We Need a Food Revolution

 When I started thinking about food ingredients and how to be healthier, I was kind of half-stepping. That was when I learned that there was such a difference in what's allowed in our (American) foods vs what's allowed (or rather not allowed) in European foods. I was a little mad about that. However, when I learned the other day that a large amount of the chicken sold to me as a consumer is bleached... That just left me stunned.

... And speaking of foods and the differences in ingredients, I will be sharing some of the pics. The trend started with Food Babe, and how I appreciate her!

Go check out the rest of the pics on her page

That's not true, so let me back up and say that when I first heard that chicken was bleached, I thought that was a lie. The info came via a reaction to a TikTok video. I'm not a huge TikTok fan because too many of the users I've seen come across as annoying know-it-alls with zero credentials. However, I wondered enough about the chlorinated chicken enough to dig a bit deeper. And here is what is from the FDA's "Guidance for Industry" PDF :

And, that's when I got mad. 

I've already been upset that I can find a high fructose corn syrup-free ketchup at the local stores - right next to the ketchup with HFCS. That really frustrates me because the producer is basically saying that they can make a healthier version of ketchup but, hey, let's leave the unhealthier version out there. 

Now I can get pretty easily find (and afford) healthier condiments, cereals, bread, and beverages, but when it comes to meat, that's tricky.

By the way,  I do understand the FDA wanting to combat instances of salmonella and other bacterial problems in the meat industry. My anger comes from the fact that greed is apparently getting in the way of other measures to combat the problem. For one thing, having safer ways of raising chickens (and cows, and pigs) in the first place would be better for all of us. For another thing, educating consumers (who don't already know) about the safe prep and cooking of foods should be standard. I was taught to cook foods to a safe temperature.

I also realize that implementing these changes might raise the cost of groceries. I'm okay with that. And I'm not sure how much the costs would go up. Apparently, back in the day, cola producers started using HFCS in place of cane sugar to cut costs. Is that still necessary? And, as with cigarettes (and other "luxury" or non-vital items) shouldn't we consumers be willing to pay the higher price? People are still buying cigarettes and liquor...

Back to the main topic. When talking with my family and friends about alternatives to buying what I call "bleached chicken", a few ideas came up - but just a few:

• Raising your own chickens. That way you get chickens and eggs. (I live in an apartment so that's not an option.) We do have friends who have chickens and are thinking about working with them.
• Checking with local butchers and meat shops. We do have a local butcher and I plan to see what their situation is.
• Finding a coop.

When I was looking around online, I learned of a process where chicken is air-chilled rather than chlorinated. Several suppliers use the method. So far, I found that these places or meat producers that do:

• Whole Foods Market
• D'Artagnan Foods 
• Bell & Evans
• Mary's Organic
• The Family Cow (they actually ship to my location)

Luckily, I live in the Midwest. There are some places that are nearby where I can find farm-to-table meat. To find places near your location, do a search on farm-to-table food suppliers. 

I am not sure how current it is but this article on some worthy brands is, well, worth checking out.

Of course, cost is important but so is my health. I am thinking that I can go in on a package of meat with my family to save on shipping costs. And we can get some eggs from our friend. Until there are some changes made, I guess we have to be our own advocates. And to encourage you, here is yet another look at the problem. You can see from the images I've posted here, that Food Babe and others have been all over this issue for a while...

By the way, when looking up info for this post, I saw that the FDA is/was requiring changes to food labeling - as long ago as 2016 (?) but there have been updates such as this one. I didn't dive too deep but I recommend you do. I am going to start with the following:

• This from Smart Food Scale re: U.S. FDA’s 2024 Draft Guidance on Food Labeling: Overview & Insights  (SFS has other resources worth checking out)
• Harvard Health has this up about the new labeling.
• To be fair, the FDA has information that I have failed to look for until now. This is a how-to for reading food labels.

And in the interest of sharing as much info as possible, I found these links that should be of interest:

• Processed & ultra-processed foods.
• Examples of processed foods (from a cancer center...). Make sure to look up the "5-ingredient rule" when it comes to foods.
• Repeating the link in the post about HFCS.
• Doctors on ultra-processed foods.
• Finally, these tips for eating healthier - from NPR and from the CDC.

Peace

--Free 

NOTE: This has been a shaky week for me. Forgive any glaring typing or editing errors.