This Article Will Make You Happy You Cook

[Loulabelle]

It is written by someone who sneaked into a processed food manufacturers expo. 

 

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/feb/21/a-feast-of-engineering-whats-really-in-your-food?CMP=fb_gu

 

p.s. I hope this is in the right place otherwise mods please move it, thanks.

[Michelleva]

That's a scary article, and makes me relieved I stumbled on the whole 30, I'm on day 26 with no plans to stop.

[cottagequeen]

Thanks, yep confirms I am on the right track...

[leiadowns]

Yikes!  Thanks for sharing...

[lgt2013]

"Picking up a salami, even the most guarded shopper might relax when they see rosemary extract on the ingredients list – but rosemary extracts are actually “clean-label” substitutes for the old guard of techie-sounding antioxidants (E300-21), such as butylhydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylhydroxytoluene (BHT). Food manufacturers use them to slow down the rate at which foods go rancid, so extending their shelf life."

 

So, yeah, a couple weeks ago I bought some fresh turkey burger patties on sale whose only ingredients were ground turkey and ROSEMARY EXTRACT!!! I was duped! I thought it was a weird ingredient for turkey burgers and maybe added for flavor. Wrong!

[ThyPeace]

My husband happens to work in a place where they think about food a lot, and on a large scale.  One of the things he mentioned, when I told him about this article, is that the idea of food waste is one that is getting a great deal of high-powered thought these days.  When food spoils -- which is what some of these additives are trying to prevent -- it goes to waste.  In a world where we have lots of people and not always lots of food, waste is a problem.

 

Obviously the question of waste is not the only reason to question the things they do in industrial food production.  But it did make me think that it is an important consideration in any sustainable way of eating.  My first step toward it was to start composting several years ago.  Now I also make my own bone broths, which reduces again the amount of nutrition and sheer food volume that leaves the house unused.  Everything one can do in that direction, I think, is good.  Even if I can't quite stomach the idea of pink slime -- which is another way of using every bit of food. 

 

ThyPeace, but we think blood sausage is okay, if we're from the right part of the British Isles.

[angledge]

ThyPeace, I've been thinking a lot about the environmental sustainability of the Whole30 eating program too. If anyone has seen research on this topic (life cycle analysis of grass-fed beef vs. CAFO beef, for instance, or how using more of the animal affects the environmental footprint of being an omnivore), I'd love to see it.

[ThyPeace]

I did a quick Google search on "is grass fed beef sustainable" and found a lively debate on the subject.  Here are three articles representing the different views I found:

 

New York Times opinion piece that says that feedlot is the most efficient way of producing beef.  Covers the basics of the arguments between grain and grass-fed beef, with points worth thinking about:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/13/opinion/the-myth-of-sustainable-meat.html

 

Response to the New York Times piece from a farmer who is mentioned in the article.  His view is that the comparison is biased by comparing old-fashioned grass farming to modern feedlots, and that the NYT piece is flawed in many other ways.  He also addresses the question of the food cycle and whether composting is the best way to go.  Interesting viewpoints with several items I'd never considered:

http://grist.org/sustainable-farming/farmer-responds-to-the-new-york-times-re-sustainable-meat/

 

One of many articles weighing in on the question, and then ending with, "And for heavens sake, this arguments is silly.  Try being a vegetarian if you really want sustainable!"

http://foodrevolution.org/blog/the-truth-about-grassfed-beef/

 

And even that isn't as simple as you would think at first.  Here's an article that explains why:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/vegetarian-or-omnivore-the-environmental-implications-of-diet/2014/03/10/648fdbe8-a495-11e3-a5fa-55f0c77bf39c_story.html

 

So... it's complicated.  And none of this takes into account the human health impacts of all of the foods in question.  Nor does it take into consideration the major research and changes that are going into our foods at this time.  It's a very complex moving target, and one that clearly does not have a simple answer.

 

ThyPeace, thinks that doing your very best to eat cleanly and minimize waste in your home is important.

[FlyingCrow]

Blimey. I knew it was a sneaky industry but it seems now that even if you recognise the ingredients listed, that is actually not an accurate reflection of what's in the product?!

I am so glad I've never been fond of processed foods and have now eliminated them from my diet.

ThyPeace, I've been thinking a lot about the environmental sustainability of the Whole30 eating program too. If anyone has seen research on this topic (life cycle analysis of grass-fed beef vs. CAFO beef, for instance, or how using more of the animal affects the environmental footprint of being an omnivore), I'd love to see it.

I did a quick Google search on "is grass fed beef sustainable" and found a lively debate on the subject.  Here are three articles representing the different views I found:

 

New York Times opinion piece that says that feedlot is the most efficient way of producing beef.  Covers the basics of the arguments between grain and grass-fed beef, with points worth thinking about:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/13/opinion/the-myth-of-sustainable-meat.html

 

Response to the New York Times piece from a farmer who is mentioned in the article.  His view is that the comparison is biased by comparing old-fashioned grass farming to modern feedlots, and that the NYT piece is flawed in many other ways.  He also addresses the question of the food cycle and whether composting is the best way to go.  Interesting viewpoints with several items I'd never considered:

http://grist.org/sustainable-farming/farmer-responds-to-the-new-york-times-re-sustainable-meat/

 

One of many articles weighing in on the question, and then ending with, "And for heavens sake, this arguments is silly.  Try being a vegetarian if you really want sustainable!"

http://foodrevolution.org/blog/the-truth-about-grassfed-beef/

 

And even that isn't as simple as you would think at first.  Here's an article that explains why:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/vegetarian-or-omnivore-the-environmental-implications-of-diet/2014/03/10/648fdbe8-a495-11e3-a5fa-55f0c77bf39c_story.html

 

So... it's complicated.  And none of this takes into account the human health impacts of all of the foods in question.  Nor does it take into consideration the major research and changes that are going into our foods at this time.  It's a very complex moving target, and one that clearly does not have a simple answer.

 

ThyPeace, thinks that doing your very best to eat cleanly and minimize waste in your home is important.

It's not at all simple is it? My personal opinion is that our food production cannot be sustainable whilst we continue to live the way we do - our entire way of life is unsustainable being almost entirely dependent on cheap oil, and oil is running out. Peak oil production passed in 2009, and so far nothing has been developed which could possibly support the continuation of our lives as they currently are. We need to change more than just our food production, I think. I know this is unlikely to be a popular opinion though!

Even more unpopular is my belief that there are just too many humans for our lives to be truly sustainable. I have no answers for that, of course.

All of the above does not mean I've given up, and don't bother to try and live as sustainably as possible, in fact my husband and I are committed to reducing our carbon footprint and eating food grown/reared in a sustainable and ethical way.

It is difficult to know though, sometimes, just what the best choices are!

[MeadowLily]

Texas.    There are 6.8 billion people in the world and all of them would fit into the State of Texas...around the perimeters of the state.  That would leave all of the other countries and states open for more growth.