UAE's First Krispy Kreme Opens In Dubai Despite High Obesity Rate

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US doughnut and coffee chain Krispy Kreme opened its first UAE outlet in the Deira City Center shopping mall yesterday, the first of seven stores planned for the country this year.

The North-Carolina-based food company, which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, aims to roll out 100 stores throughout the Middle East in the next five years.

According to the company's nutritional webpage, one Krispy Kreme glazed sour cream doughnut boasts 340 calories, and an original glazed doughnut has 4 grams of trans fats. Some varieties have as much as 7 grams (apple fritters). Trans fats are known to increase risk of heart disease, diabetes and are also linked to obesity and liver dysfunction.

The doughnuts store opens despite the fact that the UAE currently holds one of the highest obesity rates in the world - higher than the United States - because of easy access to high calorie foods and a sedentary lifestyle. One in five adults in the region also suffers from one of the many obesity-related illnesses, diabetes. In the UAE, 74% of women are obese or overweight according to a 2005 report by the International Obesity Task Force, a London-based think tank.

The first Krispy Kreme outlet opened in 1937 after founder Vernon Carver Rudolph secured a doughnut recipe from a French chef- Krispy Kreme produces 7.5 million doughnuts daily throughout the world. - 14 million doughnuts will have been produced in the UAE's seven planned stores by the end of the year.- In 2001 the company opened its first store outside the United States near Toronto, Canada.

Read Also:
Krispy Kreme to open amid continuing obesity concerns (ArabianBusiness.com)
Krispy Creme gives Dubai a bite of its doughnuts (Emirates Evening Post)
Krispy Kreme outlet opens tomorrow (Gulf News)
UAE to formulate anti-obesity plan (Gulf News)
UAE's First Krispy Kreme Opens In Dubai Despite High Obesity Rate (UAE Community Blog)