If you have read several of my past articles, there is an underlying theme of healthy food to maintain healthy bodies which spans gardening, antioxidants, herbs, beverages, permaculture, and homeopathy. Yet with all of this information, can you really make an intelligent decision without knowing exactly what it is you’re buying at the store? Let me give you a few examples. A busy working mother wants to restrict the amount of sugar her children are receiving, so she decides to give them apple juice instead of soft drinks, only to find out that the apple juice contains high levels of arsenic. A father purchases red snapper to grill out for a family dinner this past weekend, only to find out that the fish he received was actually tile fish which contains high levels of mercury, potentially poisoning his family. A young couple in love, save up their money, longing for a nice dinner out on the town to celebrate their one year anniversary. They order an appetizer of calamari, and generally finish a nice meal. The next day his wife reads the headlines that pig anus (bung) could be sold in place of calamari to unsuspecting diners, you can imagine the look of horror on her face and the sickening in her stomach.
Every one of the stories listed above is a true example of food fraud. So we understand the definition of fraud, “an act of deceiving or misrepresenting”. Most of the time this is done to sell a lesser valued good at a higher cost, and sometimes this is done without the knowledge of the party as in the case if improper identification. Both types of fraud are currently being used in this country at the present time. With this in mind I want to do two things, the first is to make you aware of potential fraudulent food products to watch for, and secondly to inspire you to take up the cause to become a truth in food labeling advocate. So let’s look at known food products that have been exposed for fraudulent food claims in recent past.
- Corn syrup being passed on pure honey
- Tilefish in place of red snapper
- Escolar posing as white tuna
- Pig anus in place of calamari
- Apple juice laced with arsenic
- Rice with high arsenic levels
- Vegetable oil in place of olive oil
- Grape juice in place of pomegranate juice
- Genetically modified food without any labeling
- Corn syrup sold in place of orange juice concentrate
- Trout with added coloring being sold as salmon
- Milk permeates (by products) are added back into the milk to reduce their total cost for the product
- High fructose corn syrup synthetic blueberries added to cereals, bagels, breads, and health bars
- Teas diluted with fillers like lawn grass and fern leaves
- 100% lemon juice that contained 15-25% real lemon with added water and sugar
- Many synthetic food dyes, colorings, and additives that have unwanted affects on children
This is not a complete listing of the food aberrations that have been presented to us under the disguise of healthy safe food. So what exactly can you do, you can join the grassroots movement to build a sustainable food system that protects our natural environment, sustains farmers and nourishes families. The organizations listed below are working to safeguard your food, join the movement, get involved by asking your local grocer the hard questions about the origin of the food they sell, shop regularly at grocers that are moving toward truth in labeling such as Whole Food Markets and others.
So until we can safely protect and supply our families with healthy food, I will continue to write.
With personal and professional regards - Vince
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