A must see!!!!! Check out this movie.
Ingredients in food that are added by design
- Aspartame, a fecal matter of E.coli, that causes brain cancer, threat to inborn and so many health effects, it’s just unspeakable.
- Plastic in nuggets, and many kinds of TV meals
- Fluoride in water, a form of forced medication
- Corn that grows its own pesticide in it, linked to organ failure and sterility.
- Genetically modified meat like salmon…
And many many more.
Enjoy
Del Monte packaging: Bananas get second skin | Mail Online.
Mother Nature may have thought she came up with the perfect packaging for the banana, but the man from Del Monte has other ideas.
The company has taken the view the yellow skin is not quite enough, and will sell individually-wrapped bananas at petrol stations, convenience stores, leisure centres and gyms.
The Del Monte bananas will be marketed under the slogan ‘Natural Energy Snack on the Go’.
It’s a wrap: The Del Monte bananas are likely to sell for considerably more than the loose price of around 15 pence
The price has not yet been revealed, but is likely to be significantly higher than the cost of buying a loose banana at a supermarket – typically around 15p.
While the trial may seem bizarre at a time when big businesses are under pressure to reduce packaging waste, Del Monte insists the addition of a clear plastic bag is actually a green measure.
The company claims that the bag contains ‘Controlled Ripening Technology’ – which extends the shelf-life of the banana by up to six days.
The banana is put into the plastic bag when it is green and, according to the manufacturers, goes on to ripen more slowly than if it had been left in the open air.
The product is also being trialled in the U.S. where the wrapped bananas are selling for one dollar each – around 62p.
‘Nature has designed out the need for bananas to have extra packaging even for sale at service stations. It’s the same yellow wrapper that protects them on the supermarket shelf.Gary Porter, of the Environment Board of the Local Government Association, said: ‘The man from Del Monte should say no. This is a backwards step which will contribute to the twin problems of landfill and litter.
‘Retailers and manufacturers need to cut back on packaging, not create more.
‘Every year it costs councils more than £600million in taxes to send waste to landfill. Councils and residents have made great steps in bringing that cost down by increasing recycling but we need the food industry to do much more to reduce the amount of unnecessary packaging.’
James Harvey, Del Monte’s UK managing director, told the Fresh Produce Journal: ‘Del Monte’s new CRT packaging is designed to provide significant carbon footprint savings by reducing the frequency of deliveries and the amount of waste going to landfill. The packaging is also recyclable.
‘It is a great product and consumer feedback shows a marked taste benefit too.’
Navigating the Supermarket Aisles, 140 Characters At A Time | Small Bites.
As you have probably noticed, the majority of my communication these days takes place via Twitter and Facebook. However, this blog has certainly not been shut down or discontinued; case in point — this post!
Given today’s demands for quick-and-at-your-fingertips information, I figured it would be fun to take a Twitter-inspired tour of a supermarket. Below, my 140-characters-or-less recommendations for popular foods.
The space restriction clearly does not allow for all facets to be covered, but it communicates what I believe to be the basics everyone should keep in mind. I compiled this list based on the foods I am most often asked/e-mailed about.
Before hitting the supermarket: Eat something. Prepare yourself with list or tentative weekly menu.
Basic rule: Front of packaging = marketing (ignore!); back of packaging = actual nutrition information (read!).
Baking Aisle: Dried unsweetened shredded coconut = great snack/addition to homemade trail mix!
Beans/Legumes: Top-notch nutrition. Canned? Go low-sodium (or rinse regular under cold running water for 30 secs; this also removes some gas-causing raffinose.
Bread 1: Sprouted grains offer higher amount of minerals. Aim for > 3g fiber & <2 g sugar per slice. Don’t get distracted by # of of grains/seeds.
Bread 2: 100% whole grain w/3 grams fiber offers more nutrition than white flour w/5 grams of fiber from isolated fibers (ie: inulin).
Canned soup: Bean-based best (more fiber & protein). Aim for <700 milligrams sodium in whole can.
Cereal: Whole grain 1st ingredient, <4 grams sugar, >4 grams fiber/serving. No “crunchlets” (artif. flavor + dyes + corn syrup + oil)!
Cheese: Organic whenever possible. Strong flavors (i.e.: parmesan) best; small amounts yield lots of flavor.
Condiments: Prioritize spices (chock-full of flavonoids and antioxidants) over jarred spreads (ketchup, mayonnaise, etc.).
Dairy milk: Organic and grass-fed golden standard. Organic but not grassfed is decent alternative.
Eggs: Here’s the awful truth: humane eggs not sold at supermarkets. For that, get pasture-raised from local farmer or check out info at Animal Welfare Approved.
Frozen aisle: Plain veg, fruit, bean-based burgers (ie: Sunshine Burgers!) great standbys.
Grains: Quinoa & wild rice very easy to cook. Try out! PS: Add splash of canned coconut milk & lime juice to pot when cooking brown rice.
Non-dairy milks: Organic crucial for soymilk. FYI: Plain varieties of most non-dairy milks contain 1.5 teaspoons sugar per serving; choose unsweetened.
Nut/seed butters: Should be one ingredient (ground nut/seed) or two (ground nut/seed + salt). Everything else is unnecessary.
Nuts and seeds: all wonderful; hemp very high in protein, chia very high in fiber. Different nuts/seeds = different healthful properties. Mix & match!
Oatmeal: Go for plain and sweeten yourself with fruit (or just 1 tsp of sweetener of choice). Top w/nuts or seeds for protein & fiber boost.
Oils: Flax, extra virgin olive, and hemp great for salads and raw dips. Virgin olive, peanut, and coconut best for cooking. Avoid corn/cottonseed/soy (too high in omega 6)
Produce 1: #1 priority: colorful variety. Thin/no skin? Choose organic if possible. For best flavor/to support community, buy some local items!
Produce 2: Dark leafy greens a must! Most offer vitamin K & calcium — a 1-2 super-boost for our bones.
Salmon: All Atlantic is farmed. Most canned is wild. Alaskan is only sustainable kind.
Shrimp: Domestic farmed a safer bet; those farmed in Thailand/India exposed to many pesticides, chemicals, and antibiotics.
Tuna: Chunk light lower in mercury than albacore, but if made from skipjack tuna, moderately high. Canned in water best so omega 3s don’t get drained out.
Yogurt 1: Look for “Live & Active Cultures” seal. Greek = more protein, less calcium. Plain best (but Siggi’s has flavors w/little added sugar).
Yogurt 2: If it comes in a tube and is brighter than lipstick, it’s “nogurt”.
China’s battle against melamine-tainted milk continues.
With almost 100 people currently in custody and thousands of tonnes of contaminated product seized in China over the last six months, melamine-tainted milk powder is a problem that just will not go away for Beijing.
The State Council’s Food Safety Commission announced Thursday that since July 2010 it had recovered 2,132 tonnes of milk powder laced with the industrial chemical.
Some 96 offenders had already been imprisoned or were awaiting prosecution. Among these, 17 have already been convicted, with two handed life sentences, said state-run Chinese media. Trials were pending for 38 people, while 41 investigations were currently ongoing.
The seizures of the material were thought to be leftover from swoops made during the scandal in 2008 rather than the because new batches had been produced, said authorities. Tainted samples, that the Government ordered to be burnt, buried or disposed of, had been saved and then earmarked for re-introduction into circulation.
The food safety body said loopholes in the quality control system of dairy products had been responsible for allowing the contaminated powder to re-emerge. Almost 200 officials had been punished – with 26 losing their jobs – over neglect of duty, it added.
The scandal erupted in 2008 when a number of dairy producers in China were found to be adding melamine to milk powder to make it appear the protein content of the product was higher than it actually was.
Investigations initially revealed that the company Sanlu was at the centre of the practice but subsequent scrutiny revealed at least 21 other firms were involved. The contamination led to six deaths and the sickening of at least 300,000 others.
Two officials were executed for their role in the scandal in late 2009.
Test for nine different sweeteners adopted as European standard.
A single test capable of identifying nine different sweeteners and their dosages in drinks and packaged fruits has become a European standard.
The JRC test method can measure nine different sweeteners simultaneously
The European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) has approved the test to measure levels of sweeteners in foodstuffs as a European standard (EN 15911:2010).
This means that the test will be used by national standard organisations in the EU as well as Croatia, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland to evaluate sweetener levels in both imported products and food from within the EU.
Sweeteners under the microscope
Developed by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) at the European Commission in 2007, the test uses liquid chromatographic with evaporative light scattering detection to measure sweetener levels.
It is able to simultaneously test for six EU authorised sweeteners including acesulfame-K (ACS-K), aspartame (ASP), cyclamic acid (CYC), saccharin (SAC), sucralose (SUC), neotame (NEO) and neohesperidine dihydrochalcone (NHDC). The method can also test for two non-authorised sweeteners: alitame (ALI) and dulcin (DUL).
In a single analysis, the method identifies which sweeteners have been used and shows whether the concentrations of the authorised ones are within maximum dosage limits.
Intelligent ink monitors cold chain temperatures for chilled and frozen foods.
A new labelling system for chilled and frozen products uses intelligent temperature-sensitive ink to monitor how effectively the cold chain has been preserved throughout the supply chain, said BASF.
OnVu label with intelligent temperature-sensitive ink
The German-based company said its OnVu ICE label is able to “memorise temperature” and provide a visual indication of the current state of chilled or deep-frozen foods. The label changes colour depending on temperature – with the darker its colour, the better the cold chain has been maintained. The system is more effective than relying on ‘best before’ dates, said BASF.
“Manufacturers, retailers and consumers will soon be able to tell at a glance whether ice cream, pizza, fish or any other products were kept constantly deep-frozen or should rather be discarded because the cold chain was interrupted significantly,” said Martin Angehrn, project manager at BASF Future Business. “OnVu labels, which sort of memorize temperature, help to keep chilled and frozen products fresh.”
Thermometer symbol
The temperature sensitive ink is printed as a thermometer symbol and can be added to a product label or stamped directly onto packaging in-line, said the firm.
The indicator at the centre of the thermometer is activated by means of ultraviolet (UV) light – which causes it to turn dark blue. The label provides a visual monitor of the cold chain.
“As long as the centre is darker than or the same as the reference colour, there has not been any significant interruption in the cold chain and the best before date shown on the packaging remains valid,” said BASF.
The colour of the labels become lighter with the passing of time as the “best by’ date approaches or if the cold chain is broken. The company confirmed that the speed of the colour change process and the temperatures that trigger it can be customized.
In frozen foods, the ink remains dark blue as long as the temperature is continually kept at -18C. The higher the temperature rises, the faster the colour changes.
“When the temperature rises to cause thawing, these foods should be consumed immediately,” Angehrn added.
