In this article we go along with Mr. Schlosser as he explores the processed food industry. He discusses how flavors and colors are created to hook the American Shopper with the strength of a tractor beam (sorry, I'm a Star Trek fan). Billions of dollars are spent every year concocting aromas, smells, textures and colors that will attract the American eater. I couldn't even pronounce, let alone spell, the names of many of the chemicals that are used.
But the natural stuff is okay, right? WRONG! Check out this excerpt:
"One of the most widely used color additives -- whose presence is often hidden by the phrase "color added" -- violates a number of religious dietary restrictions, may cause allergic reactions in susceptible people, and comes from an unusual source. Cochineal extract (also known as carmine or carminic acid) is made from the desiccated bodies of female Dactylopius coccus Costa, a small insect harvested mainly in Peru and the Canary Islands. The bug feeds on red cactus berries, and color from the berries accumulates in the females and their unhatched larvae. The insects are collected, dried, and ground into a pigment. It takes about 70,000 of them to produce a pound of carmine, which is used to make processed foods look pink, red, or purple. Dannon strawberry yogurt gets its color from carmine, and so do many frozen fruit bars, candies, and fruit fillings, and Ocean Spray pink-grapefruit juice drink."
I don't know about you, but I am disinclined to eat anything red and processed. I'm sure there is a disturbing number of equivalents for each of the "natural" flavors. If using a dehydrated, smushed up bug is a food producer's way of giving the food "natural color," I think I'll pass.
I strongly encourage you to read this article. It just might change the way you think about processed food. I know it sure has me.
No comments:
Post a Comment