It’s cold out and for the first time in my life I find myself wondering if I ever could really hack it in Colorado if a (mild) North Carolina winter has me aching for flip flops and sun dresses.
Furthermore, I miss the farmers market. Each year that passes I find myself more enthralled with eating local. My reasons are varied. Sometimes I find better prices; almost always I find higher quality. I like the idea of supporting local farms and businesses, but what I like the most is that I trust the farmers. The farmer is the man or woman standing in front of me that can answer all my questions about how a plant was grown or a chicken was raised because they did it. Sometimes they even invite me to their farm to see for myself, an opportunity I hope to take advantage of this spring.
There is something so real and genuine about the exchange. I trust it. With each breaking news story about a tainted food production facility causing health problems, my desire to eat real, local food strengthens. But did you know that even when food is “safe”, you might not really know what you’re buying at your grocery store?
Here are some of the top offenders to watch out for-
1. Fish. Seafood is notorious for being poorly tracked from its source, which means the fraud may not necessarily be the fault of the grocery store since the swap can happen further up in the supply chain. It can be as simple as farm raised salmon being labeled wild-caught (being ripped off) or it can be as bad as tilefish (a fish high in mercury and suggested that pregnant and nursing women avoid) being labeled as halibut or grouper (posing health problems).
2. Juice. Some pomegranate juice labeled 100% pomegranate juice was found to be filled out with apple juice or sugar water. Lemon juice and other fruit juices from foreign manufacturers revealed added clouding agents, so the juice would look freshly squeezed. However, these additives can include dangerous pthalates and cause sickness, like it did with 4000 people in Taiwan.
3. Olive Oils. Some olive oils are diluted with other cheaper oils, which may not be dangerous, but if you’re paying for extra virgin, you are getting ripped off if your bottle contains other vegetable oils. In rare accounts, non-food grade oil can be added posing a health risk. Here is a post I liked on which olive oils to trust and how to test your olive oil.
4. Honey. 75% of store-bought honey doesn’t contain pollen because it has been filtered out. This means regulators don’t officially recognize it as honey, but more importantly it means you can’t determine it’s geographic origin. Tests found that one third of “honey” imports from Asia were contaminated with lead and antibiotics.
Information Source: US Pharmacopeial Convention
So what is the answer? Here are some tips to help ensure you’re eating the real deal.
Buy local. Honey from a beekeeper down the street is not only going to be the real deal, but you’ll get the benefits of a natural allergy “shot” by eating it. Local fruits and vegetables have been shown to contain higher amounts of nutrients at time of consumption because of the shorter amount of time between picking and eating.
When you can’t buy local, buy name brand. Brands have a reputation to protect and can’t afford the PR disaster that food fraud would bring them.
Buy whole foods when possible. Buying a whole fish makes it harder to mislabel it. Buying whole coffee beans makes it harder for them to add fillers. Juicing your own apple guarantees that it’s, well, juice. Spices are commonly littered with fillers, too, so buying whole peppercorns and using a grinder can guarantee you have real pepper, not fillers.
If it looks like too good of a deal to be true, it probably is. Isn’t this true of everything in life? If your extra virgin olive oil is half the price of all the others, it may not be as pure as it claims.
Do you have any food fraud stories or tips?
Tiff @ Love, Sweat, & Beers says
No way! Ugh… as if I needed more things to worry about in the grocery store… Thanks for the info.
Claire @ Flake and Cake says
Totally agree about shopping local – those four food frauds are scary!
blackhuff says
I did not know that about pomegranate juice. Not that I drink it but very interesting to read that it’s sometimes filled with other things 🙁
Madeline @ Food Fitness and Family says
I actually squealed a bit when I saw the date for our farmer’s market to open! I love shopping local.
Lee says
I never thought about that with the name brands, but you’re definitely right!
I think it’s cold here in Atlanta sometimes, but I went to college in Vermont, so you definitely adapt wherever you live (or you buy warmer clothes!)
Danica @ It's Progression says
Gosh, the more I read about all the “lies” food labels tell us the more freaked out I get about grocery stores…I’m totally with you on buying local. In the midwest it’s nearly impossible to get much fresh, local produce during the winter months, but I make sure to take full advantage of it during spring, summer, and fall!
Christina says
I think the most important thing we all can do is to educate ourselves, understand what labels and “buzz words” really mean, and in general be savvy consumers. While I agree that eating local has so many benefits, local farms still use pesticides (often times with less oversight than larger industrialized farms). Locally grown food can still be contaminated with bacteria. And locally grown food is not always better for the environment. There is a lot of interesting literature out there on both sides of the “locavore” debate!
Brittany says
Yes, there are definitely good discussion points on all sides and in no way is buying local a guarantee of food safety, but personally I love know the farmer. I’ve even found some produce that is grown organically and pesticide free, but isn’t “officially” labeled as such because of the cost it requires to be certified.
I totally agree with you that educating ourselves the best we can is the best route to take.
julia says
Can you provide a reference for the Taiwan incident you mention?
Brittany says
I’m trying to find the direct quote, but I got that information from the NY Daily News. They say to refer to this website: http://www.foodfraud.org/ to view the full report andor search the database. I hope that helps!
Cheryl says
I see several Saturday morning dates at the Davidson farmers market this spring with strollers! 🙂
KaraHadley says
I knew about the juice and fish, but not the honey. And even spices aren’t safe?!?! Grrrr, this is so frustrating.
But I will admit that every time I hear about a new food related illness — pb, spinach, etc — it pushes me more and more to buying from the farmers market.
Lisa says
Yes! Love this post! I think it’s so important to support local stores, farms and all of that because they are actually more focused in the quality of our food/ingredients. Instead of larger chains that would rather have the quantity of things for more sales. I’m always super cautious when it comes to oils! I know there are tons of brands that can become denatured and aren’t processed in a great way. Same with meat. Great post!
Chantal says
Colorado isn’t too bad! (Are you moving there soon? We’re from there and might be moving back!)
Brittany says
Haha, I kid. I’d LOVE to live in Colorado. David and I talk about living in Boulder one day. The summers are incredible and hopefully the winter sports would help me deal with the longer winters 🙂
Where might you be moving back to?
Parita @ myinnershakti says
Great post, Brittnany! I don’t have anything to share really but you’ve given me a ton to think about! Thank you. And you’re always welcome in Miami. The weather is incredible…and I’ll leave it at that! 🙂
Maria says
My aunt and uncle are farmers and I’ve seen first-hand how hard they work and I have first-hand account of how freaking delicious their produce and meat are. Growing up, we hated buying produce at the grocery store because it just didn’t taste right. Once you taste the real stuff, you understand 🙂
The house we are hoping to buy is literally one block from a Sunday Farmer’s Market and I’m STOKED about it. The farmer’s market and the house that is! It has yet to be built (that’s in the fall), so I’m hoping all goes well since I’ve already decided that I’m spending my Sunday afternoons walking to the market.
Also, our dream is to move to CO too! We can do it! We can survive the cold to have views of those beautiful mountains outside our house. And we can be neighbors, please?
Matt @ The Athlete's Plate says
Great post! I think it helps if you buy from a reputable store.
Kristen @ notsodomesticated says
Olive oil is a good one to point out. We visited a vineyard in Tuscany this summer that also made olive oil, and the woman at the vineyard talked about the importance of buying “cold press” or “first press” extra-virgin olive oil.
Emily says
This is a great post–I feel you on the the need to know where your food comes from.
I just learned about restaurants serving escolar and calling it tuna. Eating escolar can result in severe indigestion–so be very, very careful where you eat your sushi! It’s apparently extremely prevelant.
Sarah @ The Smart Kitchen says
[Sigh] Oh, the food industry…
While I am not a sign-wielding ‘eat local’ or ‘organic or bust’ picketer or anything, I do love knowing that my food is locally grown or handcrafted (if it as product like, say, jam). Luckily, I already follow the ‘buy whole foods’ rule as best as I can, so that help to minimize on potential fillers…although I can’t say that everything is local. [Or, honestly, that I always care.]
Another bonus for eating local honey? It helps with allergies since it has local pollen in it!
Jessie says
Great post! So informative =)
Angela says
Wow!!! That is so crazy that manufacturers are allowed to do this! 🙁
Natalie @ In Natalie's Shoes says
Wowza! I’m really glad Kim at Poor Girl Eats Well (www.poorgirleatswell.com) had this on her site. I am guilty of taking products at their word (a.k.a their marketing people’s word!). Thank you for identifying these commonly misrepresented foods and how to be more careful that I’m purchasing the REAL thing!
Boulderlady says
Hi, just linked to your blog and had a question. I’m concerned about what I have been reading about evoo being sold is not pure evoo. I
also read the UC Davis report from The Olive Center on extra-virgin olive oiI. I have been purchasing Whole Foods 365 brand evoo for many years and would like to know in the report where it’s stated that what I’m buying is not evoo? I’ve looked on the tin container and there is no identifying number just “product of Italy”.
And thanks to you..I’m trying the oil in refrig..
ty, boulderlady