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Kate’s diet guru faces legal threat

The French College of Physicians has filed complaints against Dr. Pierre Dukan, whose Dukan Diet is supposedly followed by the Duchess of Cambridge among others, for suggesting dieting should be included in the school curriculum.

 

Kate's diet guru faces legal threat
Photo: Government of Alberta

The Duchess of Cambridge and Jennifer Lopez are among those reported to have followed the controversial high protein Dukan diet.

But the doctor is now facing legal action in France. In January, Dukan suggested dieting should be included in the curriculum of the French Baccalaureat high-school exam. Dukan called for the creation of a dieting course in schools and said pupils who maintained normal body weight should be given extra points.

The Paris branch of the French College of Physicians has lodged a complaint against Dukan and insists he breached the code of medical practice, French radio Europe 1 reports. The branch says Dukan should have been aware his call could harm teenagers who are struggling with weight loss of anorexia.

But the legal battle does not stop there. The French College of Physians is also attacking the Dukan empire. It says his commercial practices are not compatible with the code of medical practice and accuses the Dukan firm, which boasts a turnover of 100 millions euros, of being driven by money alone.

Dukan who risks being struck off the medical register if complaints against him are found to be justified, is currently touring in the United States.

FOOD AND DRINK

Cheese in numbers: France’s obsession with fromage

From cheese types to the amount eaten per year, via cheese favourites - here's a look at how France really feels about fromage.

Cheese in numbers: France’s obsession with fromage

March 27th is the Journée nationale du fromage in France – so here are a few facts about the delicious dairy delicacy.

246

Charles de Gaulle famously once asked of governing France: “How can anyone govern a country with 246 varieties of cheese?”.

His numbers were wrong. Producers in France make closer to 1,000 varieties of cheese – and some have estimated that figure could be pushed up as high as 1,600.

8

The number of cheese ‘families’ in France. A good cheeseboard in France is generally considered to consist of at least three ‘families’ – a soft cheese, a hard cheese and either a blue or a goat’s cheese. Remember, too, an odd number of fromages on a platter is better than an even number, according from cheese etiquettists

READ ALSO France Facts: There are eight cheese families in France

2.5

About how long – in years – it would take you to try every cheese made in France, if you tried a new variety every day. Life goals. 

95

The percentage of people in France who say they eat cheese at least once a week, spending seven percent of their weekly food bill on it.

READ ALSO Best Briehaviour: Your guide to French cheese etiquette

40

Two-fifths of French people say they eat cheese every day

57

The amount of cheese produced, in kilogrammes, in France every second, according to this website, which has a counter to show you how fast that really is. It’s estimated that 1.8 million tonnes of cheese are produced in France every year.

27

The French consume, on average, a whopping 27 kilogrammes of cheese per person per year.

READ ALSO Fonduegate: Why customer service is different in France

3

The three most popular cheeses in France, based on sales, are Emmental, Camembert, and Raclette – followed by mozzarella, goat’s cheese, Comté and Coulommiers.

63

Some 63 cheeses have been awarded the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée status, which means they can only be produced in a certain region.

1

France has – or at least soon will have – one dedicated cheese museum. 

READ ALSO Three things to know about the new Paris cheese museum

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