The following is the response that I received to a question about
Spectrum coconut oils and their suitability for use in cooking,
etc.

Todd Moody
[log in to unmask]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 15 May 2001 16:13:49 -0700
From: Cathy Berg <[log in to unmask]>
To: "[log in to unmask]" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: FW: Coconut oil


        Dear Mr. Moody:

        Thank you for taking the time to contact us about Spectrum's
Coconut Oil products.  I apologize for the delay in response to your
message.  Due to the increasing number of inquiries we receive about our
certified organic products, we have experienced a backlog.  We thank you
for your patience.

        We produce two Coconut Oil products:  Refined Coconut Oil and
Certified Organic Semi-Refined Coconut Oil.

        Our Refined Coconut Oil is chemically (Hexane) extracted.  It is
edible, but because of the chemical extraction, we recommend it for hair
and skin care.

        Our Organic Coconut Oil, which is recommended for cooking, is
grown and processed according to the strict organic standards of Quality
Assurance International and the California Organic Foods Act of 1990.
No solvents or chemicals are used in the expeller-pressed extraction
process.  This product tolerates high heat cooking very well.

        Our Coconut Oils and all of our other oils are non-hydrogenated.

        We do not have information on the amount of tocotrienols in our
Coconut Oils, but according to the article about the tocotrienols in
palm oil at Web site www.mpopc.org.my/abtenbopo3.htm, coconut oil may
contain a small amount of tocotrienols (tocotrienols would not be
removed by our processing).  On page two of the palm oil Web site, there
is a comparison chart of various oils and the tocopherols and
tocotrienols they contain.  Another Web site with information on
tocotrienols in palm oil is
www.solgar.com/nutrition_library/articles/tocotrienols.html.

        For a much better source of tocotrienols, you may be interested
in our new Organic Shortening made from 100% organic mechanically
pressed palm oil.  It is an all vegetable, non-hydrogenated, trans fat
free, non-GMO shortening available in a 42 oz. net wt. container, and it
cooks and bakes just like conventional shortening.

        We appreciate your interest in Spectrum Organic Products.  If we
can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact us again.
Your questions, comments, and suggestions are always welcome.

        Best regards,
        Cathy Berg
        Spectrum Organic Products, Inc.
        [log in to unmask]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: T. Moody [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Monday, April 09, 2001 6:53 AM
> To:   [log in to unmask]
> Subject:      Coconut oil
>
> Hello.  As  a general thing, Spectrum Coconut Oil is sold in health
> food
> stores in the skin care products section.  I understand that many
> people
> don't want to consume coconut oil because it is high in SFAs, but some
> of
> us nevertheless believe that coconut oil is a very healthy product.
> So I
> would like to verify that the Spectrum product is indeed a food-grade
> oil
> that is not damaged by either hydrogenation or hexane residues.  Is
> this
> the case?  Also, do you know whether any of the valuable tocotrienols
> remain in the oil?
>
> Thank you.
>
> Todd Moody
> [log in to unmask]