Jennifer Pritchett
Northern News Services

NNSL (Nov 30/98) - Glucose syrup, hydrogenated canola oil, sodium caseinate, dipotassium phosphate, monoglycerides, tricalcium phosphate, acetylated tartaric acid esters of mono and diglycerides, artificial flavour, citric acid, BHT, colour -- sound healthy?

Well, nutritional or not, these are the ingredients of one of the North's dietary staples -- coffee whitener.

For obvious reasons that include the difficulties associated with getting the real thing into isolated communities, the white stuff is so popular in some areas that it sells out before the next shipment can be brought in by barge.

Gjoa Haven Co-op store manager Teddy Carter said the item is a hot seller in his community and doubts other places in the NWT are any different.

"We usually order 20 cases of the stuff and we usually run out before the barge gets in again," he said.

The product is, arguably, used more in the North than in any other part of the country.

Aklavik General Store manager Dale Gaetz said the product is used readily and many people often use it because it has become a part of the Northern diet.

"They use... because it's convenient and dairy products are so hard to get," he said. "It sells well."

In fact, for anyone who enjoys coffee, there may not be a choice. The white stuff is found in hotels and coffee shops across the North, often replacing milk altogether. There has even been unsubstantiated reports about mothers using the product in place of baby formula.

Not unlike other processed food, coffee whitener contains all unnatural ingredients, but it hasn't been linked to any particular illness.

According to at least one Northern doctor, the staple is probably not the most healthy choice.

"I'm sure everything is tested by Health Canada -- they have to do that," said internal medicine specialist Dr. John Morse.

"We all like convenient foods, but it's not the healthy choice."

Morse said he is most concerned about the amount of tropical oils found in the product.

"Their primary oil is tropical oil -- it's (one of) their main ingredients," he said. "It promotes hardening of the arteries for sure and it's just not the healthy choice."

He recommends, instead of coffee whitener, canned milk or powered milk.

"Use the more natural source -- at least you're more sure of what you're getting," he said. "I see it as a whole bunch of ingredients put together to simulate something."