Are there bugs in your food?
If you need just one more reason to eat locally grown, fresh, organic and healthy foods, then you’ll find it in this article.
I was not only shocked, but somewhat sickened, when I read the Sunday Richmond Times-Dispatch (June 12, 2011 – Moneywise Section). According to an article under “Consumer Reports”, deadly bacteria is more prominent in foods than we ever imagined. Even the FDA makes concessions for rat hair, toxic chemicals, and insect parts in the food we all purchase at our local grocers and feed to our families.
Yukkkk!
I decided to check out the ShopSmart article for myself. ShopSmart is published by Consumer Reports. I have to admit that I didn’t feel a lot better when I read that I may be drinking milk from cloned cows, that the creamy pink strawberry colored milkshake from McDonald’s is really colored with red dye No. 40, and that many foods contain more “extras” than you want to know about.
So here’s the scoop. The FDA identifies these disgusting particles as “naturally occurring defects”. The good news is that although these particles may be disgusting, they are not dangerous.
But still – natural defects are okay in clothing or cars or furniture. But food????? The FDA says it’s okay, but ME says “No way”!
The ShopSmart article gives this utterly disgusting example of naturally occurring defects:
- 24 ounces of cornmeal can have as much as 13 insects, 745 insect fragments, and 27 rodent hairs.
Yikes!
So, what can we do as mothers and grandmothers who want only healthy, nutritious, “defect free” foods for our families and ourselves?
ShopSmart and some of our other concerned Richmond moms offer these suggestions:
- Buy organic milk.
- Purchase beef and chicken that is certified organic by the USDA.
- Read labels and review nutrition facts, also checking calories, serving size, fiber content, sugar content, and more.
- Scan labels for percentage of daily values to see how healthy the food is.
- Don’t purchase meats packed with “carbon monoxide”. Ask your grocer if you’re not sure whether or not they do this.
- Buy local fruits, and stick to what’s in season when purchasing fresh fruits at the supermarket. Other than fresh fruits and veggies, frozen fruits and vegetables are the next best options when searching for more nutrition because they are usually flash-frozen immediately after harvesting.
- Freeze foods for at least 4 days and then heat them for an hour at 140 degrees to kill insects and eggs if foods are in question – or return them to your grocer.
- Purchase locally grown fruits and vegetables and wash them thoroughly (multiple times) before consumption.
- Handle all foods carefully, focusing on safety and sanitation with ever step of the preparation process.
- Don’t obsess over what might be contained in foods because it is most likely not dangerous! The FDA and USDA make sure of that fact.
I’m sure it’s true that most people don’t even think about what “extras” might be in their food. But taking a few precautions to minimize things in your food that you DON’T want can be well worth the time. And it’s definitely healthier for our children who should avoid as many hormones, pesticides, additives, and genetically modified ingredients as possible. Just remember that the “ick” factor is more disgusting than the harm that is actually caused to the body.
But that doesn’t make it any easier to swallow when you consider what might be lurking in the foods in your refrigerator or pantry that eventually finds their way to your table — or in the hands of your children.
Maybe some things are just better for us NOT to know!
Now, you have just one more reason to shop locally, eat organic, and take advantage of local farmer’s markets too.
Let us know if you have healthy tips for healthy eating to share with our readers – we’d love to hear from Richmond moms on this one!
