Pacini will always be the first restaurant chain in the Canada to eliminate all artificial trans fats from its menu
LA PRAIRIE, QC, Dec. 6 /PRNewswire/ — More than a year after eliminating all artificial trans fats from its menu, Pacini Restaurants is still the only top Canadian restaurant chain to have successfully made this change for the better. In effect, in October 2005, Pacini announced that it had completely eliminated all trans fats in conjunction with a complete overhaul of its menu. Thanks to the direct collaboration of cardiology and nutrition specialists from the Centre hospitalier de l’Universite de Montreal (CHUM), Pacini stands as a pioneer, providing a concrete example of how realistic it is to halt the use of artificial trans fats in its restaurants.
The process of eliminating artificial trans fats
At Pacini, eliminating artificial trans fats began with an in-depth analysis of the thousands of ingredients used throughout its menu, from entrees to desserts, through all its main dishes and even the make-up of our different spreads from our celebrated Bread bar(TM) and famous Delicerise(TM)! Everything a client can eat went under the microscope!
The analysis helped us eliminate all industrially engineered trans fat acids from 216 menu items. “I am happy to say that our experience can serve as an example to our colleagues in the restaurant business south of the border and here in Canada that it is possible to eliminate artificial trans fats from a menu,” said Mr. Pierre Marc Tremblay, president and owner of Restaurants Pacini. Remember that in the winter of 2005, 85% of the ingredients used in the Pacini menu had no artificial trans fats. It’s now been over a year that Pacini has completely withdrawn artificial trans fats from the menu. To do this, the restaurant chain had to totally eliminate hydrogenated oils from all foods. These oils were present, among other things, in the composition of soups and some sauces, the pizza dough, and some desserts. “Nothing was left to chance!” Mr. Tremblay emphasized.
A huge amount of teamwork
“This innovative project came to fruition thanks to the collaboration of the cardiology and clinical nutrition specialists at the CHUM, who jumped at this opportunity to promote health by providing a rigorous analysis of all our recipes and all the foods that are served at Pacini restaurants,” said Mr. Tremblay. He continued, “In addition, the invaluable contribution made by these health experts allows us to assure our client beyond a doubt that artificial trans fats have been entirely eliminated from our menu. In addition, our head chef and all our suppliers joined in the effort, going to great lengths to help us eliminate all artificial trans fats from our menus.”
About Restaurants Pacini
The head office of Restaurants Pacini inc. is located at 170 Taschereau Boulevard, La Prairie. The company has 750 employees and recorded a business volume of almost $31 million for the 2005-06 financial year. Management philosophy is based on total quality when it comes to the products and services that it offers to its customers as well as in its relations with franchisees, employees, and suppliers. For more information, visit the Pacini Web site at www.pacini.ca.
About the CHUM
The Centre hospitalier de l’Universite de Montreal (CHUM) is a university hospital centre that provides specialized and ultra-specialized services to a regional and supra-regional clientele. CHUM also offers general and specialized hospital services for its immediate service area. These services, which contribute to teaching and research and to the evaluation of health-care technologies and intervention methods, are provided on an integrated network basis. CHUM also contributes to the ongoing promotion of health through its front-line services. CHUM was formed with the merger of three Montreal hospitals: Hotel-Dieu, Notre-Dame, and Saint-Luc. CHUM’s 10,000 employees, 900 doctors, 330 researchers, 5,000 students and trainees, and 800 volunteers serve more than half a million patients every year. www.chumontreal.qc.ca
