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Is the food industry cheating us?
The incredible fast pace of change often means that we have less time for cooking and we are dependent on the food manufacturers to feed our families. They are happy to provide this service for us but they also want to make the maximum profit from the food we eat. This is not new: food manufacturers have always looked at ways to make more profit from food; that is the nature of the game. The food industry has been fiddling with the public's food for thousands of years.
Simple raw ingredients have fewer margins for profit than the ready-made meal or cake. Since the very first bread was baked, corn was mixed with chaff, bakers took shortcuts and retailers fiddled with their scales. In Roman times seawater was added to wine to improve the profits. Likewise, children's sweets were coloured brightly to make them more appealing. The Victorians added flour in mustard to make it go further and dust was added to peppercorns.
Dangerous
Manufacturers today often use man-made colours and hydrogenated fats, although they know them to be dangerous, especially E colourings.
Since the Second World War many mock foods have come along such as margarine, instant whip, Vesta chicken curry, spam. I remember as a child when ready-made desserts in little pots first came on the market and were considered a real treat to be looked forward to.
After the war, more chemicals began to find their way into food. We all like to assume that all of these chemicals have been tested and found safe. The public tends to eat whatever they are told to and respond to the advertising and packaging. Adults today have many more chemicals stored in the fat in their bodies due to the adulteration of food. A group of adults tested were found to have traces of between 300 and 500 chemicals stored in the fat in their bodies. For example, farmed salmon is naturally pale pinky-grey in colour but it is often coloured bright orange to be more appealing to the customer.
The modern form of food adulteration is in E numbers. In the mid-Eighties, it was calculated that at least 3,500 man-made flavours were used in British food. There is little question that more could be done to protect the consumer from the additives that continue to find their way into our food. But regulation is only partly the answer.
Natural
Ultimately, a taste for good or natural food cannot be imposed. It has to develop. Children have grown used to food colourings and artificial flavours: such as Cheesy Wotsits, brightly coloured cakes and sweets. Children who eat crisps or chips everyday are more likely to be thirsty for fizzy drinks and are more likely to be overweight.
The organic movement seems to be the answer but why should we have to pay more for chemical-free food? By dividing the food up into organic and non-organic, it means that good food is only available to the wealthy and simple chemical-free food should be available to all.
Good habits
My message to anyone concerned about feeding their families with chemicals and additives is simple. Eat whole, fresh food, and that's something we can all do, as much as possible. It is very important that we do not lose our local cooking traditions and cuisines; children should always be taught cooking skills and traditional recipes handed down from generation to generation. This is the antidote to the power of advertising. Trust your own senses... you know more than you think you do. The more "artificial" a foodstuff is, the more potential it carries for harm.
Sometimes, you will feel like a mother alone against the multi-billion dollar food industry, but teaching children good habits early is the secret to long-term success.
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