I am an American consumer. With that I believe comes a lot of responsibility for one’s own choices.
Food labels are the consumer’s connection to information about the food they are considering to purchase. Manufacturers attract, and inform our decisions to buy. Some of what appears on the can or box is there by regulations our government sets up, perhaps for consistency or ethics.
The ability to put the label ALL NATURAL or 100% ALL NATURAL has a system of governmental control and regulation. The food must meet a standard of quality, right?
Well the purpose of this blog for the moment is to point out two ingredients that are in our food. Processed food that is. Processed food being labeled ALL NATURAL or 100% ALL NATURAL containing High Fructose Corn Syrup most commonly or sometimes Monosodium Glutamate (MSG).
Arizona “100% All Natural” Green Tea with Honey contains high fructose corn syrup.
Snapple “All Natural” Iced Tea – Lemon Flavor contains high fructose corn syrup.
Why is this permitted? Because the American consumer sits on their collective asses that is being fattened by high fructose corn syrup while companies like ADM convince congress they’ve done the best thing for the people.
High Fructose Corn Syrup is banned in Europe as part of a long list of genetically modified foods made in the US, and Mexico is just beginning to allow the flow of HFCS across its border as part of the NAFTA agreements.
These processed sweeteners and preservatives are made from ‘number 2 field corn’, a massive blend of hybrid and genetically modified corn developed by companies such as Monsanto. No in depth rules for quality except it having a maximum percentage of moisture content.
Until recently soft drinks made in Mexico were still made with sugar … that’s recently begun to change.
It’s past time for citizens to step up and be the checks and balances that this country was supposed to have in place. Decisions and policies are being made with short term economic gains in mind, quarterly results, and 4-year political terms, not long term health effects of the world’s human beings, or ecological impacts of over fertilizing with petroleum based systems of farming.
Farmers and consumers are having to go ‘beyond organic’ to find food that once was considered simply Natural, or Organic.
What’s next?!? “Really & Truly Organic, we promise”?
6 comments
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September 30, 2007 at 6:32 pm
MaryAnne
just today, my son, who works for an airline and often travels thru europe, told me that high fructose corn syrup is banned from europe.
i went to my computer to verify the information. i see on your website that this is true.
yikes, what can an american citizen do to keep this product out of our foods?
May 3, 2008 at 8:47 am
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November 25, 2008 at 9:52 am
withonebreath
thanks for all of the great info … i am in the process of getting facts together for my own blog on HFCS.
January 24, 2009 at 4:23 pm
Tracker
If you want to dig a little deeper there, you can ask yourself why when they call something “100% Natural” why it has hydrogenated/partially hydrogenated oil in it? That stuff is literally poison. It is why heart attacks and heart disease are the number one killer of older people in this country. It causes high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol. Are these things out of control for you? Stop eating all the processed crap, and I guarantee, your health will improve. No doctor will tell you this though. They don’t want to put themselves out on a limb like that. In fact, I have a penchant for chocolate, unfortunately, and so I’m a bit overweight because of it. But I don’t eat processed junk. No, I make all my own food and I’m careful about what I eat. When I went for a checkup, the nurse couldn’t believe that my blood work was normal. The tone of her voice, it was hysterical, because of my weight I think she had been expecting cholesterol and all that to be off the charts, but it wasn’t. Because I don’t eat processed crap!
And it doesn’t stop there. No. The food industry has realized that people are on to their schemes, and have started altering names of things so you’ll be confused about it. Hydrogenated oil is also called Monodiglycerides, mono and diglycerides, interesterified oil (which they swear is safe, but is the same old same old).
There’s also modified corn starch… the modified should give it away that it’s far from natural. I’m always amused, and very dismayed, when I pick up an item that claims to be “All Natural” and it has a list a mile long of crap in it.
The only way to eat healthy is to make your own food, not eat anything that’s processed, except on very rare occasions, and read every single label of every single thing you pick up every time you buy it, because they can always change the ingredients on you. I’ve had this happen a few times.
Our government will not help us, nor protect us. Until the day that they throw all the food lobbyists out of Washington, there will be no change, because it ultimately comes down to the almighty dollar, and whether you are sick and die because of what is in the food, makes no never mind to them so long as there is a profit to be made from it.
July 7, 2009 at 1:45 pm
David Rieman
I am just about to go off to college and be on my own. I want to really start taking care of myself and I have been avoiding HFCS for a while now, but I was unaware about all the other stuff that is so bad for you. Is there any database or archived list of any sort with the different names for all the products that are so dentrimental to health? I am very concerned and want to start avoiding it.
August 25, 2009 at 11:30 am
J Wesley
And now…long after the FDA has approved the introduction of HFCS into just about all that we consume, and has the food manufacturers dependant upon using the stuff, the US Government is going to tax us on the products that cause obesity. Dont think for a moment that this wasn’t carefully planned out by Washington. ? Im young and have Gout. Caused by high levels of uric acid in the bloodstream which is most likley due to malabsorbed HFCS the liver cannot process. Moderation and medication are the key but for God’s sake, if it’s banned in Europe, it should as well be banned here. But keep this in mind. If it is ever banned in the US, the cost for processed foodstuffs will skyrocket due to reverting to the older conventional preparation methods before HFCS ever existed. What a country. Proud to be an American? Proud not to be in Washington. LOL