Fraudulent Foods

Today's article is on fraudulent foods. What do Smucker's Simply Fruit, Multigrain Tostitos, Special K Fruit & Yogurt, Sarah Lee Fruits of the Forrest Deep Dish Pie, Kellogg's Eggo Multi-Grain Pancakes, Gerber Graduates for Toddlers Juice Treats, Enviga and DanActive "Immunity Dairy Drink" all have in common? They've all made the list of Food Frauds at the website of the Center For Science In The Public Interest. Take a look; I think you'll be impressed.

I see one item on the Ten Worst List that I took home from an upscale fast food chain last week. Fortunately I didn't need a prescription for the chicken in it (if you get the hint). Of course, no one made me eat the whole thing, but it was delicious. I would suspect that a wealth of information is available in their newsletter which comes out ten times per year for an annual cost of ten dollars.

One food that made their 10 Best List is peeled, diced butternut squash that's ready to cook. They even suggest putting it in a stirfry, which sounds interesting to me. See what you think at:

http://www.cspinet.org/nah/foodfrauds.html

For a list of Dangers and Frauds Hidden In Our Food take a look at this article; it's a real eye opener. See for yourself at:

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Dangers-and-Frauds-Hidden-in-Our-Food-58102.shtml

FoodIngredientsFirst.com has an excellent website. The sight is run by CNS Media in the Netherlands, but we are definitely living in a global economy. A look at the names of the corporations referred to in the news articles there will be largely recognizable to you.

The lead story tells about how food detectives spot fraudulent fruit juices by comparing the known "polyphenol fingerprints" of the juice to the juice being tested for adulteration. Very interesting news that affects the manufacture of food. See for yourself at:

http://www.foodingredientsfirst.com/newsmaker_article.asp?idNewsMaker=16077&fSite=AO545&category=25&page=1

A Fuller Spectrum of the News by msnbc.com has an article called Foods That Fool by Elizabeth Somer outlining fifteen misleading foods, which is worth a look if you want to eat as healthy as you think you are. Find it at:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22804803/?GT1=10755&pg=1#TDY_FoodsThatFool

If you use spirulina (blue-green algae) you might want to check out the web article George Nava True II. He is also kind enough to include the rebuttal from the Yoga.org.nz I'll have to say, I'm sorry George, I have spirulina in my green drink powder that I add to smoothies, and I'm more swayed by the argument of the pro-use side. (To each his own). See this great debate, entitled Spirulina: Health Food or Fraud at:

http://yoga.org.nz/users/truehealth/Spirulina.htm

I see a bit of irony in the fact that the poster of the site is actually the yoga.org.nz, since we're talking about trickery. Still, I'm on their side.

A story on adulterated Basmati rice, using DNA fingerprints to check for genetically modified foods, geographic identifiers, satellite monitoring, and chemical analysis to track food back to its native soil are some of the methods the food industry is resorting to for stopping the dilution of the food supply before it reaches them for processing. This is another global industrial website out of the UK this time but very interesting. The small consumer is certainly not the only one who needs to stay on his toes. Get the vision at:

http://environment.newscientist.com/channel/earth/mg19225771.900-buyer-beware-the-rise-of-food-fraud.html