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Manto fries Nando's chips
07/06/2005 09:52 - (SA)
Johannes de Villiers, Die Burger
Cape Town - Nando's chicken may not be unhealthy, but oil-fried chips, such as those sold by Nando's, can definitely be classified as unhealthy food.
This is the official opinion released by the office of Health Minister Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang after a dispute erupted between her and the Nando's fast food chain on the question of how healthy its food is.
Tshabalala-Msimang said in her budget speech in parliament last week that she "hopes people do not eat McDonalds, Nando's and such things".
This statement upset Nando's to such an extent that it wrote an open letter to the minister, stating that the food served by the fast food chain was not as fatty as people might believe.
It is said that an independent Johannesburg laboratory found that Nando's "certainly had something to crow about" when it came to health matters.
Nando's said it served quality chicken containing little fat that is flame-grilled and nothing unhealthy was added.
'Ill-informed about food'
Nando's in an advertisement in Sunday's papers said: "Let's see whose thighs are slimmer, Minister Tshabalala-Msimang".
The fast food chain said the minister might be passionate about health, but was clearly ill-informed about food.
Tshabalala-Msimang's spokesperson, Sibani Mngadi, retaliated on Monday, saying the ministry "discouraged South Africans to eat unhealthy fast foods, which usually contain a lot of fat, such as oil-fried chicken and potato chips.
"As far as we know, Nando's chickens are not fried in oil and do not fall in the unhealthy foods category.
"However, oil-fried chips sold by Nando's could be classified as unhealthy fast food."
Nando's said its chicken contained 4.5% saturated fat, the burgers contained 3.7% fat and a pita without mayonnaise 1.76% fat.
A bag of peri-peri chips contained only 1.3% fat, which is even lower than that of the chicken.
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