 If you are what you eat, you might be having an identity crisis. A new study on food fraud was released Wednesday morning by U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP), a scientific nonprofit organization that helps set standards for the "quality, safety and benefit" of foods and medicines. The group runs a searchable online database of food fraud reports at foodfraud.org and nearly 800 new records were added as part of the study - a 60% increase from last year. Food fraud, as defined by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is the adulteration, dilution or mislabeling of goods. USP further defines food fraud in the study as "the fraudulent addition of nonauthentic substances or removal or replacement of authentic substances without the purchaser's knowledge for economic gain to the seller." The new records show that the most commonly fraudulent products are olive oil, milk, saffron, honey and coffee. Tea, fish, clouding agents (used in fruit juices, like lemon, to make products look freshly squeezed), maple syrup and spices (turmeric, black pepper and chili pepper) were also top imposters. Most of the reported food fraud was committed by producers adding fillers (i.e. other plant leaves to tea leaves), mixing in less expensive spices with high value spices or watering down liquids. Olive oils were often replaced and/or diluted with cheaper vegetable oils. Clouding agents were found in 877 food products from 315 different companies. Another popular target: Pomegranate juice, often made with grape skins and grape and pear juices. Tips to combat food fraud
Editor’s note: For more on fake ingredients in food, don’t miss “Sanjay Gupta, MD” on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET and Sunday at 7:30 a.m. ET. Previously - Most honey sold in U.S. grocery stores not worthy of its name and MAPLE Act would sting syrup fakes |
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Most people buy Digital video disks, because it's good to enjoy these people. sac longchamp soldes http://www.saclongchampsoldes2013
Reblogged this on Percolated Prose and commented:
What you didn't know you didn't know about commercial foods:
Reblogged this on Intellectual Salon's Blog.
if your one of those people who say '/I wont eat something I can't pronounce'
It's not our fault that big-boy words scare you and you lack the vernacular of an grown-up LOL
It's not about things I can or can't pronounce, its about bait and switch. If they did this with medicine to you, I bet you would have a fit. I shouldn't be charged full price or lied to so you can save a penny. If you charge less and tell me what's in it then no problem, but when you lie and charge full price, you are a sick selfish individual and deserve to be punished.
You have people that eat good, healthy, organic foods that they grow, those that eat produce from grocery stores, that would like to grow their own food. Then there are people that just dont care one way or another. I think some good advice and a little education for those that are interested would go a long way and would better convince someone to try growing or shopping in a healthier way. We usually get advice and education from many sources including friends and family, books, the internet, and from local growers. If you have knowledge, be willing to share it with others, instead of just being mean.
Reblogged this on Manhattan Mountain and commented:
Pure Mountain Olive Oils are never diluted, make sure you know what you are purchasing, some Olive Oils are replaced with cheaper vegetable oils
Why don't we just charge the FDA with food fraud? They allow millions of poisonous pills (antidepressants,anti-anxiety medications,etc.) to be prescribed with little or anecdotal research done, while natural plants and foods which are actually effective can't make medical claims on their labels, because they don't want competition in the pharmaceutical industry...
Your post is BLATANTLY false and is VERY misleading! The FDA requires EXTENSIVE testing of new drugs before they are approved. This includes anti-depressants! You DO realize that the number one problem associated with patients taking anti-depressants is GUESS WHAT? DEPRESSION!!!!! THAT is why they were prescribed the medicine in the first place! Most patients exhibiting problems associated with depression either 1. need a different type or strength, but have failed to communicate any issues to their doctor or 2. DO NOT TAKE their medicine as directed! MANY people suffering from depression stop taking their meds as soon as they begin to "feel better"! They convince themselves that they no longer need it, but fail to understand HOW antidepressants work! This can be dangerous and disastrous when the patient's serotonin levels suddenly drop causing an emotional crises! THIS IS typically WHEN and WHY those highly publicized "side effects" tend to occur! These "problems" or "side effects" are actually SYMPTOMS of their already diagnosed DEPRESSION and are NOT the product of the prescription! If you will do a little research in ACTUAL MEDICAL publications, you will discover these well known issues!...
Also, There is absolutely NO reason that a "truly effective" natural remedy cannot be advertised as such! The only requirement is FDA approved clinical studies that PROVE some amount of effectiveness! Herein lies the problem! MOST so-called natural remedies HAVE NOT been proven to have ANY positive medical effectiveness or usefulness whatsoever! Remember, it is the responsibility of the entity SELLING the so-called "remedy" to conduct FDA approved clinical trials! Most natural remedy distributors do not bother to test ANY of their products in fear of their OWN tests proving them ineffective!
Freaking out and putting words in caps does not a point make.
Because the article fails to name names, I am reposting this from posts below
With regard to olive oil brands:
Found to have be fraudulently labeled as Extra-Virgin:
Whole Foods
Rachel Ray
Safeway
Newman's Own
Colavita
Bertolli
Filippo Berio
Pompeian
Star
Carapelli
Mezzetta
Mazzola
Found to be accurately labeled as Extra-Virgin:
Kirkland Organic
Corto Olive
California Olive Ranch
McEvoy Ranch Organic
Source: Tests indicate that imported “extra virgin”olive oil often fails international and USDA standards – UC Davis Olive Center, July 2010
For Honey, the Food Safety News identified the following brands as problematic:
• American Choice Clover Honey
• Archer Farms Orange Blossom Honey
• Archer Farms Organic Classic Honey
• Busy Bee Organic Honey
•Busy Bee, Pure Clover Honey
•CVS Honey
• Fred Meyer Clover Honey
• Full Circle Pure Honey
•Giant Eagle Clover Honey
•GE Clover Honey
•Great Value, Clover Honey
•Haggen Honey, Natural & Pure
• HT Traders Tupelo Honey
•Kroger Pure Clover Honey
• Market Pantry Pure Honey
• Mel-o 100 % Pure Honey
•Natural Sue Bee Clover Honey
•Naturally Preferred Fireweed Honey
•Rite Aid Honey
• Safeway Clover Honey
• Silver Bow Pure Honey
• Stop and Shop Clove Honey
• Sue Bee Clover Honey
• Thrifty Bee Honey
• Valutime Honey
•Walgreen MEL-O honey
•Western Family Clover Honey
•Wegman Clover Honey
•Winnie the Pooh, Pure Clover
Source: Tests Show Most Store Honey Isn’t Honey, Food Safety News, Nov. 7, 2011
... and because you think so highly of what your posted.
AND that "Great" is a great big dink.
Yeah, but the point was well made. Don't be such a dink.
Thanks for posting this, Chet!!
Thanks for the lists!
Can anyone tell me what they are adding to adulterate the honey?
"For Honey, the Food Safety News identified the following brands as problematic:"
DYO research. JFGI.
Agriculture is a funny thing. Right now, one of the main concerns is RoundUp©. It's awful, it has problems, and it's the safest defoliant ever. Without it, we can't produce enough food – seriously. We need the stuff bad. Anyone who comes up with a better RoundUp© will be uber-rich in a week and probably kill Monsanto too.
I was defoliated when I was 16.
Actually, RoundUp is NOT an essential ingredient in farming.
Kat Kinsman could have been better in her delivery of this story. I have news for her, the FDA DOES NOT work for us. She needs to do in depth research on her subject matter. I didn't learn anything that I didn't already know. This is not new that the "food manufacturers" have been duping and poisoning the consumer for years. Most "sheeple" are just too trusting/dumb to understand it's all about taking our money (they are corporations who are behind your "food") and good old Madison Avenue putting out commercials to make you think that you are eating wholesome "food". Read the labels. Buy organic, grow your own fruits and vegetables (make sure you are buying organic seeds), buy fresh produce. Stop being lazy and complacent. Your government DOES nothing to insure your health and safety. It is up to you.
To all the people who replied to this post @Jim Crow is clearly a troll just trying to rile people up and laugh at the results. Don't entertain such nonsense
Goldman Sachs and other Bankers causing food prices to rise by speculating on them. Im wondering why these Robber Barons arent in prison already.... oh yeah they own our politicians on BOTH sides of the aisle.
heres a youtube link youtube dot com watch?v=uraDTyfDwa4
Goldman Sacha betting on food prices to rise so they gain profit and people starve.
Your candidate lost, and you think that's SO unfair. Your tears of impotent rage and racist squealing are mildly amusing.
and yet I bet you moan about the 'race card'
Maybe you should learn how to Google too? :D
Re: "Obama phone"
http://www.snopes.com/politics/taxes/cellphone.asp
I don't want the government inspecting my food or water. They are absolutely incompetent in everything.
They already to inspect the food and water....
Please smarten up. Food packers know ways to sell you carrion that you wouldn't believe. If we didn't have the USDA, you'd be eating Soylent Green© and loving it.
Why bother with soylent green when you can have something as wonderfully nutritious as a McRib sandwich or chicken nuggets? Thanks for looking out for us, USDA!
The prettier the package, cheaper the price and all out advertising campaign for a product should clue you in that it's probably not as good for you as the claim. Hmm...the organic certified mercury free fish or the 89 cent off brand can with warnings that this product contains soy...well I'd be an idiot for being fooled into paying the higher price. I'm a smart shopper! NOT!
Well, they seem pretty competent when it comes to getting your taxes, so they're obviously not incompetent in EVERYthing.
Government inspection of your water is why you have not died from lead poisoning or cholera. Would you prefer that?
The government is not the answer to any social or economic problems. It's to bad people don't pay attention in history class. It's the same old story. Pass a law that doesn't work and pass another law that doesn't work and so on until all you have is very restricting laws and a huge government.
Oh, come on! The obvious answer is no government and no laws? So, who puts the teeth when a doctor or dentist fails to meet certain standards? How about auto safety? What about making sure the big semi passing you on the highway has properly maintained brakes? And I guess you want all those thousands of airliners flitting all over the sky without anyone to keep them from smashing into one another or your house when they finally hit the ground?
Face it Jim, it doesn't matter who the president is. You'd be complaining either way.
What an Idiot you are!!!
The linked site does not provide information on what companies only on studies which you then need to buy
Take that as a cue to do your own research and think for yourself. Go ahead. It doesn't hurt THAT much.
I would say don't be that person, but you clearly already are pretentious, smug, and arrogant.
I thought that maybe if I registered on the site I might get to see the company name, but nope. It's like saying there's a killer in the crowd but not naming a name or face. :-(
How's the view from under that rock, Jim?
Four more years Jimmy. I know you'll enjoy... LOL.
so what you're saying is.. consumer beware and try to do the impossible while the FDA does nothing
Who said the FDA did nothing? They do a lot, they harbor ex-executives of big pharma and CAFO within their ranks on behalf of Washington lobbyists, they approve of harmful plastic compounds forbidden in Europe in the packaging of our products on behalf of the chemical industry, they allow contaminated produce to make the marketplace on behalf of the laissez-faire spirit...
I knew my green tea wasn't 100% green tea leaves. I don't think the FDA has enough staff to inspect the integrity of meats and veggies; let alone my matcha tea.
You want really want to be educated on GMO and not just live in la-la land, check out "Shiva Vandana and GMO". Kauai is the playground of Bayer, Monsanto, Dow, Syngenta, DuPont/Pioneer, BASF. They buy/lease and poison thousands of acres with pesticides to grow GMO seeds here on the island (and all over Hawaii) and then ship them off to the mainland so you won’t be deprived either. Monsanto owns 23% of the world's seed market and their “SUCCESS” with producing GMO seed is dependent on using tons and tons of PESTICIDES! When one pesticide no longer works – guess what? The farmers will have to buy a NEW PESTICIDE that is created BY THEM, and on and on it goes until they saturate the land and render it useless because it is totally poisoned. Oh, and guess who owns the pesticide companies? That would be Bayer, Syngenta, BASF, Dow, Monsanto and Dupont! Is a picture forming here?
Monsanto is pure evil. If a foreign government did what they did we'd declare war. Instead they pay off Congress and can do basically anything they want! Just the fact they can sue you for contaminating your field is shocking enough.
Sigh. Monsanto is huge, like WalMart, and huge umbrella corporations have lots of problems. I'd love to see Monsanto broken up and sold, but calling it 'evil' and insisting every move it makes is in the service of selling poison to all humanity is psycho talk. Get a clue; most of the badmouthing comes from Monsanto's business rivals. It's going to exist because farmers need RoundUp and hybrid seeds. Even if it were broken up, the parts would do the same thing.
Ask a farmer about this.
Monsanto is pure evil.
Where can I find a list of fraudulent companies and better yet a list of companies that have never been found fraudulent?
I would love to only buy locally, eat organic, and support small farms. But the fact is, I can't afford it, and I'm willing to bet that many others can't either.
I also can't stand the elitism that seems to go along with this topic as well. Perhaps that's just me though...
You say that you would love to eat organically and locally sourced foods, but the truth is that you do not value these things. If you really valued them, you would understand why they cost more and gladly pay it to know that you are keeping yourself, your family and your community healthy. Unfortunately, like you, our culture doesn't value fresh, local and organic, and compared to most of the rest of the developed world, we spend an appalling low percentage of our incomes on the fuel that we out into our bodies. This is a cultural paradigm that we need to change, but with your attitude, problems like food adulteration will only get worse because people like you allow them to by voting with their dollars for bad food choices every time that they shop. There is no elitism that goes along with making the right choice here. Organic produce costs more because they reflect the true cost of production for these items. The price you pay is not artificially lowered by government subsides. After all, conventional US farmers get the biggest government handouts of all.
Human species one will become resistent to pesticide.... this is called evolution the way insects like cockroach does.
there is end for everything..... just need to wait for the right time.
Locally produced organic foods should NOT cost more under any circumstances. Local producers do NOT have shipping, warehousing and packaging/distribution expenses that factor into the end supermarket cost. The fact that local organic costs far less to produce but commands a much higher price than is necessary is ludicrous. Non-organic locally grown and distributed food also should be priced lower than supermarket prices for the same reasons. Farmers have abandoned diversity in cropping which adds a further layer of unavailability of choice.
Then earn more. I'm tired of hearing this elitist cr ap that people are too good to do anything on the side to earn more when they can't afford to do something blatantly important like buy decent food. Sell stuff at a flea market, deliver pizza on the weekends, sell junk from thrift shops on eBay. It isn't that hard.
what a delightful person. do you defecate in public too?
Kiwi, the extra cost is a concern. I am elderly and retired some time ago. However, it's so important to avoid contaminated food. It is a little extra to buy non- poisoned food, but surely it's worth it. You do have to look carefully for the most reasonable organic foods. Frozen organic is often cheaper than the fresh. But a HUGE way to eat real food and save money is to grow it yourself. Pots on your deck will do. Guttering fixed to a sunny wall. A kids' wading pool filled with dirt. Seeds are very very cheap, and the results are wonderful last year, I got 25 lbs of tomatoes from 3 plants. 27 lbs beans from a short row. Try it.
Ok Kiwi, you're in a burning building with the biggest most annoying elist snob you've ever met. He runs out the door. Does that mean you hang around because you don't want to look elitist? Most of the time the fringies are just being hysterical, but sometimes they're really onto something that everyone else has dismissed as lunacy. You don't have to like the people you consider to be elitist, but have the smarts to accept any of the positives to come out of their activities... or you can just hang around in a burning building because you don't want to be "one of them."
Farmers markets aren't always more expensive BTW... it may depend on where you live though. If you're lucky enough to live out here in California where I'm at, you can often get stuff cheaper at the Farmers Market... and it tastes a lot better too.
The problem with your thought process needs to change, Here is the deal. Are you willing to pay for good food now or medical bills later? The worlds foods have been moving and leaning to the unhealthy side for some time. The more it is processed down the line ,the more sickness we will see.
Where is your scientific proof that eating organic is better for you? I can think of one recent study out of Stanford that refutes that claim quite well...
Cue in the elitist responses to this comment.They can't understand how anyone can't afford organic grass fed kobe beef. How dare you. If you have to pay rent and can't afford to buy organic sun sanitized apples at 4.99 a lb then then you need to move you and your children into a cardboard box because you MUST eat this way.
or you could just read the comments that say grow your own instead of moaning about some absurd idea about kobe beef.
Grow your own! It's something I'm looking at right now, and as a city dweller it takes something to make this work. There are several community garden plots available in my city (I took over a friend's a few years ago) and we have a back yard we're allowed to garden on. That gives me the opportunity to control the soil amendments, also gets me away from the TV for a few hours a week. You can actually grow something like a ton of produce with a fairly small plot.
'I would love to only buy locally, eat organic, and support small farms. But the fact is, I can't afford it, and I'm willing to bet that many others can't either. '
as others have said...try growing your own. You really dont need a lot of space these days and there are plenty of books out there that can tell you how to grow 4 or 5 different veg in a single container. One i use is called vegetable gardener's container bible.
Do you own a cell phone? Pay for internet/ cable/ satellite? Go to Starbucks instead of brewing your morning coffee at home? So many people I hear protest that they can't afford to buy anything but processed crap at the grocery store actually spend a great deal of their income on things that are less important than quality food. The fact is that there is a price to pay for cheap food, and we all share it. It comes in the form of sky-high medical costs and lost productivity due to chronic illness.
I'm not saying buy 100% local and organic. But natural and organic options are becoming more prevalent. Use coupons, buy what's on sale and you can at least start to work better options into your diet.
I have heard this argument before, but it always seems the people who "can't afford" to eat well or better somehow have the money for cigarettes, beer, cable tv, flat screen tvs, smart phones, $7 cups of coffee, and of course, lottery tickets.
You can try to stay away from processed foods but even the food that looks naturally occurring is difficult to be sure of. GMOs, farmed salmon and cows on drugs are a few of examples of unprocessed food that humans tamper with before it even looks like it.
The FDA is mostly funded by pharmaceutical companies. The pharmas are the ones who get rich selling drugs to help with the illnesses you get from poor quality, mislabelled food. Better than no agency at all but they are only half trusted by most people. That's just good enough for them to keep the outraged consumers at bay so big business can persuade them to put their stamp of approval on toxic consumer products.
"cows on drugs"
Yeah I could have sworn I saw a herd of cows passing a crack pipe around the other day.
Oh, get over it already... you're bucking the money, or trying to, that brought down the Soviet Union... you REALLY think you're gonna win? Right. We are all here gonna die in this place.... we ARE just another brick in the wall. Reality: What a conceept. (Rotsa ruck, baby).
Most Americans could cut their food bill in half if they only bought what they needed instead of gorging on what they crave...and probably lose massive amounts of body fat in the bargain.
Huh. sounds vague
Trust most your local farmers market, co-op and natural food store? Yeah right. I'm surprised that fraud with supposedly organic products isn't top on the list. Who has more to loose, Kraft foods risking a billion dollar law suit for illegally watering down your lemon juice, or some "organic" farmer who fertilizes and sprays the heck out of their bio produce...
Are you brain dead?????
Because when have big corporations ever lied to us, screwed us over, or let us down?
When a big company mucks up, they lose big. A lot of people are still scared of Tylenol© after the poisoning. I'll never eat at another Pizza Hut. If Joe's Pizza Pit poisons someone, hr closes and opens again as Ralph's Pizza Pit. Big companies have a huge incentive to do right. Mostly they do, and the abuses are caused by them hiring Joe after his pizza place closed, not management decisions. Sometimes the fish rots from the head down, like Chik-Fil-A.
When a big company "mucks up", it's often a couple years later that people find out and then it's years after that that anything is done about it. This argument that big companies lose big so therefore they are so invested in quality and customers has been shot down so many times it's not funny. Big companies have BIG bucks to spend on lobbyists to persuade government to look the other way or vote down laws that would make them literally clean up their act, they have BIG bucks to spend on their CEOs, and they have BIG bucks to hire fix-it PR firms to put a cool spin on something really terrible. Left to their own devices, without oversight or regulation, big companies have shown time and time again they care very little for their consumers, their neighbors, or the environment.
Most of the organic produce is either imported from China or grown by the same major corporations that grow the non-organic stuff. Also, ask the seller at your local farmer's market to show you his growing fields...expect him to get very angry and defensive.
Or organic food with only a small proportion of the actual content that is actually organic....... How large is the organic industry again? Hmmmmm.
A right wing zombie that thinks healthy food is bad for you. Monsanto actually breeds pesticide into crops and you think they are the good guys? They don't care about your health they care about profits and control of the food supply. All you people that think corporations are the good guys need to lay off the Kool-Aide!
Wrong. Monsanto breeds pesticide resistance into its crops, not pesticide. What you are saying would actually be better for the environment overall.
Nope, no pesticides bred into the food, maybe check your sources...
The organic food industry in the US passed the 30 billion dollar/year mark in 2011, and is the fastest growing part of the food market currently. I think that this makes it also a risk for fraud as well. Just because marketing has painted organic food to be the saviour of the masses, doesn't mean that this is not also vulnerable to abuses. There may be ugly sides to that coin as well.
Personally I trust the farmers at my local market. I can go to the farms and see what they're doing. I can see the free range chickens cows, pigs. Please don't risk your health by ignoring the fact of a contaminated food supply. I think anything with the suffix 'cide" must be bad for humans. Eg genocide,homicide, suicide, pesticide, herbicide. If you are still in doubt, grow your own, very cheap and very easy. I go 25 pounds tomatoes from 3 plants in pots on my deck
I'd be careful with the -cide fear. Plants are loaded with natural toxins, pesticides and herbicides, chemicals that are often isolated and altered by companies for higher effectiveness and concentration. These are natural plant defenses against bugs and herbivores. Some of these toxins include our favorites compounds for human consumption – nicotine, caffeine, compounds in teas. I'm all for watching what is put in the food, but don't take it to the extreme and be chemical-phobic, because everything you consume is a chemical.
Persimmon, our local "farmers market" is full of stalls selling mangos, bananas etc. I'm in Ontario, Canada. Those folksy stalls are selling produce that comes from the food shipping terminals in Toronto. There are no regulations on what is labelled "organic".
I also live in what some people call "Amish" country. I will not do business with them because of their horrible animal abuse practices, not the least of which are puppy mills. They also trap and kill sparrows because they're not pretty enough. They believe they have dominion over animals and can treat them any way they want. The only thing that gets treated properly is their horse because that's their means of transportation. When the horse gets too old, that's another story.
I've taken to growing my own vegetables, but the season to harvest only runs from June to about mid-October if I'm lucky.
I certainly never dreamed I'd have to be concerned about tuna or olive oil.
Have you ever personally gone to the fields of any of these "farmers?" I live in an area where there are a lot of farmers and still 50% or more of the sellers at our local farmer's market sell produce that they purchased from one of the large, national growers.
"Purgative" effects of White Tuna, eh? Sounds like fun. -_-
Actually, Escolar sushi is really incredibly good. I've had it numerous times. I don't remember particular ill effects, either, though my digestion is often a bit off anyway (too much coffee, man), so I may not have made the connection between a meal with a few bits of it and a later stomach upset. I'd gladly have one or two pieces of escolar sashimi in an assortment. I don't know about eating a steak of it, though...
That's fine, but when I buy a tin of tuna, I want tuna.
I had a delicious escolar dish in New Orleans and experienced no nasty side effects. I'd never heard of escolar before so I looked it up and read about the, uh, downsides. Won't be taking a chance again, but I can say it's one of the tastiest dishes I've ever had.
Self-regulate....moronns!
your write, dood. ownlee uh moronn wounet bie abel two sellfregulayt.
Research about chinese honey and fake honey then choose to buy local honey instead.
who cares it is OKAY!!!
Our food is very good.These chemials and such are OKAY,our bodies can easily digest it,and it passes through! Most Third-World counties would LOVE these additives in their food.Instead,they have to deal with dust,wood,BODY-PARTS!!! Be THANKFULL
And here we are,complaining bout 'gmo' PUH-LEEZE!!!
Yes, the higher cancer, allergy, autism and obesity rates certainly show that GMO is great for us.
If you believe that GMO's cause all of these things, you obviously know nothing about the science behind and supporting GMO's. Also, if you don't believe the scientists who say that GMO's are safe (and even beneficial in some cases), yet believe them about other issues such as climate change, antibiotics for severe infections or even insulin for diabetics, I would ask you why it's ok to choose what you believe. What then would you be basing your epistemology on?
Wow – you went from GMO to climate change making all kinds of assumptions along the way. Good for you!
I've done my research (on both) and made my decision, thank you. I choose to buy organic (especially for the dirty 30) when I can and support labeling GMO foods as well. People have a right to know what's in their food so they can buy accordingly. I also buy local when I can and support restaurants that do so as well.
If you don't care what's in your food then more power to you. You're gonna need it.
That comparison is madness. The scientific community overwhelmingly believes in man-made climate change. The scientific community is still somewhat divided over GMOs, but not over the carcinogenic properties of many pesticides and food additives. It's hardly a facile, one-to-one comparison of "stuff scientists say" like you think it is.
are you saying that the concept that diabetics benefit from insulin is not true? is that a thing now? to believe that insulin is a fraud? holy crap! is there no end to the conspiracy madness?
Reasonably, I am not talking about pesticides, they are known to cause problems in higher concentrations ,certainly. I am talking about the GMO foods that you mentioned in your posts. I am happy for you that you can afford organic and healthy food in abundance, and that you also will eat well even choosing to avoid GMO's. Currently, this is not the case for many. There is not any actual science supporting your above claims regarding the 'dangers' of GMO's, and I do wonder if agri-science doesn't have a lot to offer the rest of the world. You know, for those who don't have the wealth of our food supply available to them.
You want really want to be educated on GMO and not just live in la-la land, check out "Shiva Vandana and GMO". Kauai is the playground of Bayer, Monsanto, Dow, Syngenta, DuPont/Pioneer, BASF. They buy/lease and poison thousands of acres with pesticides to grow GMO seeds here on the island (and all over Hawaii) and then ship them off to the mainland so you won’t be deprived either. Monsanto owns 23% of the world's seed market and their “SUCCESS” with producing GMO seed is dependent on using tons and tons of PESTICIDES! When one pesticide no longer works – guess what? The farmers will have to buy a NEW PESTICIDE that is created BY THEM, and on and on it goes until they saturate the land and render it useless because it is totally poisoned. Oh, and guess who owns the pesticide companies? That would be Bayer, Syngenta, BASF, Dow, Monsanto and Dupont! Is a picture forming here?
Not to be the scientific downer, but I cannot imagine how splicing bacterial DNA into a food and them coating with pesticide is healthy. Basic biology will tell you that plants take up nutrients from the soil around them. If there's a metric sh*t-ton (scientific term) of pesticide in the soil around the plant, guess what the plant is absorbing? It's almost like the bio-accumulation of mercury of fish. You are what you eat. Period. And that's the science. Antibiotics and hormones in cows cause bacteria to become resistant and can cause early hormonal maturation in women. Scientifically studied. GMO's tend to cause higher rates of cancer in lab animals. Scientifically studied. And yes, we do generally agree in global climate change.
Please GeoScba, provide us all with the links to the actual scientific papers that show GMO's causing cancer in lab animals as I have never found any.You will have done me a favour, and then I will be able to agree with you, until then....
Don't even try to argue with a crank who thinks GMO foods cause all disease. Some people feel they have a religious revelation to preach about GMOs. They want us to eat the good old bananas that good old God made just for our hands, and eat Silver Queen corn and Big Boy Beefsteak Tomatoes, like Jesus ate in Israel.
I guess you are right. Hogan's Goat, how can my search of the primary literature (and not a youtube montage or anti-GMO site) and 12 years of postsecondary biosciences education possibly equip me to understand what the actual scientific literature says about GMO's and their supposed effects on health? How on earth would I ever be aware of the actual concerns about GMO crops, and why there still should be checks and legislature on a global scale regulating their use?
I guess that I am just an uninformed ignoramus (with 2 science degrees). Sigh. I give up. How can I compete with people who will believe anything they read who don't have the gumption and/or skill to go do a real literature search of the actual scientific papers and see the glaring lack of any research showing a link between GMO's and cancer, obesity or autism.....
Are you serious lol? Things that you can't even pronounce should not be consumed. Period. Especially if you give a crap about your health. I'm going out on a limb here but I'm willing to bet that you think McDonalds isn't a bad choice....
I am with you on that! very simple rule; if I can't pronounce it, I don't eat it ....
Your ignorance is sad, and may well be partially due to your diet. To everyone who believes that corporations have your health in mind, and that GMO's are healthy, please wake up and look into these issues a little deeper than mainstream media, or the feeling you have after polishing off half a box of oreo's. Please Please Please watch "The world according to Monsanto" for free on Youtube. 100's of shocking truths are exposed. GMO's are proven to cause cancer. There is a "revolving door" of FDA agents who then jump to Monsanto as highly paid emplyees, then back to the FDA, greenlighting all their applications, think they might be biased? paid money for blood of innocents perhaps?
Tour tin hat is leaking
There is no current scientific data supporting a link between GMO's and cancer. Please don't say there is! But if you can find or cite the actual primary study showing this, and cite it here, you will do us all a favor. Until then.....
OF course a YouTube video about the 'truth about' anything is going to be biased. I guarantee that video totally reveals that your worst fears about Monsanto and GMOs are all true. There are videos like that about everything, including the President being a reptile man from underneath the Earth. In fact, I just posted a video revealing 'the truth about' you.
Quit putting me in the position of having to defend Monsanto. I don't even like them. Too big.
Do two wrongs somehow make a 'right'?
No. But two lefts do.
Messa, the average cancer rate in the U.S. during WWII was 1 in every 17 for adults in the U.S. (when smoking was considered a social skill). Today it's 1 in every 2, so have autism as well as autoimmune, cardiovascular and hormonal illnesses continued on the rise. I recently spent 3 weeks in the tropics overseas, where my diet consisted of local produce, fish, fowl and pork. I could feel my IBS, joint pain, and migraines fade away from day to day. Came back to the American diet and voila, my health problems kicked back in after one week. If you don't think many ways American food is processed and manipulated are wrong, don't worry, it's OKAY.
According to CDC, number of noninstitutionalized US adults diagnosed with cancer sits around 8%*.
That, to be generous, is well short of 1 in 2.
(* – http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/cancer.htm)
Just like with autism, the increase in cancer rate is, at least, partially due to changes in diagnostic procedures and better science that enables us to detect more cancers before death.
Should include anything GMO, too.
See, that's where you hurt your argument. GMO = bad to you, and never mind the evidence. There's a huge gap between tweaking genes to make the corn healthier and inserting genes from something nasty to keep bugs from eating it. And quit making me 'defend' Monsanto from ridiculous assertions. They aren't 'evil' or 'alien' or out to force you to eat poison. They sell stuff that there's a market for. I didn't like Mitt but I didn't insist that he was from Mars or had two heads.
the prices are a fraud also, $4 for a box of crackers, $3.50 a loaf of bread, paper products are outrageous , $9 for chicken, $3.5 a can of beans
Jeepers – where do you shop?
Whole Food's prices can be outrageous. I shop at a local store to try and give them business but, for example, there is NO way I'm paying $3 plus for a pound of organic pasta. I understand the reasoning behind some of the smaller stores prices but until they come down, most families can't afford to pay prices like that.
Whole Paycheck can be outrageous, but some of their stuff is reasonable. Shop smart.
I compared their organic produce to Fred Meyer organics and the prices were similar. Gas to go from stop to stop factored in in made sense to stick with WF.
I always thought saffron strands was the only way to purchase saffron. What are the forms that the producers of fake saffron are trying to trick people with? Powder? Saffron loses it's flavor quickly after grounding. Always buy strands.
Also, many olive oils labeled "Italian", "Greek", or "Spanish" come from olives from other countries, and are merely packaged in Italy, Greece, or Spain. Read the label and see if they tell you where the olives are from.
Saffron threads are usually adulterated by passing off dyed safflower as saffron. Also Kashmiri saffron is often mostly Iranian saffron and of a much lower quality. Spanish saffron is the most reliably pure right now
I have to look that up ... I thought the Iranian saffron was good. I have tried a few brands and like theirs best ... well to be honest, it comes from my friends family farm.......
When the FDA hears about all this they will put a stop to it!
Tee hee – you're funny.
The FDA is owned by BIG AG.
But yes, of course, they are from the government and are here to help you. I'm sure this is the =first= they have heard of this. They are no doubt Shocked! Shocked to hear there is food fraud going on in here.
If they can just fine the right forms to file, they will deal with this pronto!
Escolar commonly marketed as white tuna, super white tuna, butterfish and walu was banned from sales in Japan.
It's a shame, too– it really tastes very good. I've had it numerous times as sashimi.
What do you expect?
Ever since we let the fast food industry get away with showing us those dazzling pictures on the wall of how your food is supposed to look, and we get a plate full of garbage, the rest of the industry thinks its ok to do the same.
Keep in mind that it is now the norm to accept whats advertized as fraudulent.
I get burned once. Then its on me.
Dazzling pictures in any industry is not new. But we stopped caring about what went INTO our food, in an effort to keep prices down.
Most people didn't stop "caring". It's called "survival". Bills must be paid and food must be eaten. Somewhere in there, unless you're filthy rich, one must strike a balance between the two. Living within a budget can sometimes seriously limit one's options. There is always a compromise somewhere.
You're right, it is tough to pay bills. But you only get issued one body- not warranties, no return policy"! It's the first thing you need to take care of- making sure it stays healthy, and if you eat contaminated food, guess what. Cancer, diabetes etc WILL follow. Grow your own veggies. Easy and so very cheap. Pots on your deck, a kids wading pool filled with dirt, guttering fixed to a sunny wall . Loads of veg, for very little. Check out frozen organic,can be cheaper than the fresh. If you can, go to the organic farm's own shop, usually cheaper than the grocery store.
"we stopped caring about what went INTO our food" I went to high school with my supermarket's butcher and dry goods manager. Maybe YOU shop with a bunch of strangers, but I don't.
The only effective way to combat food fraud is to have more inspection and random testing of food products, along with hefty fines and disclosure of the fraudulent brand. Otherwise even well-known "reputable" brands will commit food fraud at will with little consequence.
Sadly there is no political will for this. Instead, the consumer is advised to only buy "brands you trust". As if most people have time to research every item, or have a lab in their house to test the food.
why did dr oz promote saffron if it is a fraud people listens to people like dr oz so i guess my be the product pays them to lie?
Even in the place where Saffron is harvested like mosst northern part of Inida imposters are sold So do not despair There are ways of finding good from bad real from fraud However it is easy to buy the original item andmake th stuff at home You know what went into that and what was added to that Just listen to Dr Oz but do not believe what everyone says make your own judgement
This kind of thing has been going on for as long as their has been trade in high value food stuffs.
Their is also a lack of uniform international standards of quality for many food products and their labeling. The lack of such standards can cause problems with out any ill intentions as what one county considers except able for a high end label may not be except able for a high end label in another. Some of these trade chains are long enough to make it hard to pin down accountability for adulterations as what may be illegal adulterations in one country may be perfectly legal in another even with out labeling.
How does this help anyone? If fraud brands arent listed then they are getting off the hook and have no reason to stop. The government isnt going to tell them to stop, and since we dont know who is doing it we wont tell them either.
This only hurts america's food quality crisis. The only time Ive seen any change is with pink slime, and thats because brands were listed as culprits, almost immediately pink slime was dropped and the largest pink slime producer went out of business.
Between "Food, Inc.", "Frankensteer", and "Forks Over Knives", I don't want to eat anything I don't grow myself.
Information's a b*tch, ain't it?
I agree with the spirit of all of the films cited here, but unfortunately...the science does not back up most of what those films claim. Except Frankensteer. That's probably the most science-based documentary I've seen in a long time. In the most comprehensive study of vegetarian/vegan vs meat eaters by Harvard, Vegetarians live longer than people who eat a lot of red meat but live shorter lives than people who eat a sensible diet containing poultry and white meats.
Information is power, but sometimes darn depressing, huh?
I hate to say it, but sometimes I think I'd be happier if I was stupid.
"Ignorance is bliss," has been quoted for a really long time for a reason.
Because EVERYONE is evil, and ALL FARMERS are poisoning you? The whole world is in on this, and you are the victim? Snap out of it,. Most food is just fine. Without inspections, sharp operators add stuff they shouldn't; enough inspections and they find another line of work.
Would YOU sell someone food that was bad? Would most of your friends? Despite the loony talk, most people are decent. Pretending that one sharp operator represents the entire industry just shows the crazy off.
Isn't this like Lance Armstrong's dilemma? These people are using substances that improve "performance" of their product. Should this get the same news coverage as Lance? Actually, these findings should be the Top Story/Breaking News. Won't happen though. Not as exciting as Lance, I guess.
The news media won't go after this with any gusto because these companies involved in this fraud are the same ones that pay to advertise in these papers/websites. I understand the dilemna, as it may not be wise for them to go after the hand that feeds them. So, instead you get articles like this that talk in generalities and don't name the companies involved (and as a result don't accomplish much at all). I suspect the author is well aware that the public would be best served if the companies/brands could be named. But because the extent of this is so large, CNN won't (and most other media will simply ignore the story) because they don't want to risk upsetting their advertisers.
Bingo! It's all about money. It's always about money. As long as it's always about money, this sad world we live in will only get worse as time goes on.
This no surprise, the food industry has been duping the general public for 40 years. If people knew the whole truth there would be a nationwide uproar. Check the labels of your food. Just take a box of poptarts and Google each ingredient to see whats really going into the food. It's horrifying what we are eating and feeding our poor children. We are victims of mass manipulative advertising and a corrupt federal agency that is suppose to be our watchdogs for questionable food products. It's all about the money-they don't give a damn about what goes in it people. READ. Get educated and make good choices. We can beat them at their own corrupted game!
not only that, but many, many foods we eat here in America are prohibited in most other countries. Our FDA is run by people who have a personal stake in the food industry: "former" Monsato CEOs, etc. This is corruption at it's finest, yet very few people know or care about it. Stick with REAL food from local farmers, stay away from "safe" High Fructose Corn syrup (it's in just about everything), "safe" hydrolyzed and hydrogenated oils, eat nothing pre-processed out of a box. Try it for a few weeks, and you"l lose weight, feel better, poop better and have more energy.
The CEO's are at the FDA because they Know the industry. THey knwo the laws, having had to abide by them for so long. IT is not realistic to expect someone outside the food industry to be able to learn the laws and production methods etc to be able to lead the FDA. This is such a tired argument from misinformed ignorant people who think the FDA is controlled by the food industry.
Rest assured that most of the major retailers and producers in the food industry are looking at this issue very closely. They are extremely concerned with the problem. The problem is with their ingredient suppliers and other corrupt players along the supply chain who derive economic gain from substituting inferior ingredients and diluting products. Several of the countries where this is a problem, are trying desperately to prevent it as it dramatically impacts their ability to trade. I am working with these companies and countries to try to solve the problem, so I know what is being done. Do a search for videos on food fraud and counterfeit food and use search works like milk, rice, bananas, melamine, plastic and honey to get a glimpse of what is going on in countries like China and India. It is estimated that 76% of the food consumed in Bangladesh is adulterated. It is making people in these countries very sick. It is the little guys who are trying to make a buck from the big players who are the source of the problem. We need to demonize them, not the major food manufacturers and retailers.
" It is estimated that 76% of the food consumed in Bangladesh is adulterated. It is making people in these countries very sick. "
Right, and so we should obviously stop inspecting our food and get rid of our watchdogs so we can get those same results?
If you check the statistics, you will see that FDA inspects less than 2% of what comes into this country.I am working with the food industry and countries to catch and prevent problems before they come close to our border. It is no easy task as so much food comes into this country from abroad from so many different places. Our food passes through many hands before it reaches our tables.
It's pretty easy to get real honey. Most farmers markets have stands for local beekeepers. I've also found quite a few local honeys in my grocery store. No big deal to find, and worth the extra price for the taste.
I get local maple syrup, too. Some local families have been in the maple syrup business for several generations.
I suspect my son has found a few honeys in his local store, too, but it's run by a strict family, so those ladies are off limits!
I'd suspect the ability to find local honey, maple syrup, etc. really depends on where you live. I'm lucky enough to have a family member who has his own hives, so we get honey straight from him.
You are probably more likely to find mislabled honey (real honey, but the generic kind) from "farm stands" and farmer's markets than you are in a grocery store. It is really common to buy gallons of bulk honey, repackage it, and sell it as premium stuff from your hives. There's a guy who sells "blueberry honey" by the side of the road near my home. He always has a big stock of it, year-round. Since the blooming time for blueberries is brief, I suspect the honey's generic. It sure looks like it.
This country is becoming one big rip-off in the name of free enterprise. It disgusts me. Everyone is a sales person trying to rip off the person next to them.
Yep. Believe me, you're not the only one who recognizes this and shares your sentiment. I, too, find it all disgusting. It seems nothing (or no-one) is sacred anymore in the name of the almighty dollar. I am thoroughly convinced that greed will destroy this country, then eventually the entire planet!
" Since the blooming time for blueberries is brief, I suspect the honey's generic. It sure looks like it."
You could ask him, or just go on badmouthing him to everybody. I had a neighbor like you once. I moved.
No surprise. Since farming went corporate it is all about bottom line. Farmers used to take a lot of pride in their stock in trade but now they have been reduced to machine operators.
Honey has been 'manufactured' for awhile now. If there's a shortage of bees, then where does the honey come from?
From what I have read, the big issue with the "fake" is that it likely comes from China. They do ultra filtration, which removes all the pollen and makes it impossible to tell where it came from. At that point it is no longer "honey" because the pollen is gone. Chinese honey has a lot of problems, such as being high in metals and chemicals, and is often diluted with corn syrup. It's apparently illegal for them to use it, but with them only testing about 5% of imported honey, you're unlikely to get caught. And once they get it here and filter it, it's hard to prove.
I'm calling you out on that one, Jenni. I don't know whether your story about Chinese origin and "ultrafiltration" has any merit, but I do know that "heavy metals" and "chemicals" do not make it into honey through a bee. Think about it: if there are toxic pesticides on the flowers, the bees feeding from them will be killed.
You're calling someone out on something you haven't researched and then using your own opinion to close the deal? What are you, a burgeoning politician?
Research the chinese honey problem. It's as real as them stealing patents and making knock-off purses.
But no one's forcing you to eat real, fresh, local honey so please, by all means, go buy whatever cr*p foods you want and stay part of the problem.
It would be useful to have a link to the companies involved, and more specifics on what was found. It would also be useful to know what countries the problematic items originate in ([cough]China[cough])
My research thus far shows it to be so many brands that there was no way they could name them all. Store brand olive oils and honeys seemed to be some of the biggest culprits.
For Honey, the Food Safety News identified the following brands as problematic:
• American Choice Clover Honey
• Archer Farms Orange Blossom Honey
• Archer Farms Organic Classic Honey
• Busy Bee Organic Honey
•Busy Bee, Pure Clover Honey
•CVS Honey
• Fred Meyer Clover Honey
• Full Circle Pure Honey
•Giant Eagle Clover Honey
•GE Clover Honey
•Great Value, Clover Honey
•Haggen Honey, Natural & Pure
• HT Traders Tupelo Honey
•Kroger Pure Clover Honey
• Market Pantry Pure Honey
• Mel-o 100 % Pure Honey
•Natural Sue Bee Clover Honey
•Naturally Preferred Fireweed Honey
•Rite Aid Honey
• Safeway Clover Honey
• Silver Bow Pure Honey
• Stop and Shop Clove Honey
• Sue Bee Clover Honey
• Thrifty Bee Honey
• Valutime Honey
•Walgreen MEL-O honey
•Western Family Clover Honey
•Wegman Clover Honey
•Winnie the Pooh, Pure Clover
Source: Tests Show Most Store Honey Isn’t Honey, Food Safety News, Nov. 7, 2011
Yea, the store brands are some of the worst culprits when it comes to honey. That and the ones in the cute bear bottles (the commercial ones, not the bear bottles that are sometimes used by local beekeepers).
You forgot Master Kim's Kung Fu Honey.
"Purgative effects"? Is that the same as something that makes you throw up? Or are we talking about the other end of the scale?
Think laxative.
Laxative. Orange Roughy fish also has the same outcome. If you eat it and see orange oily globs in the toilet the next morning, don't panic. It's normal.
It's literally wax and goes right through your body unchanged. One of the miracles of digestion. As sushi, it's an indigestible glob, when cooked, it's liquid mixed with your bowel contents. Go with the sushi.
Anyone who is at all interested in this topic and the problems associated with depending on the FDA, should join CSPI (Center of Science for Public Interest.) Please visit them at http://www.cspi.net. They also publish a newsletter titled "Nutrition Action" that has shone a very bright light on the reality of what is going on in the food industry. The CSPI has successfully changed the way some companies have done business by putting pressure on them and the government and demanding certain standards. The more members they have the more power they will have and will be able to do even more. If you care, please join today!
If you go to the foodfraud.org site mentioned in the article, you can search on various foods or adulterants. The results will reference publications. Those publications contain the details of the fraud including company names.
With regard to olive oil brands:
Found to have be fraudulently labeled as Extra-Virgin:
Whole Foods
Rachel Ray
Safeway
Newman's Own
Colavita
Bertolli
Filippo Berio
Pompeian
Star
Carapelli
Mezzetta
Mazzola
Found to be accurately labeled as Extra-Virgin:
Kirkland Organic
Corto Olive
California Olive Ranch
McEvoy Ranch Organic
Source: Tests indicate that imported “extra virgin”olive oil often fails international and USDA standards – UC Davis Olive Center, July 2010
Dang, those are some of my favorite brands.
wish the reports were done in YOUR format. THAT I can use.... Reading hundreds of "reports" is not helpful.
none of the safe brands are available at the store except Kirkland, and Im not going to buy a gallon of olive oil
Maybe you and a few others can go together on a gallon and split it up into smaller bottles?
The Kirkland EVO is sold in liter bottles.
Consumer Reports tested olive oil a few years ago and found the Kirkland EVO to be the best olive oil for the value. It's got a wonderful flavor and smells great. Its sold in liter bottles and in larger ones for small businesses.
We would like to buy ONLY what is produced in this country, but how can we when most is a fraud? I want what i pay for and not a substitute. I have food allergy's and it seems I can't trust what is grown here any more. Shame on you, FDA. You don't protect us. I would like to see a list of "fraud items and brands" Start protecting us, the consumer after all, you supposedly work for us.
The report only deals with items that are sold in the US – CNN's report, at least, doesn't address where the products originate from.
You have food "allergies" not food "allergy's". "Allergy's" is a possessive form, meaning that something belongs to an allergy OR is a contraction for "allergy is".
Using an apostrophe s NEVER makes a word plural.
Buy local if you can and visit the source if possible. That's the only way. There's a goat cheese farmer near me in the Dallas/Fort Worth area who I know produces it all there. There is also an olive oil operation that grows its own olives and I've seen it processed there as well. There are a lot of options for a variety of locally-sourced meats in many areas of the country as well. BUY LOCAL, or at least, regional.
"but how can we when most is a fraud?" If you think most food is fraudulent, you need a shrink worse than a farm co-op. Many people have food fetishes like vegan, vegetarian, fruitarian, anti-rice and pro-rice.Every one of them is sure they are doing the only logical thing. It's easy to put someone off their food; just say it smells funny or you feel sick after eating it and watch them decide the same thing. Look into what an inspector actually does and you may feel better.
You're thinking of the USDA, I think.
Why aren't the food companies who are committing this food fraud publicly named? If they are named, where can I find the list?
CNN's lawyers vs. Monsanto's or Tysons? Are you kidding me? That's why the news outlets won't name them, PLUS most of them are $PON$OR$.
After more then 10 years of personal investigative research, what we think about the FDA which is really the Fraud and Death Administration, is really an advocate and strong supporter of the big pharmaceutical companies. Diseases are on the increase because of the poor nutritional quality of our foods and the endless medicating of our families. Take the time and watch this eye opening documentary by health and nutritional advocate Gary Null WAR ON HEALTH The FDA's Cult of Tyranny https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPt3IQfIXgo
Costco's having a sale on tinfoil. Might come in handy when you need to replace your hat.
Actually there is too much money in the Drug industry to rule out under the table deals with FDA members, just as there is too much money to be made in fraudulent food. I don't believe in conspiracy, but there is widespread corruption.
Foil is made of aluminum. Or is it?
Foil is made of aluminum. "Tinfoil" is a misnomer.
"is really an advocate and strong supporter of the big pharmaceutical companies"
You guys kill me. Of course they are. They are the freakin FDA. Do you expect them to be all up into football instead?
"The new records show that the most commonly fraudulent products are olive oil..." This is a result of Bush's and the GOP's proclamation that "Industry with Self-Regulate." What a crock! As I've written on these pages several YEARS ago, America's Test Kitchen did a test of European vs American Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO). EVERY American brand of EVOO failed and were found to be anything from outright blends to late first-early-second squeezings (EVOO is supposed to be the first squeezing on the press). EVERY European brand passed: and they're all state tested, sometimes even to taste tests.
As GH asked – how can we get a list of specific brands? I went to the database and there are no company brands. (As for Adam Baum's question – I assume "we" is the public and I personally don't work for anyone. I'm a homemaker who works very hard to try to feed her family healthy foods on a reasonable budget.)
I heard a story last spring on NPR that there is widespread fraud in olive oils. The only tips that I've seen on avoiding fraud is to be suspicious of low prices. But lets face it, high prices can be simply a result of marketing determining that a high price adds to the quality image of a brand – it is certainly not a true promise of quality.
I've been really upset today to see this not treated as a bigger story with more questions about who is committing fraud and real, helpful details on how to avoid it. There isn't even any reporting on how this will be followed up on. Is there a bureaucratic delay in this information coming out or is there some confidentiality that means will it never come out?
You are absolutely right. I want to know who the fraudulent purveyors of crappy substitutes are and I want to know how they will be punished. I'd like to see a "good or true" list that are exactly what they say they are. I have been buying EVOO for years because it is better for heart health among other things. I have been buying and using turmeric because it is good to reduce inflammatory disease. What is the point if we are choosing the right foods for years but no one enforces that what we are buying is true and accurate. I am sick and tired of so called self-regulation – it is absolutely worthless.
" I am sick and tired of so called self-regulation – it is absolutely worthless." Why, you dirty liberal. Bush knew what was best for you. Be grateful the government isn't in your business.
Unless you give out names of companies and products, all this is just propaganda and scare tactics.
What are we supposed to do about it?
This doesn't help anyone as it is.
I have to petition the FDA to prevent fraud? Isn't fraud illegal?
I want to know what coffee has acorns, twigs, and soybeans in it.
This is infuriating.
so long as you only PEETS coffee, you never have to worry with filler!
Um whats PEETS?
The best coffee in the world. Only on the West Coast.
I peets urine. What do you peet?
*buy
Add flea markets as sources of fraudulent food. Big culprits are "homey/country"-labelled maple syrups and honey. Often, contents include NO maple syrup or honey .... powdered, flavored, sugary mixes purchased in bulk from various sources (Texas is one), are dissolved in water, then bottled in jars with homey labels. Rarely, the USDA catches on, but too many frauds to catch all. You would be wise to assume the worst, and buy these products from legitimate retail sources.
I've also read about a portion of honey on the US market is repackaged from India or China. It can contain heavy metals...nasty. The label should read "100% US produced" or similar.
Also do some reading on "pine-nut mouth". Chinese pine nuts variants being passed off as domestic ones. It causes a bitter flavor in your mouth that lasts literally for 2 weeks...happened to me...yechh.
The link did not work for me but http://www.foodfraud.org/ did.
I don't understand honey. I think I've used it three times in my life. It's one of those things some people put in everything, and some people like me haven't seen it in years.
Bee barf
What is there to understand?
Yeah I like how it warns but doesn't name names.
Can we get a list of specific brands who do this?
Who is "we"? Who are you working for?
You know, "We the people." We're all in this together. Unless you like having your head in the sand.