Is all of this stuff actually bad for you though? Since it has been approved by the FDA doesn't that mean it is safe to consume the small amount that is in your food?
1
@alpenglow Not even close. The FDA is a joke.
4
@alpenglow The FDA works on a principle of "it has to be proven unsafe to be banned" instead of the better "don't add it unless it is proven safe"
2
Uranium-235 is all natural. That doesn't mean I should spread it on my toast in the morning,
6
@ytf I'd like to spread you on my morning toast.
I'm sorry, intrusive thoughts.
2
I think this article explains it pretty well:
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/beaver-butt-goo-vanilla-flavoring
1
In a dialogue with a blind man, Peter Boyle who played Frankenstein in the movie Young Frankenstein (1974), discovers that "fire bad", while the blind man insists that fire is good. I always remember that dialogue when the discussion pertains to natural vs manmade food, food ingredients or food additives. The common assumption among the public that "natural" is safe and "manmade" is suspect is contrary to current scientific knowledge. What is natural anyway? Not even the FDA is sure that such a thing exists, except in the branding practices of savvy marketeers.. Take tap water, considered by most as natural. Well, in order to flocculate the organic matter that it contains originally (Nice words for dirt), upon treatment the pH is regulated with sodium hydroxide, commonly known as caustic soda (Yikes!). Then aluminum sulphate is added (Ouch!) to make the flocs heavy enough to sediment at the button. Then it's time to filter with activated charcoal. And finally the water is disinfected with chlorine (Not to worry, tap water should not contain more than 4 p.p.m. of chlorine), chloramine, or chlorine dioxide, or ozone or UV light. Some legislations allow for the use of fluoride. Conclusion: food processors and food technologists also have families that are consumers and it would be inconceivable that they would poison their loved ones for money and on purpose.
I have tried the "naturally" flavored carbonated waters, and they make me nauseated. I don't know why, granted it's usually on an empty stomach in the mornings, but I have no problems with Coke, or root beer-- just the flavored waters. It's not the case with non-flavored carbonated waters.
1
I use soda stream to make seltzer and add a tiny amount of juice to make my own natural sodas. Much cheaper as well.
4
"Natural Flavors" are risky for people with celiac because who knows what is actually in them. The US needs to enact stricter labeling laws that identify gluten and all major allergens in every component of food/beverage manufacturing. The onus should be on the manufacturer to identify what is in its product.
This is a serious matter of health and safety for millions of American consumers.
10
Natural flavors are a danger to Lupus patients who cannot eat garlic. Garlic contains three substances that can trigger lupus flares. All the ingredients of "natural flavors" should be identified. this loop hole needs to close NOW.
10
As someone who suffers migraines that are often triggered by so-called "Natural Flavors" I know all too well the havoc these sorts of additives can wreak on someone
6
How about flavored waters? Chemicals?
1
@Anitakey Drink Spindrift. More expensive, but no flavors, just a tiny amount of actual juice and carbonated water.
2
Follow Flavcity on TikTok, he talks about all the brands he loves that shy away from "natural flavors"
4
It’s scary, natural flavors are in everything. Knowing that they come from, flavor labs in NJ, something that I’ve seen with my own eyes is something that a lot of people are in the dark about. They think they are indeed ‘natural’ so the eat or drink with abandon. The food companies AND flavor companies should be held responsible and only add to the poor health epidemic of this country. If you see something that says natural flavor put it back on the shelf. PERIOD.
4
Imagine how much waste we'd be stopping and how much money we'd be saving if we all satisfied our thirst with regular, safe, and free municipal tap water.
11
but. Michigan????
5
@N
I just re-checked my water bill. Not free.
But stilll a good idea.
3
I have noticed that food prepared by Conagra has several additives such as xantham gum and maltodextrin which give me the same headache I get from msg. Let me also ask why there is an attempt to rehabilitate msg by saying there is no truth to the belief that even a small amount of it can cause headaches?
3
@famglass Agree completely re msg. I don't care how many studies says it's fine -perhaps it affects different people differently? I suspect dehydration/a diuretic response may be part of the issue but I can absolutely feel that msg is unhealthy for my body and refuse to purchase anything that contains msg or any of its disguised substitutes such as yeast extract etc.
2
I tried Breyers all-natural Lactose-Free ice cream and like it, but it almost put me in the Hospital. The 'natural flavor' in the ingredients must be MSG, in which I am highly allergic to, started getting headaches and getting sick, found out it was the MSG in the Lactose-Free ice cream
3
That absurd, made-up lie, by that 'former guy's' lawyer may just make a bit of sense if you turn it on its heard and squint: 'Truth isn't Truth' - at least for Breyer's Natural Vanilla.
3
There was a local store, a number of years back, with a gigantic sign over their produce stating that the used only all-natural petroleum products on their apples. Seriously.
I have a friend who has an allergy to ginger. The "flavoring" label doesn't cut it. Nor does "natural flavoring" - nor does "may contain traces..." I've found peanut oil in vanilla ice cream.
The US Organics guidelines are ludicrous. Order the inch-thick tome, seriously, and read it. You'll see gems like "Make a good faith effort to get organic seed." "If the area hasn't been planted for five years, it's organic." and a bunch more. Along with mountains of paperwork so that on-demand the farmer can "prove" the guidelines were followed. This is why many producers have gone with "organic principled" labeling; the official rules are often so loose as to be nonexistent.
Labels should include all the ingredients, that they don't is criminal.
9
The history of food processing is filled with ingredients that were initially considered as safe and desirable. Chemicals and food additives estimated at around 80,000 whose effects on our health is untested are the foundation of our everyday products like shampoos, soaps, face creams, and tooth pastes and packaged foods. They are the Botox of our food and cosmetics industry. We all eat prepared foods made using state-of-the-art technology. And we don’t know what this diet might be doing to us. Technological developments over the past two decades have meant that we can now engineer tiny particles much more easily – Nanotechnology. Its use in the food industry is booming, even as human health research is limited. They are currently used to change the texture, appearance and flavour of various foods.
7
@Ramakrishna “ We all eat prepared foods made using state-of-the-art technology.”
Speak for yourself.
2
Can we just skip the manufactured one-use containers and industrialized, flavored water, etc.? That's all it is. Can we afford drink liquids transported long distances, and using resources from some other community? Support local producers, skip the waste. Thanks.
11
I bought a "Vanilla" syrup that had no vanilla in the list of ingredients. The label did not even claim to have "natural" flavors. If a company can get away with it, there is no "truth" in advertising or labelling.
4
I didn't understand how much could be hidden under "natural flavors"until my oldest woke up with a terrible rash after eating a popular brand of organic yogurt the night before. The yogurt was the only new food he had tried that day, so I called customer service to ask if they could possibly tell me what natural flavors their product contained. I was told it was a trade secret that they didn't have to divulge. She encouraged me to get him tested for allergies and to then share that information with them. Lol. I replied it was easier and less traumatic for my child to just never buy their product again. She couldn't have cared less, nor could the FDA or legislators. Forcing full disclosure on food ingredients makes more sense and is more helpful than any of the ridiculousness currently being pursued in most state legislatures.
26
It is particularly bad issue for those with Celiac. It shouldn't be hard, in theory, to find foods that don't contain wheat gluten (literally poison to someone with Celiac) but there is so much cross contamination in just about all processed foods. For example, unless its certified, there is no oatmeal on the market that doesn't contain wheat.
Now add to that the fact that you have no idea what might be in the 'natural flavors' that are listed on everything from flavored waters to chicken breast.
12
chemical free... that is the ultimate headscratcher.
7
True. Everything is chemical.
Water is a chemical.
2
@Ben
Technically yes - and a tomato is a fruit. The point being is that nobody thinks of either them that way. Methyl cyclopentenolone, on the other hand...
7
That picture is more than 20 years old (at least). Soda bottles haven't had that bottom "cup" in years!
Sundance Sparkler is from the 80's-90's too.
As well as Clearly Canadian.
No Bartles & James? ;-)
5
@Phil L
I still occasionally buy Clearly Canadian when I see it at the store, gives me flashbacks to the 90s.
5
@Phil L
Well, the seltzer label does say "Vintage".
Clearly Canadian was a dead giveaway.
3
I loved Clearly Canadian in the early 90s. I haven’t had in it in almost 20 years though.
1
Even the bread in every other country tastes better.
11
Every other country makes fun of how bad we are at bread. We have some good bread, but it is a far smaller percentage of our total bread than every other country.
I blame industrial factory bread which has dominated the market here.
7
@Ben
I am very fortunate in that there are easily six or more local bakeries that make amazing bread - out of "real"/basic ingredients. It is sad that something so fundamental can be hard to find.
3
@Ben, "Every other country makes fun of how bad we are at bread."
bread, and
beer,
coffee,
cheese,
chocolate,
pasta,
pizza,
•
•
•
6
I wonder who actually asks these kinds of questions? I mean, really, are some folks that naive?
Whenever I see "natural ingredients" or "natural flavors" on a product I know it contains anything but...
Even better is when products that have never contained any wheat product and never will are touted as being "gluten free". Reminds me of the old 7Up ads -- "no caffeine -- never had it; never will". Kind of obvious for a "lemon-lime" soda.
Hmmm...I wonder if 7Up is made with "natural flavors"?
6
@George S.
Many non cola sodas like Mountain Dew have caffeine so it's not so strange to emphasize that 7-Up doesn't .
Many items that are theoretically gluten-free like oat breads may have additives that contain gluten. If you have celiac, it matters .
That's the point of this article. You have to read between the lines and even then be wary or cautious if it's a health threat to you.
20
@George S. If a factory/processing plant also is making something that contains wheat some wheat can get aerosolized and contaminate a naturally gluten free product. Certification can answer that questions. I see a lot of items that say manufactured in a plant that also does foods with : peanuts, wheat etc so people know that allergans may be present
1
Thrilled NYT wrote this up. True. True. True. Now we need an article about the need for a movement to ban these. Our family has avoided them for more than a decade. Shopping is nearly impossible, and eating out is absolutely. We all deserve healthy food. What a concept - the right not to be poisoned.
26
@C
Yes - ban the "bad" chemical additives, I agree...but apparently, meanwhile the plastic containers are also getting into our bloodstream! Yikes.
6
@C
We eat out only where we can see our food being prepared. This means, Parsley and CA Fish Grill. We order plain salads we add our own dressing to and fresh made fish and chicken and beef right there. We also ate at Gyro Corner and Fontana in Queens. I am sure there are more good places. We will find them. Parsley, lets you pick your own ingredients for your salad all right there in front of you. The freshest and the very best there is. You can also watch them make the sandwich wraps. It is hard to fight against the food lobby and the sugar lobby and the dairy lobby and the meat and poultry lobbying and all the other lobbying efforts who not only say what goes but have office on K street in Washington as if they were elected. Mike Mina of Tyson Foods was on the baseball field with Rep. Scalise when he was shot. The lobbyists for the industries exert almost complete control over their own rules and regulations of which there are few. The Sugar lobbying efforts have kept sugar information off nutrition labels for so long now it seems normal and its not. Its just an effort to hide how much sugar is really in foods and there is no RDA limit to stop them. Our family will not eat at any fast food Mega owners. We have no idea how horrible all this is for us. My mom lived to 92 and always cooked her own food. It is absolutely crazy that we support any of these places. How can we demand better if we do not vote with our feet and stop patronizing these companies.
5
Misrepresentation is the American way. We are addicted and accepting of such distortion in dialogue, fact, and marketing, so why exclude food and nutrition?
The decline in the quality of our foods and consumption of them is directly related to poor education (our collective inability to read and comprehend), willingness to let food lobbies dominate and confuse, as well as poor national and local food policy and regulation. We are also suckers for low price superseding actual vs. perceived value. Short term vs. long term gain.
We are what we eat - which means today we are mostly made of large globs of nasty chemicals that have compromised our "natural" biology.
16
@Arun I agree. I also wonder if there is a correlation between the amount of synthetic chemicals, artificial flavors and colors, and the rise in autoimmune diseases.
9
@Arun That's why industry needs regulation with teeth. The amount of regulatory capture in the western world is staggering, but none more so than on this continent.
1
…the rise in ALL health issues.
2
Everything comes from nature.
1
Now do “Real” chocolate.
3
Do not consume anything with these so called 'natural flavors'... and that includes all those things to make your house smell nice. I made two (strawberry and vomit) in organic chemistry and the process isn't pretty.
And stop wearing patchouli, it stinks like cracked pepper in a sweaty armpit.
7
Unfortunately, my son has significant reactions to vanillin (often listed as 'natural flavor'), as well as other food additives. Also unfortunately, these unnecessary natural flavors and food additives are in almost everything. Even the baked goods/cakes at Whole Foods are made with vanillin instead of real vanilla extract (at least at the WFs bakeries that I've checked/spoken with). It makes it hard (and more expensive) to shop for food for my family. One of my greatest wishes is that 'natural flavors', synthetic (and even some natural) food colorings and unnecessary preservatives be banished from our food supply. That would be great!
18
I think everybody knows at this point that natural on the label means absolutely nothing.
We need a trade group or organization to come up with an industry standard that actually means something, and which will charge manufacturers for the privilege of testing their products and invasively inspecting their manufacturing facilities to allow their products to qualify for that standard.
I would look for that sticker if it were available, and I'm sure others would also. I have a feeling it would be like an avalanche, small at first, but eventually growing as people start questioning why brand x doesn't have that sticker.
6
@Alexander
The very idea of a "trade group" coming up with a believable description seems to defy logic.
After all -- who funds "trade groups"?
A primary focus of "trade groups" is to ensure that any "standards" are watered-down to being meaningless. Where we once may have naively hoped for government standards -- we've come to learn that trade group lobbying will undermine any efforts in that regard too.
Best one can hope for is that there will always be skeptics out there who can spread the word.
But they'll use "the internet". And you know what they say about believing anything you read on "the internet"!
2
Arsenic and Hemlock are also "natural flavors".
13
@Chicago Guy
And ricin comes naturally from castor beans...
2
I use a popular brand of syrup to sweeten my coffee, especially if I am having ice coffee. The front label states that the flavor is "Vanilla", but the ingredient list does not include vanilla. From the list of ingredients, I really don't see anything that I would consider to be a "natural" flavor.
8
I used to be in the food business and would attend trade shows for the "natural foods" industry. It was quite interesting: half the booths were taken up by earnest folks running small companies who genuinely care about what goes into the products they sell, and the other half were huge sophisticated corporations for whom it is all about marketing an image, and what they can get away with. As always folks, caveat emptor.
15
One natural flavoring is derived from a beaver's castor sacs (located at the base of their tail).
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castoreum)
I avoid any food with natural flavoring.
5
@Bob Deming It's such a catch-all phrase. I find that anything that lists Natural Flavor, or Spices, is usually loaded with other equally nasty ingredients and/or flavor enhancers/stimulants. I find my sleep is disrupted for 2 nights If I have any.
1
Right now I'm drinking Pellgrino Essenza -- Lemon and Lemon Zest (mineral water with no juice or sugar). You'd think that just lemon oil and zest would be enough, but now wondering about the real ingredients, which state "mineral water, water, natural flavors." Synthetic solvents?
8
as someone with allergies I cannot eat anything with "natural flavors". That has taken many foods that I previously consumed off the list. Shame on everyone - manufacturers should be required to list all the ingredients.
10
A big problem for me is the medications I need to take. There are no choices. I have to accept flavorings and artificial colors, sometimes artificial sweeteners just because there’s no alternative.
8
I always read labels carefully. As a vegan, I also look for products marked Kosher, as non-meat or non-dairy items are prepared especially carefully.
2
@HKGuy
But kosher foods that have neither meat or dairy an still contain "natural" or synthetic flavors and additives and also honey, eggs, fish and other non vegan items.
4
For those of us with allergies, I wish the food industry would be more truthful. I'm allergic to propylene glycol when consumed. I recently purchased Hit which said it had only water and natural fruit flavoring. Drank my first 4 oz on an empty stomach. 30 min later I made a beeline to the toilet. Did some Googling and it turns out it's in their product but they don't have to list it.
Thank God the law covers the real bad allergens like peanuts, shellfish, etc.
After the Hit episode I wonder now if my gastrointestinal problems are caused by unlisted ingredients in other foods
19
and BUTTER seriously? It is impossible to find butter without added flavoring -- ITS BUTTER!
6
@Andrew - Try cultured butter made in France (great one at Trader Joe's), or Kerrygold which has pasteurized cream and salt.
10
@Andrew
They want you to ignore the label and think about how buttery their butter tasted when you go back to the store.
3
I struggle with attention-grabbing headlines like this. While it is educational in ways, it perpetuates a negative stereotype, promotes diet culture, and most of all, forgets the reality that most people in this country are not affluent enough to choose the premium ice cream over Breyers (why they were called out specifically is beyond me and almost seems personal).
I actively work with natural and artificial flavorings for my job. There is a huge marketing push in the food industry to make everything 'natural', 'real', 'XYZ Free!' and while I completely understand the need to keep things as pure and clean as possible (I am from Portland), there is a massive education gap between most consumers and the science behind things. I've seen all the documentaries, I've ready many books. I do believe there are many lobbyists pushing to make a buck and I am sure there are many aspects of the FDA which don't operate correctly. However, I am yet to find a single human, system or country which is perfect in this world.
The best we can do is educate ourselves using real facts and data, not just what Suzie or Bob re-post on their choice social media outlet. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ is one of my favorite sources for scientific research. However there is much more out there and we need to step back and realize that every generation seems to have a 'health enemy' and with the internet, the bombardment is all places, all the time.
7
@PNW "most people in this country are not affluent enough to choose the premium ice cream"
If added flavoring makes a product better, shouldn't the "premium product" be the one WITH added flavors?
3
@PNW
Make your own ice cream. It is easy as anything and you will never purchase ice cream again. It requires an ice cream maker or an attachment to your stand mixer. Yes, good ingredients can be pricey. I make my own but unfortunate for my family do not share often, as it is a small batch.
4
@PNW Poor people can't afford a "premium" brand over Breyers because they've been conditioned by the packaged-food industry to believe that inexpensive products in giant packages are preferable to paying the same for better quality in a smaller package — which is why so many poor people are obese.
4
My understanding used to be that food and drink containing Natural Flavors, would mean that part is "natural" but that would not meant that the item could not also contain artificial ingredients along side the natural part. To now know that Natural flavors can mean manipulated, makes me want to double down my efforts to eat salads, veggies and proteins like beans at every meal. I try and pick more organic fruits and veggies as my local Sprouts store, has a brightly lit in neon green division between the organic and non organic items so they make it easy. Regarding the NYTimes revisit of sugar, I want to add that the sugar lobby has fought for years and years for us not to have an RDA of sugar listed on any food or to even have the amount of sugar in a particular item at all. Most nutrition labels list the word sugar and we consumers accept a blank to the right of amount of sugar and RDA. Many do not know that 4-5 grams are an entire teaspoon of sugar. Danone newest yogurt entry called Two Good makes note of the lack of sugar all over this product and its really good. Mousse like. Especially the Meyer Lemon. If you work to reduce sugar consumption like some of us do with salt, you do come to prefer low sugar and low salt tasting foods and really can taste when there is way too much sugar or salt. Drink more water, unsweetened tea that you make to help reduce the sugar habit and America really needs to give up its addiction to soda. It can be done. It is worth it.
9
@2020 and it's probably loaded with sucralose and stevia. No calories but some of us are allergic to these. Oh yes, they are listed in small print on the back of the package so I missed that when I recently bought an item I hadn't in a year that now says less sugar. 1hr after I ate the bread, wham to the toilet. Peanuts and shellfilsh are not the only things people are allergic to!
3
@2020 Chobani Zero Sugar is sweetened with Stevia, which I cannot tolerate. I eat plain yogurt flavored with a variety of different products - frozen fruit, fresh fruit, unsweetened applesauce. Sometimes I add a bit of real sugar and cinnamon.
I'll take a little of the real stuff over a lot of the fake stuff anyday. I know it won't make me sick to my stomach.
6
Marketing 101, it’s all in the labeling—nothing else matters.
5
I can just hear the lawyers now...
"What does unnatural even mean? Why should something be considered synthetic simply because it was fabricated by a human being? After all, we don't consider a beaver dam synthetic do we?" (Use The Simpson's Lionel Hutz lawyer voice for maximum effect)
I'll say this, the Food and Drug Administration certainly got the 'Drug Administration' part correct, didn't they?
4
When I see "natural flavoring", I treat it the same way I see "low fat", "lite", "nonfat", "sugar free", "reduced sugar", "no cholesterol", "low cholesterol" ... a chemical s**tstorm that I avoid them like the plague. We have become so lazy that we actually need a company to flavor our water? How about buying a lemon and squeezing it into a glass of soda water? How hard is that?
16
The uproar over Starbucks' former use of cochineal extract (red bugs) in an effort to move away from artificial color (granted it is not vegan), now seems quaint in the face of these unnatural "natural" flavors. If there was nothing to hide, full disclosure should not be an issue.
7
Does anybody know what "natural flavors" manufacturers are adding to butter? And what they are trying to cover up or add? All of them seem to do it, adding butter flavor to butter, which sounds sketchy. Only the most expensive European import butters seem not to have that additive.
8
@The Philadelphian Sir or Ma'am, that is simply not true. I checked a few domestic butters' ingredients, and they are cream and salt (if it's salted butter.) Tillamook was an exception. There is natural flavor in their non-salted, but only cream and salt in the salted variety. Your comment reminds me that it is always a good idea to check the ingredient label, but you don't have to reach across the Atlantic to find a good butter that's free on add-ins.
7
@Mark Dolnick I'm replying to myself because I kept on looking at domestic butter after this note. Interestingly, 365 unsalted butter includes "natural flavor." Again, the salted variety does not. So perceived quality isn't a good way to judge. LuCerne butter, that I would hardly consider premium, only has cream in their unsalted variety. Cook's Illustrated that the natural flavor in cream butter is diacetyl, and though that additive is used in popcorn and twinkies to provide a buttery flavor, it is used a a preservative to extend the shelf life of sweet cream butter by up to a month. Salted butter doesn't need the help because of the salt itself. That's also why you will see a different wrapper around unsalted vs salted butter--to extend the shelf life of a less shelf stable product.
9
@Mark Dolnick Ugh. Finally, sorry for typos. I'm used to being able to edit comments elsewhere.
3
More of what should be considered criminal behaviour normalized by the “free market” system and the preferential legal system in which it is encased.
35
@Kevinlarson
I just love the shortest comments that say the most.
You, Kevin have hauled out the most facts in one of the shortest sentences I have ever read. Kudos!
Do remember however, that in the US, that legal system is directed most by the Herculean efforts of a Billion dollar unregulated lobbying industry so vast
and so encompassing, they have their own offices on K Street in Washington as if they were elected to sit there right next to the houses of power. Food, Banking, Real Estate, Oil and Gas, you name it. Their money says what goes and they were well included in the PPP by taking grants for their businesses that were never in danger of layoffs or closings and were not "small" business as was the original intention. JP Morgan Chase Bank got 5% to process the free money and they made Billions in these Administrative fees. Due to Covid their banks look like prisons as they do not even have a garbage pail for you to use and at Christmas they used to give reusable bags and phone holder cases and some cookies for customers. In 2020, Zippo, naught. These cheapies who pay nothing in interest to huge deposits they borrow from and charge huge interest on Credit use by Consumers are the most money grubbing ever. And they pay their staff poorly and you can see it. Chase could have packed some bags for their customers for Christmas. Mike Mika of Tyson Foods was actually on the Baseball field with Scalise when he was shot in 2017. Playing ball and playing ball. Priceless.
2
A loophole exists for USDA Organic certified products. The loophole is that accredited certifiers do not actually certify what is going into the products nor materials used in production as required by law. Certifiers simply look to see if the product is "OMRI Listed" thus not doing due diligence and allowing materials not allowed under USDA Organic standards and law. The USDA AMS, which oversees USDA Organic, has stated that OMRI does not meet, nor need to meet, nor is responsible to any USDA Organic law or standards. When the State of Oregon began testing materials for use in marijuana production, many of the materials that were OMRI Listed contained pesticides and other materials not allowed. When OMRI was confronted they continued to list the materials as being acceptable for use in USDA Organic production.
8
Hemlock is natural isn't it?
This is just another example of how the FDA works overtime to protect our collective health. And by our collective health I mean the health of corporate bottom lines.
And they could use Supreme Court decisions like Citizen's United to prove in a court of law that protecting corporations is technically the same thing as protecting people. Since they are people.
At least until they get caught engaging in some criminal activity that results in people's deaths. Then, magically, they revert back to non-people who must therefore pay a fine, as opposed to going to jail, as they have no body to incarcerate.
Watch and see how all the corporations responsible for the deaths of over 150 people in that condo collapse in Florida end up paying fines instead of going to jail.
If everyone just incorporated themselves, the prisons in this country would be empty in a generation. Of course, the Supreme Court would undoubtedly find some way to make that illegal based on some other technicality. Something along the lines of, "Corporations are people, but people can't be corporations".
That's just how American Capitalism rolls.
18
@Chicago Guy
The Condo already got 48 Million in an Insurance payout. Lets see how its disbursed. I loved your comment and could not agree more. One thing I have learned from watching people of color have the patience of Saints waiting for change to come that is long overdue, change will take time, but its worth the wait. There are many smart people, just like you and when we organize and run for office and take seats and kick out face transplant McConnell who speaks for 50 people who have lost their own minds and voices of reason, change will come. Looking to India Walton, the soon to be young and most able Democratic Mayor Elect of Buffalo NY to pave the way. I will support her from here in Nevada until I return to NY. If not for the cold, I would go live in Buffalo. Change is gonna come and be for the good of the people. Joe Biden is doing his best to right the ship of Washington fools but he will need help from all of us.
2
@Chicago Guy You "people" can become corporations. You establish one in Delaware and you as an individual are safe from law suites. Well not all but if you can convince the court that your corporation did it, then you are off the hook. A president of a corp cannot be sued or put in jail unless the whole board is sued for maleficence
"Flavors labeled 'organic flavors'...are even more strictly regulated, consisting almost entirely of organic ingredients..."
Based, no doubt, on almost entirely organic principles.
Crops are genetically modified for longevity, looks, hardiness, etc. NOT FOR TASTE, so flavor has to be added.
5
I found that I need to avoid foods labelled with 'natural flavor' or that I suspect have added flavors. Some of these contain stimulants for tastebuds but which also affect my sleep for 2 days. It took years to make the connection.
13
@JoeCanuck La Croix always makes me feel anxious and irritable. It contains water and "natural flavors."
7
@Laura
And America has drunk this Kool Aid, lock stock and colorful packaging. Another disgrace added to the already too full soda and seltzer shelves.
3
Here's my problem with "natural" flavorings:
flavor manufacturers do not have to disclose their ingredients.
I have an extreme sensitivity to soy and, apparently, a lot of natural flavorings have soy in them because they make me sick. So, as was stated in the article, I avoid any product that has natural flavorings. In my experience - as others have commented - if you need to use natural flavors, there's something wrong with your product. Take yogurt for example. If you make it well, you shouldn't need to add natural flavors.
On a related note, why can't we require natural flavor manufacturers to disclose if they use any of the top 9 food allergens?
16
@Mark Inlow I have the same problem with "fragrance," which can also contain myriad undisclosed ingredients. I am highly allergic to methylisothiazolinone, a synthetic preservative used in (among other things) the ingredient called "fragrance" or "parfum." I learned the hard way that I have to buy products that are "fragrance-free," not just "unscented," which often contains masking fragrance.
19
Another reminder that lying, cheating and stealing are fundamental to: conservatives, Republicans, capitalists.
19
@HT Nice try. Let's be intellectually honest. These characteristics are not from a specific group. These are part of what's called HUMAN NATURE.
13
They are encouraged by specific groups though
3
@HT
Those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. There are plenty of Liberals, Progressives and Democrats who lie and cheat too. This isn't meant to justify what the people do who you pointed out but it is a lie to say these flaws are unique to them.
6
What “flavored” means is, it tastes like something that it’s not. When you go to a supermarket and you buy “cranberry flavored” drink, the content of cranberries that went into the bottle are insignificant for you to tell that cranberries were an ingredient. Taste buds are tricked so people buy it. A natural drink tastes like what it is and the body is not tricked - it’s getting exactly what it craved. There’s a reason why taste buds react to different foods differently. And why at different times we crave different foods. Our bodies are organic machines, and they give indications when something is needed. Through millions of years of evolution, the association between flavors and required ingredients was developed. It’s so important that some of this information is actually stored genetically and passed on to offsprings.
Why don’t people think about this when it says right there on the box that you’re not getting that ingredient which your body craves, but instead you’re getting something different that’s made to smell and taste like the real thing?
Because nobody wants to admit to themselves that they can’t afford the real thing. You go to a general supermarket, the food you see on the shelves - this is what people can afford.
We need to improve general quality of life so that people don’t have to trick themselves anymore. Someone commented that Americans vote with pocketbooks. That implies it’s a choice. Real thing tastes better. If we had a choice, we would buy it.
23
@John
Well said!
3
@John
There's an article elsewhere in this paper about hydroponics. Many of these sprawling facilities are in economically depressed areas and already run on a skeleton crew. Soon they, like everything else, will be completely automated, so who will be buying all these marvelous products, and with what?
1
@stan continople: We already have more workers than are needed for our economy.
We need a guaranteed income to remove people from the workforce and/or create part-time jobs with full-time wages; the cost will come from the outrageous profits of the owners.
5
This article & the comments reminds me of an article by Dave Barry for the NYT back in 2013, in which he noted the differences between Breyers Frozen Dairy Desert and Breyers Ice Cream. (https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/17/dining/remembering-when-breyers-ice-cream-was-you-know-ice-cream.html)
Interesting that Breyers said they are responding to market demand for their Frozen Dairy Desert... both have natural flavors as Dave pointed out:
"Breyers natural vanilla ice cream: milk, cream, sugar, tara gum, natural flavor. Period.
Breyers extra-creamy vanilla frozen dairy dessert: milk, sugar, corn syrup, cream, whey, mono and diglycerides, carob bean gum, guar gum, carrageenan, natural flavor, annatto (for color), vitamin A palmitate, tara gum."
Another instance of "buyer beware," unfortunately.
11
@KMac
For as little as $25 you can get an ice cream machine that makes the best Philadelphia style ice cream you've ever had in as little as 20 minutes and you control what the ingredients are. It's unbelievable that anyone still buys ice cream at a super market.
5
@KMac
Don't you mean "Breyer beware"?
5
@KMac: Does it taste good? Does it make people sick?
If the answers are yes and no, then what's the problem?
2
When you’re relying on a lab to produce “flavor” to your food, you are not a competent cook.
7
In addition to lobbying, another way the food industry tries to influence food, is to influence research. Below is an article about how the sugar industry effectively strangled research into sugar. Thank goodness for independent reporting!
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/apr/07/the-sugar-conspiracy-robert-lustig-john-yudkin
9
@linda stoll Thank you for this link. I just read the article which is fascinating, and sad. I'd never heard of Yudkin and hope that he is vindicated. My own experience in giving up sugar was to eat more fat (olive oil, butter, avocado oil, eggs) which eliminated by craving for sugar.
3
The other day while on vacation, I had breakfast at a hotel. Not many choices for a nutritious meal. I looked at the yogurt choices. 25 grams of sugar. Ugh,
13
The way I look at it is that on the one hand you have “natural”, and on the other hand you have “supernatural”, and the latter does not exist.
Relax, and enjoy that Breyer’s ice cream, as it titillates your taste buds, and reminds you of the carefree summer days of your youth.
As a bonus, it will also no doubt serve to take your mind off Trump’s tantrums for a while
Said tantrums which may of course be caused by all the natural junk foods he loves so much....
6
Americans vote with their pocketbooks for cheap food and with their ballots for the orange-haired de-regulator. The meat is too fatty, the chicken tasteless, along with the bread, beer, cheese and yoghurt. Pay more, and you'll get better quality. Regulate more and you get rid or the hormones, antibiotics, GMOs and all the other profit-driven garbage on your plates. Stop buying all the synthetic, "improved" nonsense on offer. Cook more.
27
@Steve: [Regulate more and you get rid or the...]
Your list is not fact-based. It is based on emotion and hype.
5
@Allen
Really - which bits are not fact. The US food manufacturing industry is based on making food cheaply, the cheaper the better. This is much less true elsewhere in the world. Of course good food can be found, but what is on offer in the majority of supermarkets, and bought by the majority of people, is food which has been made to look and feel like food, but has been interfered with.
28
@Steve
I fully agree. Not only will you get better quality when paying more, it tastes better. And it tastes better because it is real food.
7
Why would anyone be surprised that a brand like 'Breyers' is using misleading or false labelling? I am sick to death of food conglomerates trying to jump on the healthy bandwagon, and suddenly coming out with 'healthier' food options. Who's kidding whom? If they really cared about our health, they wouldn't be carrying primarily garbage food products to begin with. So any other secondary product lines they may offer, and labelled as being healthier etc., and nothing but pure PR to try and get a bigger piece of the pie.
I don't care what Kraft or Kellogg or Nabisco etc. put on their food packaging to suggest any of their particular products are natural or healthy or organic etc. I won't support them or their products one iota.
21
@Lisa
When I was growing up Breyers had four ingredients and it tasted like ice cream. Once Unilever bought Breyers it no longer was the ice cream of my childhood.
21
On top of that, most varieties of Breyers “Ice Cream” don’t actually qualify to use the words “Ice Cream” on the label. Last I checked, one vanilla and one chocolate variety still met the standard. The rest must proudly proclaim their status as a “Frozen Dairy Dessert,” a foamy substance that is strangely resistant to fully melting—Yum!
5
Right now, I'm more intrigued with the Panera Bread soup commercial! "CLEAN soup" As if other soups are dirty! Never in my wildest dreams would I think the word, clean, would go before soup!!!
23
Any wonder why there seems to be far more people with cancer today...
12
@Debbie: We're living longer and more people have access to healthcare with more and better screening.
Just a thought.
17
My Breyers Vanilla says Ice Cream on the front of the container (not Frozen Dairy Dessert). In ingredients it says "Natural flavor made with vanilla beans from Rainforest Alliance Certified Farms" (though maybe there is still other stuff in there?) So disappointed in Breyers if that is the case!
16
@SarahK
That Breyers label is the biggest spin I have ever seen! Hey Breyers (Unilever), how about adding vanilla extract, like the good old days.
5
It’s 100% ok from a regulation perspective. The ice cream is made of milk, the vanilla comes from beans. As the article says though, the way the vanilla is extracted and what solvents and stabilizers keep it smelling fresh is not necessary for them to disclose.
“Natural” is a food label whose regulated meaning is very different from what consumers think when they see it.
3
Thirty years ago Breyers was great. Their label listed the ingredients: milk, sugar, and one or two other recognizable items. Somewhere along the way Breyers was no longer food... it became an edible food-like substance similar to most of the other brands. Imagining that YUK in my stomach made it inedible for me. I was also sorry to see B&J go corporate.
47
@Stephan
Absolutely. Shame on Breyers.
16
@Stephan
Now instead of the clean milky mouthfeel as it melts, it's slimy. Ugh.
11
About an hour ago I found, in the back of my freezer, a forgotten jar of a batch of ice cream I made last summer. (It's really super-easy to do.) My mouth now tastes of cream, a little bit of sugar, Thai bananas, and homemade vanilla extract. And that's it. Mmmm.
13
Please follow up with the different companies, including those that sell seltzer water with "natural flavors" and get them to tell you what they are using.
Also, get an independent laboratory to investigate the chemicals being used in the club sodas and expose that!
50
@Marsha Pembroke Who has the $ or time to have an independent lab test consumer water brands? That is the role of the FDA...right?
9
@Marsha Pembroke I agree. LaCroix, Bubly and others are listed with “natural flavors”. This article describes the very loophole they are using. The vail needs to be dropped to see what is being added to these “healthy alternatives” to sugary drinks. There is no way it is as “natural” as they portray it to be.
3
@Marsha Pembroke Why do so many feel the need to have flavor in their sparkling water? I have bought and enjoyed plain sparkling water for years. It has 2 ingredients: water and CO2.
even if every american is fully knowledgeable of what he/she is putting in his/her body, what a godawful shame it is that most couldn’t change a thing about it — to eat clean/sustainably/organic is to live luxuriously these days.
19
Of those three things, only the organic label has verifiable standards and third-party certification. “Clean” and “sustainably” are no more than marketing terms that anyone can put on anything. Unless you’re buying directly from the farmer, organic is the best label we’ve got. (“Non-GMO” does not mean no pesticides or additives, and organic regulations prohibit GMOs in any case.) Choose certified organic when you can.
8
@Elaine How is buying directly from the farmer any protection, unless you know that the farm is certified as an organic producer? There are lots of direct marketing farms where I live (NE Washington), but most of them are conventional agricultural operations, using liberal doses of pesticides.
8
@c Regardless of whether that is true or not, and to what degree, does not change the fact that many Americans can sure be eating 'better' than they currently do. And that has nothing to do with disposable income, or available time to prepare meals, etc. Far too many Americans would rather grab a $1 bag of chips than a 25-cent banana. They'd rather buy a $5 frozen dinner, or a $3 big mac, than spend $7 on a large bag of rice and some dried beans (which would then provide multiple meals). And so on.
Yes, organic is more expensive, but not all produce need by organic in order to be healthy, especially if the produce has skin which is removed before being eaten. People need to start taking some personal responsibility.
13
What are “solvents” and why are petroleum-based solvents in our food???
38
A solvent is what something dissolves in. For example, water is considered the universal solvent because lots of things dissolve in it. In chemistry, they say "like dissolves like." Water is polar and so is salt, and it easily dissolves in water. But organic compounds will dissolve in an organic solvent. So, I guess hexane being carbon based is a good solvent for other organic things like seed oils, or to extract essential oils for flavor. I'm not a chemist obviously, but this is my guess as to why petroleum based solvents would be used...
26
Help me out here. I don't see the connection between the illustration of Polar seltzers and this article.
1
@Molly Bloom If you look carefully at the Polar Seltzers, you will notice that each one has a special flavor listed on the bottom of the label: "Blueberry Tangerine", "Raspberry Rose", "Mango Cherry Bliss", etc.
These flavorings are explained by Roni Caryn Rabin in the article.
6
So kind of you to explain. I prefer Polar seltzer, plain. The rest of the house, flavored.
2
@DaJoSee Where are they explained? Nowhere. What is explained is that companies have loopholes available. Nowhere does it say that Polar avails themselves of those loopholes or not. It doesn't even say that the writer asked Polar if they do so we have zero clue if Polar is doing anything wrong, yet pictures of their products are in a negative article. Why not put a picture of a box of Breyer's [whatever it is] to accompany the article? At least that product is mentioned. The only mention of Polar beverages is the caption under the picture.
12
An article that is essentially about reading and understanding the labels on our food...
Nowhere on the Breyers container does it say it’s “Ice Cream”. It is now called a “Frozen Dairy Dessert”. I noticed this a few months ago at relatives house. How did the Times miss this?
I have always had the highest regard for The NY Times, I remember being in my teens and waiting at the newsstand on a Saturday night for Sunday’s paper and loving the read every week. These days it doesn’t feel the same.
Please don’t become, to borrow a word from the President, sad....
3
From what I understand, they make 2 different products. Ice cream (more expensive) and frozen dairy dessert (less expensive and way more chemicals). At least in my grocery store there are 2 different options.
18
@Tom - Breyers lists their products as "Ice Cream" on their website.
Thank you New York Times for the quality reporting, I suppose it goes farther than looking at a carton...
4
@Tom The Breyers “natural vanilla” referenced in the article i sent stillman labeled as ice cream. But you’re right that many of the other Breyers’ flavors do not meet the basic standards to be called “ice cream” and must be labeled as “frozen dairy dessert.”
I grew up with Breyers when it was a regional ice cream. We got hand packed cones from the local corner store. Then it was sold to an industrial food company and at least for a while still produced decent if not great ice cream. Now it’s just a sad non food product.
8
Articles like this do not serve anyone! Flavor industry is heavily regulated and self-regulated. Mr. David Andrews and Ms.Gwendolyn Wyard provide very one-sided views. The author of this opinion piece should present a more balance reporting, instead of chopping heads off. It would be easy to ask a representative of FEMA (Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association) or any flavor company for their explanation of the term "natural flavorings". Ms.Rabin, please do some homework before you publish. BTW, any flavoring which contains an allergen must be and is labeled.
7
Not so regulated as one might like to think. For instance, diacetyl, the chemical flavoring that tastes (somewhat) like butter is still used in microwavable popcorn and some vaporized cigarette flavors. It has been known for decades that diacetyl is strongly linked to a fatal lung disease. Despite this, the industry group that represents the flavor industry has successfully blocked a safe exposure limit from being adopted as recommended by the National Institute of Occupational Safety & Health and other reputable experts. This is just one example of how reasonable regulations to protect the public heath are thwarted by corporate and business interests for the sake of profit. This is shameful.
74
@Eva You're in the flavor industry?
15
@Eva Self regulated in any commercial enterprise simply means that the corporation or the entire industry is privileged to do as it pleases. And most government regulations are written by the target industry's lobbyists.
17
Can anyone tell me what might be harmful in Polar Seltzer water? I love the stuff!
2
I drink a ton & love it too. I have not done super extensive research but I think about it in relative risk levels.
If I didn’t drink that seltzer I would probably drink a coke or coffee or eat something, so seltzer is probably the healthier choice even if it’s not reverse osmosis filtered water. I think the amount of flavor in a seltzer is small, and the “bad” stuff is only part of that, and not terribly bad in the scheme of things. Every day I go out and breathe my city air (faster when I’m jogging), eat and drink from things contained in plastic. I eat whole food when I can but don’t refuse processed foods as occasional snacks - this adds up to a set of fairly healthy choices that still allows me to have a flexible and non dogmatic lifestyle.
My dad has gone down the rabbit hole of obsessing about every ingredient in everything, and while perhaps that makes him eat marginally cleaner, it’s shown me it’s certainly not mentally healthy and the reality is that unless we’re moving to Greenland we are surrounded by environmental toxins and food is only a small part of it - and yet life spans and health are improving.
A world without environmental toxins is, at least realistically, a world without convenient canned water, or iPhones, or plane travel, or potato chips, or sushi. I actually really love those things.
1
Basically, avoid the word "natural" or at least realize it basically means nothing and is a marketing term only.
43
@LS
Agreed. Strychnine is totally natural. So is ricin.
8
@vacciniumovatum And arsenic, cadmium, lead...
1
This startlingly revealing article illustrates exactly why so many Americans are skeptical of, and don't trust their government, and why they scorn lobbyists and resent big business.
Why haven't truth in advertising regulations made such chicanery illegal?
19
@Quoth The Raven
"This startlingly revealing article illustrates exactly why so many Americans are skeptical of, and don't trust their government, and why they scorn lobbyists and resent big business."
No, this is the reason so many Americans *want* strong government; tough, clear, regulations; a progressive government that regulates the market well; strict limits on unbridled corporate freedom; and regulators that root out such malfeasance.
Poor regulation, loose regulations, and weakened regulations that favor corporate interests are a result of corporate capture of government processes and a neoliberal philosophy that *wrongly* beliefs the "market" should be the arbiter of quality, values, and justice when it, in fact, undermines all three.
158
@Marsha Pembroke Perhaps you should reread my comment, and you might then understand that we are in agreement, rather than disagreement. That is not a "no" as you put it. It is a "yes." Perhaps I was too subtle.
14
I stay away from flavoring and fragrance as much as I can. Not only do the flavoring and fragrance industry not disclose what’s in their stuff, most of the chemicals used are not tested at all for safety in the first place. Unlike Europe and other places, the US government’s model is “use it until there’s a problem,” essentially using humans as guinea pigs. When I smell fabric softeners from our neighbor’s dryer vent, I can’t help but think of all the carcinogenic chemicals we must breath each and every day. I’m trying my best to decease it for myself and my family.
28
@Momo
i don't think you want to 'decease' it for your family...really a bad choice of expression that is a misuse of the word!
6
@cossak Simply a typo of the intended "decrease," I imagine.
6
@Momo I feel the same way about scented candles. Why on earth would anyone want to breath directly into their bloodstream via their lungs an assortment of vaporized unknown chemicals?
5
Yep, this reminds me of all the different ways you can imply whole wheat in the name of a bread without saying "100% whole wheat".
21
@PJM Have to look at the ingredient list, if there’s another flour other then whole wheat it’s not 100%.
Breyers does not have the ingredients to be labeled as "ice cream." The carton calls it: frozen dairy dessert.
9
@D - Their website calls it: Ice Cream.
No food manufacturer is going to make a profit by selling a product made of the finest, purest, truly natural ingredients.
I knew "natural" butter additive wasn't any more natural than those "farm raised" whatevers came from farms, or "free range" whoosies ever ran around the range. Or "made by hand" ever got off the conveyor belt.
Anyone who cooks knows what it all costs. And how it tastes.
5
I respectfully disagree! Real homemade food tastes the best without any additives. Even European processed food, such as cookies, tastes better and have a fraction of the ingredients found in their American counterparts...
39
@Star Gazing sometimes additives are need to make a product last for months on the grocery store shelf like cookies. A lot of the problems with using free range products and fresher ingredients are supply chain constraints. Bigger food manufacturing companies just can’t use those ingredients because of the cost and not having enough ingredient to meet demand. There trying to but it takes time.
These products are major killers.
They make food taste better at less cost. The cheaper price and tastier food encourage people to eat more. The additional calories cause people to gain weight. The people become obese and develop diabetes and heart disease.
The heart disease and diabetes lead to an early death.
Banning 'natural flavors' will save lives.
13
MSG (which contributes to food craving and therefore addiction) also counts, unfortunately, as a “natural flavor.” It’s alarming to imagine, societally, the impact of these sorts of “hidden devils.“
Read the ingredients! And it may be necessary to pay extra, at times times, to avoid some surreptitiously harmful ones.
9
@John B
MSG can be derived from seaweed thus qualifying as a natural flavor.
My migraine doctor told me that Bush #1 vetoed a bill to require it to be labeled under the argument that less government is better. I don’t know if this is true but I suspect big money is somehow involved in sloppy labeling.
1
Thank you for an accurate informative insight to the cloaked "Natural" toxic ingredients put into our foods. Solvents/Preservatives/Flavors are like the toxic mega business like Amazon, now whole foods, who replace locally produced healthy low ingredient products with toxic oils and misleading labelling to extend shelf life so your food can drone ship like an old book or boxed hair growth products.
7
The term “natural flavors” should be outlawed. Every ingredient should be listed and followed by a parenthetical explanation at a seventh grade reading level. This information should be available on a central database. Until then, try to eat fresh foods and foods with real ingredients.
31
What’s with the Breyer’s ad? I got a survey recently from the NYTimes indicating they were going to be integrating sponsored content into the articles. While I recognize the financial struggles of the news industry, I’m sorry to see this come to pass.
11
Really? I didn’t hear that - can you tell us more?
5
For 22 years I've worked in the natural products industry and watched corporate America ( and now other companies) "greenwash" their products. Words like "natural" or "cage-free" mean nothing any more. You need to know the company, their mission statement and their track record. Don't rely on labels!
"Fake news" is found everywhere. Not just in politics.
76
A similar situation exists with all of the artifical and “natural” scents added to an astonishing array of products — soaps, skin and hair care products, household cleaners, laundry detergents, dryer sheets, even garbage bags and tissues if you aren’t careful.
A large and increasing number of paople, including me, have allergic contact dermatitis or other bad reactions (including asthma and headaches) triggered by these almost-unavoidable ingredients.
There is no requirement to disclose the actual ingredients. At best, you’ll see ‘fragrance,” “perfume” or “parfum.” So there’s no knowing exactly what you are allergic to.
By carefully shopping, by relying on simple things like white vinegar and baking soda at home, and by packing all my own products when travelling (including sheets and towels), I can avoid brining my skin into direct contact with my allergens. But still, I get a reaction whenever I am near someone wearing perfume or clothing washed in standard detergent, and often when I am in public places that have been recently cleaned.
I consider myself a canary in the coal mine — I don’t think these chemicals are good for any of us, even those who don’t notice or who like them.
56
Fellow canary I, too, have developed serious issues with artificial fragrances. While I can control what I’m allergic to that goes into my body, I can’t avoid the chemical fragrances others choose to put on theirs. It has narrowed my world considerably. Travel is an issue. Having no option but to stay in a hotel when I travel I have taken it upon myself to speak with management about it. I remind them that once upon a time every room allowed smoking. Now good luck with that, and if they offer fragrance free options they might be surprised at how well received they are. Keep preaching!
28
@Karen
I used to love (some) perfumes. But not the proliferations of all sort of strong masking fragrances wherever you turn.
There is a very popular and "effective" laundry detergent, called Persil. When walking on a trail near where I live, I can smell it's overpowering odor, meaning it is being spread by dryers vented to the outside and/or flowing into septics and out and the fragrance is not even breaking down. The point is - how can something be so overpowering and "sticky" that it hangs in the air like that?
I have a special beef with the things called fabric refreshers:it's not the scent alone, but some quality which feels heavy, almost choking, if you happen to breathe it in. I really do wonder to what extent these things are tested.
8
Thanks for this article. I'll keep doing the cooking at home, using organic ingredients. I can afford both the time to cook and the price of those ingredients. Unfortunately, so many American families can't--both parents work full time and barely earn enough to pay the rent these days.
43
A lot of healthy food is quite inexpensive. Beans. Rice. Grains. You can buy a 4 pound bag of frozen organic broccoli at Costco for under $7. Many other inexpensive frozen organic vegetables & fruit sold at Costco. Big bag of Quinoa. People w/o membership can go with someone who does, or share a membership. A big problem is that with overall wages kept low & benefits slim, to allow for obscene executive compensation, most people are too busy & stressed to cook so they opt for quick, cheap & easy processed and fast food. Generations of kids raised on it.
22
@Martha Shelley
Being retired, I have the time to raise a big garden, which I do organically. My wife and I freeze, can, and dry a lot of the produce, and have it year round. I give a lot to neighbors and food pantries as well. Even when I worked full time, we did this, though on a smaller scale. We also avail ourselves of direct marketing farms locally, seeking out those that are organically certified (that is not most of them, btw).
But people who don't have the property on which to do this have fewer options. Some communities have community garden facilities, and some people garden cooperatively.
When I was a kid, where I lived, almost everyone gardened. Now few do, though there has been a comeback to some degree.
11
@Marguerite: I'm with you. I believe my grandchildren (8) and great-grandchildren (6) Have only eaten meals made from scratch when visiting me or their other grandparents, even though I taught their parents to cook well, at my knee. An ordinary meal seems a feast to them.
1
You specifically mention Breyer Natural vanilla and include a link to the manufacturer's site. Did you forget to write an explanation? Other than that, Mrs Lincoln, how did you enjoy the ice cream?
8
What more "explanation" did you need? And why are you so defensive (and snarky) over Breyer's??
5
I am really bothered by the whole 'natural flavor' industry. I could never understand why 'natural flavor' has to be added to any product. Standardization of flavor probably has something to do with this. According to the industry, every carton of orange juice 'must' taste like any other. In the real world, each carton should taste slightly different due to the flavor of the juice in that batch of oranges. Why must we have exactly the same taste in products when we know that mother nature puts different flavor in each product. There is often a different taste in oranges from the same tree. Let's get this stuff out of products and really have the real natural flavor be the one we taste.
78
@Robert It is worse than that: In order to have a year-round supply of orange juice it must undergo a process that strips it of flavor, so nearly all orange juice falls under this umbrella: https://gizmodo.com/dirty-little-secret-orange-juice-is-artificially-flavo-5825909
16
@Robert
Orange juice, especially first thing in the morning, is piledriver to your pancreas, just a jolt of pure sugar; there is nothing healthy about it, even if it was fresh-squeezed.
2
Thank you for this informative article. I will be sharing it.
35 years ago an elderly doctor diagnosed my inability to eat without getting violently sick: MSG poisoning. I was a college student living on ramen noodles and other processed foods. He said that this is a most excellent allergy to have because I’d have to know what was in my food. Read labels, he said, if you can’t pronounce it, don’t eat it. Better yet learn to cook. You’ll be better for it.
He also said that, in his opinion, in 50 or 100 years people would be consuming more chemicals then food, and there would be consequences. Diabetes, obesity, cancers, heart disease, and other illnesses would become wide spread. Drug makers would come up with chemicals to combat the damage done by chemicals. I didn’t know what to think about his prediction back then, but I learned to cook and be suspicious of anything I couldn’t pronounce. I was fooled once by “natural flavors” and as it was the only ingredient listed I didn’t recognize I have avoided it ever since.
76
@Melodie Greider I share your reaction to MSG. It can be very hard to avoid. I have to carry medicine with me just in case I accidentally ingest it. It is really hard to know where the MSG was because it was likely hidden under the guise of "flavorings".
11
Man it must be very difficult to be allergic to an amino acid as ubiquitous as glutamine. Can you eat tomatoes or mushrooms?
25
@Will Your point is taken, but there are people who react to MSG adversely, primarily by getting a headache. The amount of MSG added to some foods is really startlingly high. Perhaps that is the reason for the reaction.
12
I used to love any brand of ice cream. After I got cancer, I had to stay away from processed stuff. There is an artisan, in-house made ice cream parlor near me, where I occasionally indulged. After a year of that, I decided once on a trip to just go with a chain store cone. I had loved the brand and flavor before; but after tasting the real thing for a year, after the first lick of the Baskin Robbins, the taste of chemicals exploded on my tongue, and I was able to taste all the chemicals in it.
92
@Ellen I know, so disappointing that almost all ice cream is so full of chemical additives! We've found that some Haagen Dazs ice cream (not all the fancier flavors, but the simpler flavors) is free of additives, so that is our go-to ice cream now.
Back in the 90s I came across this labeling controversy where the law allows you NOT to say that your milk is from cows injected with growth hormone rBST. The law also insists that if you claimed on your label that the milk is from cows not treated with that hormone, then you are required to say that there is no significant difference between them, yes mandatory to say that! The argument put forward by industry is that saying no rBST will push consumers to prefer that product, unfairly, according to them because there is no difference! The controversy came up among other issues like irradiation and genetic modification that were being pushed by industry to be allowed in Organic standards. Luckily for us, denied. But industry keeps pushing and pushing because they can. Hoping one day it will change in their favor. Vigilance on the part of consumers is the only thing. Nowadays label on milk says, our farmers pledge to not use rBST! And we are to believe them! Sen. Warren spearheaded the consumer protection bureau and ever since then the industry with GOP has been trying to defang it, just like they have been doing to the EPA, the FDA, the FCC!
63
@Phil: Consumer pressure has driven up the cost of health care by using the legislature to force insurers to pay for non-fact-based care.
Consumers are now trying to use the legislature to force companies to use non-fact-based standards to manufacture food products.
3
@Allen
The swamp is not brimming with lobbyists supporting consumer causes my friend!
We are talking about right to information because for some people it could be life or death! Let's not hide information. And if anything science tells us is this. What is not a fact today could be a fact tomorrow and vice versa.
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@Phil That notification about rBST was brought to you by Monsanto. Large agribusiness doesn't care about your health and relies on a plethora of chemicals whose interactions in the human body are largely unknown.
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Thanks for this informative article. I’ve avoided artificial food additives like the plague after doing research for a paper 30 years ago that lead me to believe food dyes like yellow 5 and 6 are carcinogenic. A friend’s daughter had such a severe reaction to red dyes in hot dogs one time she had to be rushed to the hospital. Artificial sweeteners of any kind make foods taste like medicine.
A little extra vigilance to avoid these additives shouldn’t be too difficult.
We all need to read labels and vote with our dollars and choices.
Putting the spotlight on high fructose corn syrup a few years ago had the desired result of limiting its usage.
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What an appallingly dishonest term.
The fact that the ingredients are hidden from patients allergic to foods is particularly egregious.
As always, business and its pet regulators would rather kill people than sacrifice a penny of profit.
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All the more reason for people to reject all processed food.
The nation's interest in having "pure" foods and drugs has devolved into an unfathomable legal war among lawyers. It is easy to see which side is winning when one steps into a supermarket and sees the incredible array of processed junk food on every shelf.
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This is extremely frustrating for people with allergies that ingredients can be hidden under "natural flavors." Only the top 8 allergens need to be listed on the label, so that means that anyone with a non-top 8 allergy would risk having an allergic reaction if they consume the product.
My son has celiac, which means his body attack itself when he consumes gluten. Gluten is found in wheat (a top 8 allergen), rye, and barley. Rye and barley can be hidden under "natural flavors," which means anything with "natural flavors" on the label is potentially dangerous for him.
The US desperately needs to work on its food labeling regulations.
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@Marisa
Better yet, the public needs to eat real food. Apples, especially organic ones, don't usually trigger reactions. Applesauce (which is ridiculously easy to make by the way) with 'natural flavors'? Roll the dice.
If you don't rely on pre-made packaged or commercial products it is far easier to avoid gluten or other ingredients that trigger adverse reactions. You won't need to scrutinize labels for off-limits ingredients.
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This is one reason I worry about unlabeled GMO crops making their way into our food stream. I have some food sensitivities and with trial and error have figured out what whole foods I can eat safely. But when genetic modification enters the picture, who knows? Is an apple still just an apple? For people whose lives depend on knowing exactly what they’re eating, this is a very big deal.
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@Beatrice Weldon
Have you looked at Round-Up Ready GMO crops ?.
1
Glad to know that organic ones are less toxic.
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I drink a lot of Polar seltzer water when I'm not drinking beer. Now that I know the seltzer isn't really natural, I'll just drink more beer. For my health.
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@Kevin Go you!
6
You can buy a SodaStream machine for 70-80 bucks & make your own seltzer water. You can flavor it with all kinds of yummy & nontoxic things. Or blended frozen cherries & gin with a squeeze of lime. ;-)
Not only might this help your health (except for the gin part), but it keeps tons & tons of plastic bottles out of the landfill & ocean. Once you amortize the cost of the machine & cartridges, it’s probably more economical too, though I’ve not done the calculation. Reducing plastic waste is good enough for me. I notice I drink much more water when it’s fizzy.
That just reminded me to send a nastygram to has-been actors who pimp resource-squandering bottled water. Yes I mean you, Jennifer Aniston.
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@Kevin
I hope you're drinking German beer. Under the "Reinheitsgebot" or purity order, enacted by the Duke of Bavaria in 1516, the only ingredients allowed in beer are hops, barley, yeast and water. All of Germany has subsequently adopted this rule.
I know an analytical chemist. Once, when we were at the Irish Pub together, he took the bottle of English brown ale I was having, and read through the list of ingredients, explaining to us, what each item really meant.
I still enjoy English brown ale from time to time. I just don't drink much of it, or any other beer. It's the dosage, that makes the poison.
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Didn't know this information. O.K, I'll say it: 'NOW WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO'? Life's just too short, and they've just taken away our 'Natural Vanilla Ice Cream'.
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@david
Try Tillamook Vanilla Bean ice cream, in my opinion it is what Bryer's used to taste like before they were bought out and the recipe changed.
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@Still Waiting for a NBA Title
Tillamook Vanilla Bean also has "natural flavors", unfortunately. The only Tillamook vanilla without "natural flavors" is Old Fashioned Vanilla. Which tastes the best anyway.
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@david
Try Haagen Dazs vanilla. It has 5 ingredients: cream, milk, sugar, eggs, vanilla.
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