News: Cronut burger stand at the CNE shut down

In its 135th year, the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) isn’t just an attraction for the rides, entertainment and culture. In fact, the CNE’s food building is probably now one of the main attractions, where patrons may spend hours indulging in the latest food fads. This year, the cronut burger created a lot of hype. At $10 and more than 7,000 calories, the beef patty is sandwiched between a donut made by deep-frying a croissant pastry. Toppings include cheese and a bacon maple jam.

A reported 12 people have fallen ill after eating at the CNE this year, with five in hospital being treated for minor gastrointestinal problems. While the food stand that sells the cronut burger, Epic Burgers and Waffles, has been closed pending invetigation by Toronto Public Health, I’m not sure that the cronut burger is the only food to blame.

Other food indulgences include Nutella on everything from fries to ice cream and the Canuck burger (which consists of bacon, bacon and more bacon).

And one visitor to the CNE’s food building told CBC News that “his wife became sick after eating the cronut burger, as well as seafood chowder fries, ice cream waffles and a smoothie." Another man said he felt sick after eating a cronut burger, plus "a Canuck burger, sweet potato fries, poutine and a Philly cheesesteak.”

These two patrons easily ate more than 10,000 calories’and possibly more than 20,000 calories’in a single day. And that’s not uncommon of visitors to the food building. Sure, there are a few healthy options at the food building, but the spotlight shines on these high-calorie food trends.

Everyone knows the cronut burger isn’t healthy, and odds are, you’re not going to feel great after eating it. So why is it such an attraction?

Related:
‘ News: Heart Attack Grill customer dies of a heart attack
‘ Debate: Should Canada put a tax on fatty foods?
‘ News: Are we making our children fat?

Image credit: LexnGer via Flickr