Avocado from walmart tastes like chemicals vs. Costco avocado. Why?
Replies
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Need2Exerc1se wrote: »SoDamnHungry wrote: »Were they by the same company? And they could have been artificially ripened with chemicals which is what happens to many of the fruits and vegetables that have to travel a long way.
Artificially ripened with chemicals?? I know a lot of produce is picked before it's ripe and allowed to ripen in transit, but I've never heard of chemicals begin added. Do you have a source for this info?
This is why out-of-season supermarket tomatoes are far inferior to in-season farmer's market tomatoes:
http://www.drgourmet.com/askdrgourmet/ethylenegas.shtml#.VpUjy_krLcs
Ethylene gas is produced naturally by most fruits, such as tomatoes, bananas, peaches, and avocados, and it promotes ripening. Most tomatoes today are picked green and transported unripe to protect them from bruising and spoilage. The green tomatoes are then ripened somewhat artificially by exposing them to ethylene gas. This is generally not done in the supermarket but at the produce distributors that supply local markets.
The early picking, transport and rapid ripening results in the inferior, mealy tomatoes that we have in our grocery stores today. In many cases you are better off using canned tomatoes for cooking than fresh.
It doesn't appear that there is a danger. Keep in mind that the tomatoes naturally produce ethylene gas and are doing so there in the grocery (and on your kitchen counter). Interestingly, ethylene gas was once used as an anesthetic. Long term exposure to lab animals by ethylene gas did show some increase in risk of cancer, but studies of workers that are involved in professions using the gas do not.
It is very likely that it is just as safe for you to eat tomatoes that have been "gassed" as those that "gas themselves" with ethylene gas.0 -
hollydubs85 wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »realityfades wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »SoDamnHungry wrote: »Were they by the same company? And they could have been artificially ripened with chemicals which is what happens to many of the fruits and vegetables that have to travel a long way.
Artificially ripened with chemicals?? I know a lot of produce is picked before it's ripe and allowed to ripen in transit, but I've never heard of chemicals begin added. Do you have a source for this info?
Aren't oranges sprayed with gas in order to make them orange in color? Maybe it's something like that.
I have not idea. I've never heard that but it wouldn't surprise me.
I'm pretty sure this is not true. At least, the oranges and grapefruits in Texas, I can testify, are not sprayed with anything that make them orange.
Citrus Red 2
Citrus Red 2, Citrus Red No. 2, C.I. Solvent Red 80, or C.I. 12156 is an artificial dye. As a food dye, it has been permitted by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) since 1956 to color the skin of oranges.[1][2][3] Citrus Red 2 is listed by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as a group 2B carcinogen, a substance "possibly carcinogenic to humans".[4]
...In the United States, Citrus Red 2 is sometimes used to color oranges. It is only permitted to be used on the peel. It is permitted when the fruit is intended to be eaten, but is not permitted when the fruit is intended or used for processing, for example to manufacture orange juice.[2] It is used on some oranges from the US state of Florida but is banned in the US states of California and Arizona. It has been linked to health risks in studies using rats and mice [5]
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citrus_Red_20 -
Never had an issue with Walmart avocados. I usually get the bags of Hass avocados and they've always been great and exactly the same in flavor as what I've gotten at Publix and Trader Joe's0
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hollydubs85 wrote: »Right now there are agriculture stations at the Texas-Mexico border that xray and irradiate certain types of produce (avocado is not yet one of them) to prevent any live plant pests from entering the US. That's about the only treatment I can think of, but it doesn't turn the food bad.
Edited for grammar.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_irradiation#Food_quality
...Food quality
Because of the extent of the chemical reactions, changes to the foods quality after irradiation are inevitable. The nutritional content of food, as well as the sensory qualities (taste, appearance, and texture) is impacted by irradiation. Because of this food advocacy groups consider labeling irradiated food raw as misleading.[23] However, the degradation of vitamins caused by irradiation is similar or even less than the loss caused by other food preservation processes. Other processes like chilling, freezing, drying, and heating also result in some vitamin loss.[16]
The changes in quality and nutrition vary greatly from food to food. The changes in the flavor of fatty foods like meats, nuts and oils are sometimes noticeable, while the changes in lean products like fruits and vegetables are less so. Some studies by the irradiation industry show that for some properly treated fruits and vegetables irradiation is seen by consumers to improve the sensory qualities of the product compared to untreated fruits and vegetables.[16]0 -
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Interesting. I find that costco fruit never ripens like normal fruit.0
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Need2Exerc1se wrote: »JanetYellen wrote: »It was super ripe. I know when to eat my avocados. Costco avocados are like tasting nature. Walmart ones are like eating something man made.
My guess is that either they were different types of avocado or it's all in your head. How do you feel about Wal-Mart produce in general?
I am skeptical about the quality of Walmart produce in general yet got some delicious avocados there a few weeks ago. Then I got some at Stop & Shop which were 2/3 inedible. Getting good avocados in the North East is so hit or miss that I just dumped them from my smoothie ingredient list.
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kshama2001 wrote: »hollydubs85 wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »realityfades wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »SoDamnHungry wrote: »Were they by the same company? And they could have been artificially ripened with chemicals which is what happens to many of the fruits and vegetables that have to travel a long way.
Artificially ripened with chemicals?? I know a lot of produce is picked before it's ripe and allowed to ripen in transit, but I've never heard of chemicals begin added. Do you have a source for this info?
Aren't oranges sprayed with gas in order to make them orange in color? Maybe it's something like that.
I have not idea. I've never heard that but it wouldn't surprise me.
I'm pretty sure this is not true. At least, the oranges and grapefruits in Texas, I can testify, are not sprayed with anything that make them orange.
Citrus Red 2
Citrus Red 2, Citrus Red No. 2, C.I. Solvent Red 80, or C.I. 12156 is an artificial dye. As a food dye, it has been permitted by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) since 1956 to color the skin of oranges.[1][2][3] Citrus Red 2 is listed by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as a group 2B carcinogen, a substance "possibly carcinogenic to humans".[4]
...In the United States, Citrus Red 2 is sometimes used to color oranges. It is only permitted to be used on the peel. It is permitted when the fruit is intended to be eaten, but is not permitted when the fruit is intended or used for processing, for example to manufacture orange juice.[2] It is used on some oranges from the US state of Florida but is banned in the US states of California and Arizona. It has been linked to health risks in studies using rats and mice [5]
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citrus_Red_2
Okay, I stand corrected on it not being true. However, I will still testify that the top 6 citrus producers in Texas, primarily grapefruit growers, do not use this dye. Florida has a number of citrus diseases they have to deal with, like sweet orange scab and citrus canker, so it makes sense that they would need to alter the peel to make it more appealing to buyers in the grocery store.0 -
This sounds a little ridiculous. Avocados aren't genetically modified and I've never heard of anyone using chemicals to "artificially ripen" fruit, especially if it's traveling a long way. If anything, you'd expect they'd want to delay ripening if it's traveling....
I've had apples in the same bag taste very different from each other. Most are crunchy and delicious, one was mealy and not so delicious. You got a bad avocado. It happens. If it bothers you to buy avocados from Walmart then don't, but don't blame it on some GMO conspiracy theory.
I'm not sure what the big deal is regarding GMOs, anyway. There has been no proof in the scientific community that there's anything harmful in them. The only ones saying there is are idiots like the Food Babe and the Organic industry who are all profiting big-time from their fear tactics.
I like u
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Need2Exerc1se wrote: »SoDamnHungry wrote: »Were they by the same company? And they could have been artificially ripened with chemicals which is what happens to many of the fruits and vegetables that have to travel a long way.
Artificially ripened with chemicals?? I know a lot of produce is picked before it's ripe and allowed to ripen in transit, but I've never heard of chemicals begin added. Do you have a source for this info?
It's ethylene. Naturally given off by many types of fruit, apples in particular. It's why you can ripen many types of fruit quicker if you put them in an enclosed space, particularly if you add a ripened apple.
It makes good sense for a company to pick fruit before it is ripe (and therefore harder so it ships with less damage) and expose it to ethylene once it arrives at the distributor. There's nothing nefarious about it.0 -
BusyRaeNOTBusty wrote: »
I feel differently about selectively breeding desirable traits over generations than I do splicing fish genes into tomatoes and strawberries.
http://responsibletechnology.org/gmo-education/the-ge-process/
...But haven’t growers been grafting trees, breeding animals, and hybridizing seeds for years?
Genetic engineering is completely different from traditional breeding and carries unique risks.
In traditional breeding it is possible to mate a pig with another pig to get a new variety, but is not possible to mate a pig with a potato or a mouse. Even when species that may seem to be closely related do succeed in breeding, the offspring are usually infertile—a horse, for example, can mate with a donkey, but the offspring (a mule) is sterile.
With genetic engineering, scientists can breach species barriers set up by nature. For example, they have spliced fish genes into tomatoes. The results are plants (or animals) with traits that would be virtually impossible to obtain with natural processes, such as crossbreeding or grafting.0 -
kshama2001 wrote: »hollydubs85 wrote: »Right now there are agriculture stations at the Texas-Mexico border that xray and irradiate certain types of produce (avocado is not yet one of them) to prevent any live plant pests from entering the US. That's about the only treatment I can think of, but it doesn't turn the food bad.
Edited for grammar.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_irradiation#Food_quality
...Food quality
Because of the extent of the chemical reactions, changes to the foods quality after irradiation are inevitable. The nutritional content of food, as well as the sensory qualities (taste, appearance, and texture) is impacted by irradiation. Because of this food advocacy groups consider labeling irradiated food raw as misleading.[23] However, the degradation of vitamins caused by irradiation is similar or even less than the loss caused by other food preservation processes. Other processes like chilling, freezing, drying, and heating also result in some vitamin loss.[16]
The changes in quality and nutrition vary greatly from food to food. The changes in the flavor of fatty foods like meats, nuts and oils are sometimes noticeable, while the changes in lean products like fruits and vegetables are less so. Some studies by the irradiation industry show that for some properly treated fruits and vegetables irradiation is seen by consumers to improve the sensory qualities of the product compared to untreated fruits and vegetables.[16]
I get the point you're trying to make, but I feel like whether or not something turns a food bad is so subjective. Papayas and mangoes are the primary fruits that are irradiated at the border, and I for one, can't tell a difference.0 -
kshama2001 wrote: »BusyRaeNOTBusty wrote: »
I feel differently about selectively breeding desirable traits over generations than I do splicing fish genes into tomatoes and strawberries.
How do you feel about bombarding seeds with radiation to spark random mutations? I believe that's allowable with organic farming.0 -
kshama2001 wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »JanetYellen wrote: »It was super ripe. I know when to eat my avocados. Costco avocados are like tasting nature. Walmart ones are like eating something man made.
My guess is that either they were different types of avocado or it's all in your head. How do you feel about Wal-Mart produce in general?
I am skeptical about the quality of Walmart produce in general yet got some delicious avocados there a few weeks ago. Then I got some at Stop & Shop which were 2/3 inedible. Getting good avocados in the North East is so hit or miss that I just dumped them from my smoothie ingredient list.
Ugh, this is like my local Stop and Shop. I bought some red delicious apples recently. Decided to eat one two days after I bought it. Cut it open and half of it had rot. For whatever reason, my local S&S doesn't have great produce. I've purchased strawberries there that have gone bad in a day. I buy produce from other places now.0 -
As to the avocado you got at Walmart, haven't you ever gotten produce that looked good but tasted not so good at other stores? I consider it a hazard everywhere I buy produce. Sometimes the crop didn't get enough (or too much) sun or water, or the minerals were off in the soil. Maybe something went wrong in shipping and the produce sat in the wrong conditions too long. It happens, even if you did pick the perfect point of ripeness to eat the avocado.
I can't even count the number of times I've gotten mealy, tasteless apples, for example (same type and variety as the tasty ones I got from the same store the month before). And the next month they'll be good again. It's frustrating, but there's just no consistency.
Except that in season produce is almost universally good (except most tomatoes), most tomatoes are universally lousy, and grape/cherry tomatoes are the only tomato produce that is consistently acceptable.
I don't buy regular tomatoes anymore unless it's in season from the farmer's market and from a local farmer (i.e. stupidly expensive). It's the only way you can get one that tastes like anything.0 -
hollydubs85 wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »hollydubs85 wrote: »Right now there are agriculture stations at the Texas-Mexico border that xray and irradiate certain types of produce (avocado is not yet one of them) to prevent any live plant pests from entering the US. That's about the only treatment I can think of, but it doesn't turn the food bad.
Edited for grammar.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_irradiation#Food_quality
...Food quality
Because of the extent of the chemical reactions, changes to the foods quality after irradiation are inevitable. The nutritional content of food, as well as the sensory qualities (taste, appearance, and texture) is impacted by irradiation. Because of this food advocacy groups consider labeling irradiated food raw as misleading.[23] However, the degradation of vitamins caused by irradiation is similar or even less than the loss caused by other food preservation processes. Other processes like chilling, freezing, drying, and heating also result in some vitamin loss.[16]
The changes in quality and nutrition vary greatly from food to food. The changes in the flavor of fatty foods like meats, nuts and oils are sometimes noticeable, while the changes in lean products like fruits and vegetables are less so. Some studies by the irradiation industry show that for some properly treated fruits and vegetables irradiation is seen by consumers to improve the sensory qualities of the product compared to untreated fruits and vegetables.[16]
I get the point you're trying to make, but I feel like whether or not something turns a food bad is so subjective. Papayas and mangoes are the primary fruits that are irradiated at the border, and I for one, can't tell a difference.
I can definitely tell the difference between many fruits that are in-season and locally grown versus not. I have no idea how irradiation comes into this.
Some fruits, like peaches, I only buy when they are in season and from local farmers. Others, like apples, I accept that they are not going to be as good, and look forward to apple season. Some, like strawberries, if I'm just going to use them in smoothies, I buy frozen when they are out of season. I hold off on recipes that use raw strawberries until they are popping in my garden.0 -
JanetYellen wrote: »It was super ripe. I know when to eat my avocados. Costco avocados are like tasting nature. Walmart ones are like eating something man made.
Costco is where my wife and I buy all our veggies and fruit. Last longer and taste better.0 -
realityfades wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »JanetYellen wrote: »It was super ripe. I know when to eat my avocados. Costco avocados are like tasting nature. Walmart ones are like eating something man made.
My guess is that either they were different types of avocado or it's all in your head. How do you feel about Wal-Mart produce in general?
I am skeptical about the quality of Walmart produce in general yet got some delicious avocados there a few weeks ago. Then I got some at Stop & Shop which were 2/3 inedible. Getting good avocados in the North East is so hit or miss that I just dumped them from my smoothie ingredient list.
Ugh, this is like my local Stop and Shop. I bought some red delicious apples recently. Decided to eat one two days after I bought it. Cut it open and half of it had rot. For whatever reason, my local S&S doesn't have great produce. I've purchased strawberries there that have gone bad in a day. I buy produce from other places now.
Ya, Mom has been shopping at Stop & Shop for probably 40 years but recently switched to Shaws because their produce is better.
However, when strawberries don't go bad in a day, they have probably been treated with mold inhibitor. My garden strawberries are untreated and would go bad overnight if on the counter and not much longer if in the frig. I generally freeze whatever I don't use the day I pick them.0 -
tincanonastring wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »BusyRaeNOTBusty wrote: »
I feel differently about selectively breeding desirable traits over generations than I do splicing fish genes into tomatoes and strawberries.
How do you feel about bombarding seeds with radiation to spark random mutations? I believe that's allowable with organic farming.
not only that, but organic farms are actually allowed to use MORE pesticides than non-organic farms.
oh, and organic milk is the biggest sham ever.0 -
I can relate to the OP. I have purchased Hass Avocados from Walmart and they don't taste good, I have also purchased Hass Avocados from Kroger and they have tasted fine. I have never researched to see if they were grown in different areas but something is definitely different with the taste.0
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Cite please?Capt_Apollo wrote: »tincanonastring wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »BusyRaeNOTBusty wrote: »
I feel differently about selectively breeding desirable traits over generations than I do splicing fish genes into tomatoes and strawberries.
How do you feel about bombarding seeds with radiation to spark random mutations? I believe that's allowable with organic farming.
not only that, but organic farms are actually allowed to use MORE pesticides than non-organic farms.
How so?oh, and organic milk is the biggest sham ever.
0 -
tincanonastring wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »BusyRaeNOTBusty wrote: »
I feel differently about selectively breeding desirable traits over generations than I do splicing fish genes into tomatoes and strawberries.
How do you feel about bombarding seeds with radiation to spark random mutations? I believe that's allowable with organic farming.
I think that as usual, Canada and the EU are ahead of the US on this.0 -
kshama2001 wrote: »tincanonastring wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »BusyRaeNOTBusty wrote: »
I feel differently about selectively breeding desirable traits over generations than I do splicing fish genes into tomatoes and strawberries.
How do you feel about bombarding seeds with radiation to spark random mutations? I believe that's allowable with organic farming.
I think that as usual, Canada and the EU are ahead of the US on this.
That's a good way of avoiding the question.0 -
This is just what I found very quickly through google:
http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2011/06/18/137249264/organic-pesticides-not-an-oxymoron0 -
kshama2001 wrote: »
Cite please?Capt_Apollo wrote: »tincanonastring wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »BusyRaeNOTBusty wrote: »
I feel differently about selectively breeding desirable traits over generations than I do splicing fish genes into tomatoes and strawberries.
How do you feel about bombarding seeds with radiation to spark random mutations? I believe that's allowable with organic farming.
not only that, but organic farms are actually allowed to use MORE pesticides than non-organic farms.
How so?oh, and organic milk is the biggest sham ever.
why do you need a citation for common knowledge?
but here, will berkeley suffice?
https://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~lhom/organictext.html
ORGANIC PRODUCE AND PERSONAL HEALTH
When you test synthetic chemicals for their ability to cause cancer, you find that about half of them are carcinogenic.
Until recently, nobody bothered to look at natural chemicals (such as organic pesticides), because it was assumed that they posed little risk. But when the studies were done, the results were somewhat shocking: you find that about half of the natural chemicals studied are carcinogenic as well.
This is a case where everyone (consumers, farmers, researchers) made the same, dangerous mistake. We assumed that "natural" chemicals were automatically better and safer than synthetic materials, and we were wrong. It's important that we be more prudent in our acceptance of "natural" as being innocuous and harmless.0 -
JanetYellen wrote: »It was super ripe. I know when to eat my avocados. Costco avocados are like tasting nature. Walmart ones are like eating something man made.
Nature includes: dirt, hemlock, salt water, urine, feces, uranium-238
Man made includes: pizza, oreos, any fruit or vegetable you'd buy in a store (they differ greatly from their natural ancestors), oh and skyscrapers
If the Walmart one tastes likea skyscraper, that would be bad, but otherwise I don't see the problem.0 -
I wonder how Wal Mart and Sam Club avocado's compare...
heh.
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kshama2001 wrote: »
Cite please?Capt_Apollo wrote: »tincanonastring wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »BusyRaeNOTBusty wrote: »
I feel differently about selectively breeding desirable traits over generations than I do splicing fish genes into tomatoes and strawberries.
How do you feel about bombarding seeds with radiation to spark random mutations? I believe that's allowable with organic farming.
not only that, but organic farms are actually allowed to use MORE pesticides than non-organic farms.
How so?oh, and organic milk is the biggest sham ever.
why do you need a citation for common knowledge?
but here, will berkeley suffice?
https://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~lhom/organictext.html
ORGANIC PRODUCE AND PERSONAL HEALTH
When you test synthetic chemicals for their ability to cause cancer, you find that about half of them are carcinogenic.
Until recently, nobody bothered to look at natural chemicals (such as organic pesticides), because it was assumed that they posed little risk. But when the studies were done, the results were somewhat shocking: you find that about half of the natural chemicals studied are carcinogenic as well.
This is a case where everyone (consumers, farmers, researchers) made the same, dangerous mistake. We assumed that "natural" chemicals were automatically better and safer than synthetic materials, and we were wrong. It's important that we be more prudent in our acceptance of "natural" as being innocuous and harmless.
That utterly fails the standard for sources you ask of others.0 -
BusyRaeNOTBusty wrote: »This is just what I found very quickly through google:
http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2011/06/18/137249264/organic-pesticides-not-an-oxymoron
Pesticides are not equally toxic. I have no qualms about using Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) to control cabbage worm.
http://www.bt.ucsd.edu/organic_farming.html
...Bt proteins has been used in many organic farms for over 50 years as a microbial pest control agent (MCPA). Bt proteins are allowed in organic farming as a insecticide because Bt is a natural, non-pathogenic bacterium that is found naturally in the soil. Bt has also been found to be safe to all higher animals tested.
Bt strains account for nearly 90% of the world MPCA market. Most of the Bt products contain insecticidal crystal proteins (ICP) and viable spores (spores that can produce live bacteria). The ICPs are responsible for insect toxicity. ICPs are usually biologically inactive within hours or days. A few products contain inactivated spores.
Typical agricultural formulations include wettable powders, spray concentrates, liquid concentrates, dusts, baits, and time release rings. Bt formulations may be applied to foliage, soil, water environments or food storage facilities. There are many different strains of Bt used, each specific to different insects. Because Bt is species specific, beneficial and non-target insects are usually not harmed...
http://www.bt.ucsd.edu/synthetic_pesticide.html
...The use of synthetic pesticides in agriculture comes with a cost for the environment, and the health of animals and humans.
Danger of synthetic pesticide
The synthetic pesticide DDT was widely used in urban aerial sprays to control urban mosquito, gypsy moth, Japanese beetle and other insects in the 1940’s. By 1972, DDT was banned from the United States due to widespread development of resistance to DDT and evidence that DDT use was increasing preterm births and also harming the environment. DDT was found to cause behavioral anomalies and eggshell thinning in populations of bald eagles and peregrine falcons. Although DDT is banned in the US and many other countries, DDT continues to be manufactured and applied in underdeveloped nations where some of the US food supply is grown.
Dursban, one of the most common pesticide used in households, schools, hospitals and agriculture was banned in 2000 by the USEPA due to unacceptable health risk, especially to children. Toxicology studies have found that exposures to Dursban early in life may affect the function of the nervous system later in life, with possilbe links to changes in normal learning and behavior. Yet, six manufacturers in the US are allowed to continue making the chemical for use on foreign crops.
Types of synthetic pesticide
There are many classes of synthetic pesticides. The main classes consist of organochlorines, organophosphates, carbamates, and pyrethroids. Exposure to pesticides can cause acute (short term) or chronic (long term) effects on animals and humans, especially in the reproductive, endocrine, and central nervous systems.0
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