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- An Interview with Umahro Cadogan
Oscar Umahro Cadogan, coordinator of the Danish Athlete Study, recently interviewed Udo Erasmus about contradicting opinions on the subject of the use of glass versus plastic for bottling cold-pressed omega-rich oils. Udo himself has changed position on this subject over the years, and this article helps to clarify his current position and answers questions about the pros-and-cons of bottling with plastic.
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What is your current position on using
dark plastic bottles for holding unrefined vegetable oils? How about
amber glass bottles?
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Udo Erasmus 1:
I recommend amber glass for packaging oils. Glass is inert. Glass
is natural. Glass (as quartz) has been present on this planet at
least as long as life. Glass doesn't leach. Glass has a 3,500-year
track record of safe food use. I recommend enclosing the amber glass
bottle in a box to keep all light from damaging the sensitive essential
fatty acids in oils made with health rather than shelf life in mind.
I recommend against the use of plastics as packaging material for
oils and other liquids. Plastic is a synthetic material. Plastic
was never present on this planet for 4.5 billion years, until the
past 60 years or so. Creatures have not had millions of years to
adapt to plastic, and therefore we should expect that some of the
unnatural molecules contained in plastic to interfere with the life
chemistry of organisms, thereby causing health and environmental
problems. We know from research that many plastics are very dangerous
to health and environment.
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Has this always been your position? |
Udo Erasmus 2:
No. There was a time before 1992 when I believed, on the basis of
the research available to me at that time, that some plastics were
suitable for packaging oil.
A few years later, further research convinced me otherwise. There
are known environmental concerns and too many unanswered health
questions about plastics. Because of that, I changed my recommendation.
Since then, I have always recommended amber glass for packaging
oils. More and more people are coming to the same conclusion as
I, that glass is better (though not cheaper) packaging. Emerging
research is forcing us to question the use of plastics for packaging
foods, and especially for packaging liquids.
|
When did you change your position on
plastic versus glass? |
Udo Erasmus 3:
Around 1993.
|
Why did you change your
position? |
- What else don't we know about plastics and the plasticizer,
stabilizer, mould releaser, toxic metals, contaminants and other
molecules found in them?
- Do we know all of the ingredients used in the plastics we use?
The industry does not list the ingredients used in plastics on
the container or in their literature or spec sheets.
- What are the effects of the undisclosed plastic ingredients
on health and environment?
I scoured the literature on plastics for about 2 years, talked
to Greenpeace, spoke with people who worked in the plastics industry,
and obtained from a manufacturer a partial list of the ingredients
used to make the plastic in which oils for humans are packaged.
Research on the effects of plastics on health and environment is
now an ongoing project for me.
By 1993, I had read enough material to conclude that there are
too many unanswered questions about plastic to recommend them for
packaging oils. As I learned more, I expanded my view to include
all consumable liquids: water, oil, vinegar, tinctures, alcohol,
juices, and milk. Liquids move and continuously wash the inside
of their container. Molecules that can leach from plastic into the
contained liquid will do so. The best known example: One can taste
a substance contained in plastic water bottles that leaches into
water. People drink it, without knowing what it is or how it affects
their health. To me, that's disconcerting, because what we take
into our body affects our health. And, as a matter of common sense,
I trust God�s nature more than man�s synthetic technology. Of all
liquids into which molecules from plastics can leach, oils are the
most problematic. That's because oils swell plastics, making any
leaching potentially easier. But one is less likely to taste plastic
leachates in oil, since the chemistry and hence the taste of plastic
and oil are similar.
|
Have you made the North American producers
of unrefined vegetable oils aware of this change of position? |
Udo Erasmus 5: Yes, I made the North American producers of unrefined oils
made with health in mind aware of my change in position. And I must
say that I was proud of my change in position, based on concerns
about health and environment. Proud, because it takes courage to
reverse a public position. Proud, because it requires courage take
a stand (and if you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything).
Proud, because my change in position is for the environment and
for health. Let me say it again, in case anyone is not clear about
my position. I consider amber glass to be the better packaging choice
for the environment and health. Safeguarding health and the environment
is my mission and my passion.
|
When did you inform them of your change
in position? |
Udo Erasmus 6
: In 1994, I told the other North American producers of these oils
about my change in position. But perhaps some of them did not hear
me. By then, I had given a great deal of thought to the topic, and
read enough research to be convinced that my concerns were justified.
If someone quotes me as promoting plastic for packaging oil, they
are using pre-1992 material that is now long out of date. I have
been recommending that oil be packaged in amber glass for a long
time. And I recommend against the use of plastic for packaging liquids.
|
How did the North American producers
take this? |
When further questioned by some of them, I suggested that they do their own investigation on the topic and come to their own conclusions. Natural healing and plastics are completely contradictory messages. I could not reconcile them in my mind. That is why I changed position.
In the not too distant future, I will be writing an article on plastics that I will post on my web site.
|
So they should all be aware of this
change of position? |
Udo Erasmus 8:
Yes, all of them should be aware of this change in position. I did
what I could to make sure they knew. But apparently, some of them
are still not aware of my recommendation to get out of plastic and
into glass.
I was once accused of changing my position from plastic to glass
for commercial reasons. Since glass is more expensive and lowers
profits in a competitive environment, that accusation makes no sense.
If you ask health food companies who package in glass why they do
so, their answer is never to get a competitive edge, because there
is none in the decision for glass. The decision is always health
and environment related. The fact that a company will go to the
extra trouble to use glass is the most obvious way to confirm that
the company has its heart and soul dedicated to health and environment.
|
I imagine that you are
going to be as perplexed as I am to see an advertisement that claims " . . Such sensitive oils should never be stored in brown glass bottles
. . ." and uses "Fats that heal Fats that kill, Udo Erasmus 1988"
as its source. Would you like to comment on this, in light of the
fact that your oil blend, Udo's Choice™ Ultimate Oil Blend,
comes in amber glass bottles and has always done so? |
Udo Erasmus 9:
I am not perplexed at all. The advertisement misrepresents my position.
Perhaps those responsible for the ad still do not know my position
on glass and plastic, which I have held since 1994. Their misunderstanding
creates confusion in the marketplace. Then again, perhaps the ad
uses my name and misrepresents my message to sell products that
I cannot in good conscience recommend. In that case, I have to say
that I prefer that competitors go out and do their own hard work,
and to sell their products on the merit of their own effort.
Due to the efforts made by the manufacturer, FMD in Europe (Flora
Manufacturing & Distributing in Canada and Flora Inc. in the
USA), and by Ian Richardson's group at Savant Distribution in Leeds,
UK (for UK and northern Ireland), and by Dominic Galvin and Darragh
Hammond�s group at NaturaLife in Ireland (Eire), I have toured extensively
in both places. I have given many lectures, and a great deal of
media education was sponsored by these dedicated people. As a result
of these efforts, I am fairly well known there.
Hitching products to the coattails of others¹ efforts is a marketing strategy. There¹s not much anyone can do about such strategies. But eventually, the truth always comes out. My suggestion: Make better products; use better packaging; do honest education.
I see 'coattail ads¹ as a kind of compliment, since they acknowledge my leadership in the field. However, because they also create confusion, let me state my position one more time:
I recommend that oils be packaged in amber glass. I recommend that
a box be put around that bottle to confer complete protection from
light. I recommend an oil blend called Udo's Choice Ultimate Oil
Blend. I created and developed the formula for that oil blend. I
use that oil blend to cover my need for essential fats, and recommend
it to other people to cover their need for essential fats.
I recommend against borage oil or blends containing it. I recommend
against the use of plastics for packaging liquids. I recommend against
using CLA for human consumption. I recommend organic vegetarian
sources of omega-3 and omega-6 essential fats over fish oils, due to the
damage and contamination often found in fish oils.
Let me bring further clarity to issues of health and environment.
It is my view that the designation 'organic' for liquids (water,
oil, juices, milk, vinegar, alcohol, and tinctures) packaged in
plastic misleads consumers. Consumers think of 'organic' as natural
and healthy. Plastics are not natural, and may not be healthy (ironically,
one manufacturer advertises plastics as the 6th food group). Plastics
are synthetic, unnatural materials. Liquids intended for human consumption
ought not to be in contact with synthetic, unnatural plastics.
While we�re at it, let me correct several
misrepresentations I have seen in ads for oils:
- Some ads mistakenly suggest that I recommend against glass.
In truth, I recommend that oils and other liquids intended for
human consumption be packaged in amber glass, and additionally
protected by being boxed.
- Some ads quote an outdated article written in 1988 and retired
in 1989. The fact is that I have written a 450-page book called
FATS THAT HEAL FATS THAT KILL. It was published in 1993, and recommends
for glass packaging and against plastic packaging.
- Some ads erroneously imply that I am associated with or endorse
other products. The reality is that I recommend a specific oil
blend called Udo's Choice Ultimate Oil Blend. I created and developed
the formula. The oil is manufactured by FMD (Flora Manufacturing
and Distributing). It is marketed by Savant Distribution in the
UK, and by Naturalife in Eire.
- Some ads falsely suggest that I endorse using flax oil exclusively.
In fact, I became omega-6 deficient on flax oil, and recommend it
only as part of a properly constructed blend of oils. The truth
is that I recommend only an oil blend called Udo's Choice Ultimate
Oil Blend, which contains an optimum ratio of twice as much omega-3
as omega-6 essential fatty acids, based on 15 years of experience
working with people. It is the ratio that consistently gets the
best results. I recommend against using flax oil by itself, because
its ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 is out of kilter, and that can lead to
serious, even life-threatening omega-6 deficiency symptoms.
- Some ads make it seem, wrongly, that I am associated with other
companies. The fact is that in the UK, I am associated only with
Savant Distribution, in Leeds. In Ireland, I am associated only
with NaturaLife.
- Some ads create the illusion that I favor another ratio, which
is wrong. Truth is, I work with a 2: 1 ratio of omega-3 to omega-6. This
ratio has consistently shown the best results in athletic performance,
skin, weight, energy, muscular development, and degenerative conditions
including diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, autoimmune
conditions, and many inflammatory conditions including arthritis.
I thank those who promote my work by promoting my name, but humbly
appeal to their higher nature to not mislead people, and to get
my message and the facts straight.
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Does this look like they are trying
to mislead the customer? |
Udo Erasmus 10:
I don�t really think so. I think these are honest mistakes. The
field of essential fatty acids is complex, and not everyone has
the education or ability required to make sense of them.
|
Could you comment on the statement
about . . . "the only oil blend pressed at low temperatures in the
absence of heat, oxygen and reactive metals." |
Udo Erasmus 11:
I conceptualized methods for making oils with health in mind in
1983. The research that led to my first book FATS AND OILS, which
was published in 1986, outlined these methods. At least 4 producers
presently make such oils. All of them use low temperature, absence
of heat, oxygen, and reactive metals. Between 1983 and 1989, all
of them learned from me, directly or indirectly, how to do the 'health
in mind' production of oils that provides this protection. The good
oils made for health by FMD are pressed at low temperature in the
absence of heat, oxygen and reactive metals. In addition, they are
protected from light during pressing. That's important, because
light is the single most destructive influence on omega-6 and especially
omega-3 essential fatty acids.
Finally, let me summarize my work with essential fats over the
past 22 years. I began my study of good oils and their health benefits
in 1980 after being poisoned by pesticides and medical help failing
to help. Between 1980 and 1986, I immersed myself in the research
that has been done on fats and health.
In 1983, I developed methods for making oils with health in mind. In 1986, my book FATS AND OILS was published. The book was my PhD thesis in Nutrition. In 1986, my methods for making oils with health (rather than shelf life) in mind were first put into commercial practice under my supervision. Also in 1986, I supervised the first commercial production of flax oil.
I created the formula for Udo's Choice Ultimate Oil Blend after becoming omega-6 deficient on exclusive use of flax oil. My oil blend first went into production in 1994. I gave my first public talk on essential fatty acids in 1986, just after FATS AND OILS was published. Since that time, I have given over 2,000 talks and lectures on the subject. I have been a guest on over 1,500 media interviews. I have trained the staff in over 1,000 retail stores. My reputation and success are based on hard work and persistence.
All the producers of oils made by the methods I created benefit
from the work that I do. I am happy for them to benefit. Altogether,
we have reached less than 1/10th of one percent of the population
in the past 20 years. There�s room for many more people, and I welcome
them all. However, some of the producers who benefit from my effort
over these past 20+ years disparage me in many different ways: my
character, my motives, my education, my production methods, and
my products.
My view is that they would benefit more by supporting and encouraging
the work I do for their benefit. 99.9% of the population still has
no reliable source of essential fats made with health in mind. We
should reach them all as soon as possible. Essential fats can make
great health improvements in most people. If we work together, more
people will benefit sooner. Quality of life will improve sooner.
People will suffer less. They will live longer.
It is a huge mission that needs all hands on deck.
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