUR MAGAZINE- JULY 2012 issue FASTEST GROWING FRANCHISE FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH At first glance, Potato Corner and Posh Nails have little in common-apart from having to do your fingers, being franchise companies, and being Entrepreneurs Fastest growing Franchise co-winners for 2012. Yet these two companies are definitely going from strength to strength, as is Goldilocks Bakeshop , which gets our nod for the company that’s Best In Franchising support. Although smaller in size than either Potato Corner or Goldilocks, Posh Nails does have 21 outlets now, and as Founder and President Catherine Ilacad says, they are “coming up” with new services- more messages , more themed services like different “flavors of the month.” For our franchisees, we have more training for our nail technicians. All but one of Posh Nail’s outlets are franchised, and Ilacad says they have just opened branchise in Pampanga and Iloilo. Opening soon are outlets in Davao, Cebu and Batangas as well. Why is Posh Nails growing so fast? “I believe that we’re one of the leaders in nail industry, one of the original concepts, “says Ilacad, who founded the company 10 years ago. At the same time, we keep up with what’s happening, the latest in nail technology- I’m leaving for the Las Vegas Nail Convention, and I keep in touch with spa gurus over the internet. They keep me updated, tewll me what we can adapt here in the Philippines, she adds. Posh Nails, which has been franchising since 2008 , also boasts of great marketing support for all our franchisees. We have a lot of endorsers for radio, TV and in print, and they’ve been a big help,” says Ilacad. A plan to launch their own line of products, such as foot scrubs and foot lotions, would aid their future growth, adds Ilacad. She also aims to add more branches for our clients in the provinces, and new services that they would only experience at Posh Nails. POTATO CORNER also offers a unique experience- of eating flavored French fries, that is. Now with over 250 stores nationwide and abroad, the flagship brand of Cinco Corporation is still trying to add to its roster of 104 franchisees. These include six recently-opened outlets in the California and New Mexico in the United States, Indonesia, Malaysia, and even in Panama. Apart from its newest local outlets at Robinsons Place Puerto Princesa in Palawan, at the Promenade Building along Wilson St. in San Juan City, at Robinsons Place Calasiao Pangasinan, at Shopwise in San Pedro Laguna,and at the Wilcon City Center along Visayas Ave. in Quezon City- Potato Corner has introduced new flavors, serving sizes, and offerings. The brand recently announced it gained Halal Certification (the lawful way of preparing food according to Muslim Shariah Law ), allowing it to sell more than nine million Muslim Filipinos- as well as over 200 Million Indonesian followers of Islam once Potato Corner expands its presence there. It also recently debuted its Vanilla Thrilla dessert offering and a Seaweed option alongside its mainstay flavors-cheese, barbecue and sour cream-and serving sizes, which are now up to Giga buckets ( at about P167 each ). Goldilocks, meanwhile, got the highest marks in Entrepreneur’s franchise survey for the extensiveness of its franchise agreement, franchisee training, marketing support, and financial assistance. This is in part because the company founded in 1966 is always “mindful of the customers’ needs and wants and able to anticipate those with products and services that cater to their needs,”says Lin Deres, its franchise relation manager. New products, seasonal offerings, store designs, eco-friendly packaging materials, and energy saving devices have helped Goldilocks- which began franchising in 1991- stay top of mind its customers around its 351 outlets nationwide, adds Deres. It’s also why she sees their roster of franchisees growing beyond the 54 they currently have. For a 45-year-old company, it’s never bad to have bigger numbers. -Jimbo Owen Gulle Loading ...