Clover Leaf Weighs In On Canada's Obsession With Large Portion, High-Calorie Fast Food

Company challenges consumers to take a good hard look at their take-out habits and "re-invent fast food"

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TORONTO, Sept. 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ - Clover Leaf Seafoods, the company behind the popular Take 5 recipes (5 ingredients and ready in 5 minutes), is launching a bold new national campaign that pits every day, high-calorie take-out against its own "fast food" recipes for old-time favourites like pizza, tacos, Pad Thai, shawarma, burritos and even the classic burger with bacon and cheese.

Clover Leaf enlisted the help of celebrity chef Michael P. Clive to develop the new recipes - all tasty, easy-to-make, low-calorie and high protein versions of standard fast food fare. Each recipe includes simple instructions and ingredients, as well as an eyebrow-raising calorie profile that pits each recipe against a traditional fast food menu counterpart.

All recipes were developed using Clover Leaf's Flavoured Tuna products, including Lemon & Pepper, Sundried Tomato & Basil, Tomato & Onion, Spicy Thai Chili, Dill & Lemon, Spicy Peanut Satay and Garlic & Hot Pepper.

"You can lose up to 7.5 pounds in the course of a year if you eliminate just 500 calories from your diet every week," said Michael P. Clive, who also worked with Clover Leaf to develop the popular Take 5 recipes. "And this is easily done by swapping a single, high-calorie fast food meal with a low-calorie and high protein version."

Some of the fast food offenders on Clover Leaf's hit list may be surprising. A common Pad Thai dish from a local Canadian food court restaurant chain can weigh in at a whopping 1,400 calories. Compare that to Clover Leaf's Spicy Tuna Pad Thai at 310 calories. Clover Leaf's new fast food recipes also provide healthy side dish and beverage alternatives such as fruits and vegetables and citrus-flavoured water.

"Much of the fast food out there is short on nutrition and usually high in fat, calories, and sodium - and it's often served in very large portions," said Clive. "Beyond basic calorie counting, Clover Leaf's fast food recipes offer a healthy balance of protein, essential nutrients and vitamins that let you leave the dinner table feeling satisfied and more likely to keep pounds off." 

A recent survey by Technomic, a leading fact-based consulting and research firm serving the food industry, found that the fast food industry accounts for $25 billion or about 60 per cent of all restaurant sales in Canada. The survey also found that North American burger consumption has grown considerably since 2009, with nearly half of consumers reporting indulging in a burger at least once a week compared with 38 per cent two years ago.

CLOVER LEAF RE-INVENTS FAST FOOD

* Take-out calories as provided publicly by leading fast food restaurants across Canada. Actual calories may vary. Portions are based on suggested servings. Take-out portions are typically larger, often meaning more food is consumed versus the recommended Clover Leaf meals which fall in line with Canada's Food Guide portion sizes.

Clover Leaf's new "fast food" recipes include: Clover Leaf Spicy Tuna Pad Thai, Personal Naan Pizza, Chili Thai Tacos, Original Shawarma, Hooked on Tuna Burrito, and the Clover Leaf Captain Burger with Bacon and Cheese. Find them all at www.cloverleaf.ca.

About Clover Leaf Seafoods
Clover Leaf Seafoods is Canada's largest branded shelf stable seafood company. For more than 100 years Clover Leaf has been dedicated to providing consumers with high quality canned and ready-to-serve seafood products. In addition to household seafood staples, such as canned tuna and salmon, Clover Leaf offers a wide variety of flavoured tuna, smoked oysters and mussels, as well as specialty seafoods including canned crab, shrimp, herring, sardines and clams. Clover Leaf is Canada's leading brand of canned tuna and canned salmon. Clover Leaf Seafoods is a subsidiary of Connor Bros. L.P. For more information, please visit http://www.cloverleaf.ca/.

SOURCE Clover Leaf Seafoods

Image with caption: "Clover Leaf(R) Captain Burger with Bacon and Cheese (CNW Group/Clover Leaf Seafoods)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20110928_C7030_PHOTO_EN_3907.jpg

Image with caption: "Clover Leaf(R) Personal Naan Pizza (CNW Group/Clover Leaf Seafoods)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20110928_C7030_PHOTO_EN_3908.jpg

Image with caption: "Clover Leaf(R) Spicy Tuna Pad Thai (CNW Group/Clover Leaf Seafoods)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20110928_C7030_PHOTO_EN_3909.jpg