A press conference and panel discussion on the health benefits of Canola oil were organized by Al Ghurair Foods at Sheraton Hotel in Damascus last month. The event, which brought together a number of leading doctors, nutritionists, foods manufacturers, and noted businessmen as well as Syrian media representatives all under one roof, aimed to raise awareness of the consumers about heart healthy Canola oil and its proven role in helping reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases thereby leading to a healthier lifestyle.
The press conference commenced with a speech delivered by Mohammed Essa Al Ghurair, Head of Business Unit – Edible Oils at Al Ghurair Foods, in which he stressed his company's keen interest in promoting and providing its customers with healthy and highly nutritious food products.
"Jenan Canola Oil is one of the high quality edible oils produced by Al Ghurair Foods, and is considered the best and healthiest vegetable oil as it contains a high rate of unsaturated fats and is cholesterol free," said Al Ghurair adding that Canola Oil has a mark of approval by the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) since 2006.
He said the company's oil refinery, the largest of its kind in the Middle East and located at Jebel Ali, has a capacity of producing 90,000 MT of oils, including 2,800 MT of Canola oil per day. Al Ghurair noted that due to the increasing demand for Canola oil around the world for its remarkable nutritious characteristics, the company started educating and creating various awareness drives on heart healthy Canola during the past four years.
Mohammed Joud, General Manager of the Syria-based JOUD Marketing Company which distributes Jenan Canola Oil in Syria, stressed his company's interest in providing consumers in Syrian with the best food products. "We started distributing Jenan Canola Oil in the Syrian market 3 years ago during which we secured a 9% rise in sales with another 20% increase during 2009 only," said Joud.
Dr. Fawzi Al Shami, A reputed Syrian Surgeon and Member of the Arab Surgeons League, told the participants of the press conference about the healthy aspects of using Canola oil in food due to its nutritious contents of Omega-3 and Omega-6 and the highest level of unsaturated fats.
"Canola Oil contains 93% good fats compared to 85% in olive and soya bean oils and 88% in sunflower oil. Medical studies showed that by shifting to healthier oil with a higher level of good fats, the consumer reduces his risk of heart disease," said Dr. Al Shami. He added that it also improves the body's immune system, preserves the levels of good cholesterol (HDL), and above all, it is accredited by reputed international health organizations
On his part, Dr. Ziad Zoudi, a Syrian Nutritionist, pointed out that Canola Oil is free of cholesterol and trans fats. He noted that oils usually contain good fats that lower the risk of heart diseases and bad fats which increase the risk of heart diseases. 'The key is to replace the bad fats (saturated fats) with good fats (unsaturated fats) in our diet, and we can do that simply by using Canola oil which contain the higher level of good fats among other oils," said Dr. Zoudi.
Representatives of the Syrian media had the chance to discuss more details about Canola oil during an in-depth discussion that took place in the press conference.
