R.F.K. Jr. is making haste in the U.S. food supply. It is gratifying for me that these man made additives /dyes are now being investigated or removed from the 'processed' foods we buy. The dairy industry is now under scrutiny by its own hands to clean up its own industry. But I worry. “Is the milk from the cow which is given antibiotics being sold to the public? In Canada, this by-product is thrown out I discovered.
What ever ever happened to salt, lemon juice or freezing, when necessary, to preserve the foods that require preservation. It must be the cost, the cost of refrigeration. The trucks used, the freezers on both ends of transportation and refrigeration carry a mighty cost, I assume. Electrical power is not cheap. Sprinkling an additive or two on food products is simpler and cheaper, perhaps, but not healthier. The dyes added to make food look appetizing and seemingly taste better might seem innocent enough until they're not.
I do not remember a time when an expiry date ever determined our fate at the dinner table. Processed foods/t.v. dinners and takeout foods had no prominence in our lives then. We knew a stale loaf of bread when we held it or tasted it. It was still a valid food.
Today's children, it seems, are the main consumers of highly addictive foods, its largest consumer group - if mom and dad allow. I reasoned that food scientists, formerly university graduates, hired by food companies to deliver a quality standard to the company's inventory knew and understood their duty to society, didn't they? Their presence in the laboratory was to protect us in our eating journey, away from the produce aisle. I am so confused. Now we have everlasting plastic, dominating the food aisles, entering our bodies via the blood while taking up residence in our DNA. What about the children? What about them? Does anyone really care?
Years ago I wrote about the food industry's imagination! Each year 10,000 new 'products' were being created. “How could that be?” I wondered, nervously. What am I missing? The food groups were few. Slogans on packages stating, “Made with real cheese or cream”made me think do they know what they are doing? I make assumptions about where the cheese/cream should be and shouldn't it be in the mac and cheese? There is an expectation for me. Where is the confusion? What are they saying? I shudder.
Is the Twilight Zone slowly working its way into our lives through the food we buy? A little help in the kitchen can be a dangerous thing, perhaps. Then we have food-grade to describe those preservatives used in a processed food product. Please explain. Is the non-human grade version, engine oil? What exactly is a food recall? What does it really mean?
Decades ago, there was a world-wide food scandal epidemic in the pet food industry. It seems that many companies played follow the leader using the same basic recipe from one evil source. How does that happen? Where is the oversight where food is concerned? Daily monitoring should have been in place? Prices varied considerably. It seems that premium dog food marketers got caught, too. How could that be? Their high end dog foods were costly and are sold in specialty outlets.
Thousands of pets died or became terminally ill when melamine-laced wheat gluten 'found' its way into the food bowls of our trusting pets offered by us, the trusting pet parents.. A despicable event that killed pets everywhere. There was advance notice, clues that things were amiss. Was anyone on duty?
Boiled eggs are now a regular feature for our 12-year-old 86 pound retriever, ill since 2020, in addition to his 'pet food' alongside his daily 'processed' carrots, celery, peas and pineapple, among other foods. The processing step belongs to my tiny 2 cup food processor. Every day is a surprise but the additions are 'human-grade' and nutrient dense for him. Cucumber. a daily delight, is stripped of its seeds, as it should be, before being sliced or 'processed'. Some teeth are missing from root reabsorption so a little 'help' is needed.
Easy peasy is not costly, difficult to prepare or hard to find. Even an apple can get us and them through short term hunger. Turning a simple food into something unrecognizable with high heat, sauces and other ambiguities puzzles me. Why? What is the point? The food was fine, right from the start. Silly to ruin it for what? I do not understand. The shake up in the U.S. food industry is here. I hope it stays.
There is nothing more important in life than high quality food for man and beast. ...... Good Luck Dr. RFK Jr.
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