now go look at “tart cherry juice” which is a proven anti-inflamatory but very expensive
most of the brands out there play the trick to just use apple juice with some cherry - but the labeling is super deceptive and somehow allowed by FDA - they purposely just say “100% JUICE” because it is, half cherry, half apple, but it’s not 100% cherry juice
even the olive oil in this example has the word BLEND but not the cherry juice…
Interesting fact that the US has no mandatory grading system for olive oil. What’s Extra Virgin in Ca. may not be Extra Virgin in any other state. Lots of room for misunderstanding.
By far and away, most food recalls are not for foodborne illnesses like listeria or salmonella, but undeclared allergens and ingredients. These often don’t make the news, because they’re seen as less dramatic and scary – except, of course, to anyone who has experienced or seen someone with anaphylaxis.
That’s one of the reasons you are seeing more and more “may contain” on the label: manufacturers are recognising it’s near impossible to prevent cross contamination if your facility handles different ingredients. People look at “may contain” and wonder how the manufacturer couldn’t know, but just because the recipe doesn’t call for it doesn’t mean it isn’t there. And in severe cases (as you know) even trace amounts can be dangerous.
Unless the waters have been muddied by others claiming to be “quality ingredients” and the consumer isn’t in a position to tell the difference. Then they tend to make the assumption the highest priced product is the best quality. Is that always true? I would expect not.
my go to extra virgin olive oil is from tuscany with a supply chain that is run by h.e.b. food stores. i’ve looked into their practices on sourcing and importing, which they do themselves, and i am fairly confident that this represents the 20% that is actually what it says it is.
Is this kind of thing any better at Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, or a regional chain like Mom’s here in MD? Mom’s seems pretty legit, every piece of produce is organic – it’s where I buy my food. I would at least hope Whole Foods would be better than average at not putting blatantly mislabelled items on their shelves?
WF’s organic milk ranks 3-cows (very good) out of a possible 5. Isn’t Mom’s milk from Trickling Springs Creamery? Trickling Springs ranks 4-cows (excellent) out of 5. But… same report says Mom’s was 1-cow (poor); yet I recall the store brand jug saying Chambersburg, PA which is where Trickling Springs is located. Trader Joe’s, Safeway (O Organic), Target (Simply Balanced) were also 1-cow; I’m guessing they’re from the same dairy…
One of my favorite books.
Tackles the industry, the scandals, understanding how olive oil is adulterated, the independent farmers, the estate growers in Italy and elsewhere. Well-written.
Maybe you’re thinking of California Olive Ranch stuff, which has exploded in popularity in the past few years. If not, apologies, but this still may be of interest to someone.
The “California Olive Ranch Extra Virgin Olive Oil Everyday” product line has been very slightly re-branded as “California Olive Ranch Destination Series Extra Virgin Olive Oil Everyday” to reflect the fact that it’s no longer exclusively from California:
Why is it no longer 100% from California?
It’s no secret that farming is a difficult business and growing olives is not without its challenges. Olives are alternate bearing, so it can make harvest unpredictable. We have been preparing for changing weather patterns for years now – planting more acres and fine tuning our farming practices. Over the years, we’ve fostered valuable relationships with olive farmers around the world in an effort to learn from each other and grow the olive oil industry together.
What this means, in terms of actually getting what the bottle says you’re getting, I don’t know.
COR does bottle some California-exclusive stuff (“Reserve Collection”), but it’s a lot more highfalutin’ and expensive. We tried a bottle in my house, I didn’t like it as much as the older, cheaper stuff.
So wierd, I just heard on C-Span’s BookTv
recently
How past century farmers used to
sell “milk”,
which they had added CHALK powder to,
mixed with nearby CREEK WATER
and babies n kids drank it!
Maybe that’s where the idea of
Powdered Milk first came from…
As an aside… there’s been a frightening
increase in food/drug recalls (even pet’s food)
in these past 2-years.
Is it a coincidence ? Or due to “cutting regulations”, ideology of “smaller government”,
and most likey the true reason,
No One Gives A Crap
in Dim-Don’s administration.
