Beware Of The Marketers

[rickgregory]

I'm not commenting on the use of the word natural as it has no legal meaning and no real other meaning here. My comment is about the obfuscation and silly posturing MH is doing with regard to what we mean by 'processed food'.

[rickgregory]

rickgregory The initial post in this thread is a draft from a chapter in my book in progress. In it I attempt to clarify and debunk a lot of misinformation about label terms such as organic and natural. I also make the point that under legal definition, and logic, almost all food is processed. Cooking is processing. Chopping is processing. Freezing is processing. Salting is processing. So the term "precessed" is meaningless. The issue is WHAT process and HOW MUCH processing. "Various chemicals" (your term) is too vague.

Name the harmful additive you don't like. How about that sinister chemical NaCl (salt). How is salting ribs different from injected ribs with salt water? Are you saying it is bad? How about smoke? Spices are additives. Carrageen? It’s a gelatin used as a thickener made by boiling a moss. Been done that way since 600 BCE. Does potassium hydrogen tartrate sound intimidating? Also known as cream of tartar, it is pretty much a powder made from those crystals you sometimes find in wine, a common byproduct of grape juice. You can’t make a decent snickerdoodle without it. Does ascorbic acid on a label make you hesitate? Well it is just another name for vitamin C. Tocopherol? What’s vitamin E. Xanthan gum? That’s a stabilizer and thickener produced by fermenting plant-derived sugars so harmless it is allowed in organic foods. And natural flavors encompasses a wide range of compounds. Ask yourself this: Do you avoid food additives but take vitamins? Medicines?

The point is that the term "processed" is a meaningless dog whistle.

If you don't really understand what nutritionists and others mean when they talk about processed food then you should do a hell of a lot more research.

No one is arguing that there's a bright line between processed and non-processed food (which is basically raw food). Of COURSE it's a continuum. But there's a VAST difference between minimally processed food cooked from scratch and highly processed industrial food that's turned out on factory lines. Again... research would help here.

[Willy]

Saying "so harmless it's allowed in organic foods" AIN'T what you want to say, nor is it accurate.

BYW, let's not forget the ubiquity of dihydrogen monoxide in organic and conventional foods. That chemical is EVERYWHERE!

;«)

[Meathead]

rickgregory The initial post in this thread is a draft from a chapter in my book in progress. In it I attempt to clarify and debunk a lot of misinformation about label terms such as organic and natural. I also make the point that under legal definition, and logic, almost all food is processed. Cooking is processing. Chopping is processing. Freezing is processing. Salting is processing. So the term "precessed" is meaningless. The issue is WHAT process and HOW MUCH processing. "Various chemicals" (your term) is too vague.

Name the harmful additive you don't like. How about that sinister chemical NaCl (salt). How is salting ribs different from injected ribs with salt water? Are you saying it is bad? How about smoke? Spices are additives. Carrageen? It’s a gelatin used as a thickener made by boiling a moss. Been done that way since 600 BCE. Does potassium hydrogen tartrate sound intimidating? Also known as cream of tartar, it is pretty much a powder made from those crystals you sometimes find in wine, a common byproduct of grape juice. You can’t make a decent snickerdoodle without it. Does ascorbic acid on a label make you hesitate? Well it is just another name for vitamin C. Tocopherol? What’s vitamin E. Xanthan gum? That’s a stabilizer and thickener produced by fermenting plant-derived sugars so harmless it is allowed in organic foods. And natural flavors encompasses a wide range of compounds. Ask yourself this: Do you avoid food additives but take vitamins? Medicines?

The point is that the term "processed" is a meaningless dog whistle.

[ComfortablyNumb]

I see your point, however it isn't about processed food, it's about the word 'natural' used in marketing. It's a meaningless word that is abused. To wit, a TV dinner could be labeled 'Prepared naturally with natural ingredients, and naturally frozen' and it's perfectly legal.

[rickgregory]

"Natural" is shooting an animal, and eating it. What is natural about taking an animal shot in the wild, carving it up, salting it, adding spices, and subjecting it to fire? Fire/heat completely alters the chemistry. It is a PROCESS. You are processing the food. The issue at hand is how much processing you are comfortable with? How about marinating? Adding nitrite? Smoking? Preservatives that kill pathogens? Which of these processes crosses YOUR line?

Natural is picking a grape and eating it. Squashing it, adding SO2, pouring it into a refrigerated tank, adding yeast, pouring it into a wooden barrel, aging it, bottling it. Is wine a natural product as all the books say?

Honestly, this kind of specious post feels like trolling and were it not you, I'd accuse the post of being that. You know very well that no one is talking about cooking meat when the discussion is about processed food and it undercuts your argument to pretend that you don't know the difference.

For the most part I think when people are talking against highly processed food they mean things like TV dinners etc which are often filled with salt, various chemicals to make them do well as frozen meals, etc.

[klflowers]

Thanks for the local harvest link, There is a local place called Crab Tree Farms that I will check out. I am still going to go to the local Chattanooga Market - the peppers I can get there are excellent even if the prices are fixed. And they are still cheaper that Publix.

[new2smoking]

We evolved eating raw meat, foraged uncooked roots and seeds, living till an average age of early 20s, dying if we got appendicitis, pneumonia, cellulitis, in childbirth, etc. Sounds great! (Oh, and I forgot to mention no running warm water, soap, and baby wipes. And no Toto toilettes!)

[Willy]

+1 on ComfortablyNumb ‘s comment. A small% are “crooks”.

[ComfortablyNumb]

klflowers I'm not discouraging shopping there, I believe in fresh, local produce and supporting local farmers. Just be aware there are re-sellers and price fixers there. Make offers if it is priced high, especially at the end of the market. Better yet, find a farm close to home and purchase off the farm. www.localharvet.org is a great place to connect with local farms.

[klflowers]

I haven't read this entire thread, but what I have read makes me wonder how I made it to 61. I go to the store, look at the products, buy what looks good, take it home, come to AR and get some ideas about fixing it, cook it then eat it. I don't buy stuff labeled organic cause it costs too much. I do (or did) frequent farmers markets, until I read ComfortablyNumb's treatise on farmer market practices. I do frequent a local "farmers" market called Linda's for most of my produce. They have excellent collard greens. I am not going to even ask how they grow them.

[klflowers]

You are killing me. I should have ignored this thread and blissfully continued paying more... wait, I don't buy that marked stuff labeled organic - too costly, and I never believed these people anyway.

[klflowers]

Dammit man, now I don't want to go to the farmers market anymore.

[ComfortablyNumb]

Doubt I'd eat it even if it was free...

[new2smoking]

Would anyone like to ‘enjoy’ this Sunday-farmers-market non-GMO fat free, gluten free, sugar free cookie 🍪?
😒