"All Natural" . . . uh huh

jessieinblue
jessieinblue Posts: 287 Member
edited September 23 in Food and Nutrition
My parents are throwing a Super Bowl party tonight and bought all manner of snacky stuff. I was checking out some of the things and noticed a box of frozen appetizers from Costco. The label reads "All-Natural Butter Puff Pastry". One of the varieties is a cheese and sun-dried tomato pesto croissant -- yum. Packaged and processed, sure, but they looked so good I figured I'd let it go for one night and just have a serving. I turned over the box to look at the calories and sodium -- 290 and 360, not too bad for junky food -- then I noticed that a serving has a gram of trans fat. :noway: Ouch!! Never mind! :angry:

Glad I looked before I ate. Just goes to show that "all natural" really does mean nothing.

Replies

  • dlambert11
    dlambert11 Posts: 33 Member
    The packaging can be deceiving! Good for you for checking and not being tricked into something that is supposedly healthy and natural!!
  • halobender
    halobender Posts: 780 Member
    I hate how food manufacturers don't really have much in the way of rules keeping them from saying things like that. There are some, of course, but who really knows the difference between "All natural," "made from organic products," "100% organic," "certified organic" ... None of them, legally, really means that it's actually organic anymore, I don't think. Just that it's about as close as we'll get and that the government will recognize it as organic. Not really too confident in the government's judgment.
  • Randee75
    Randee75 Posts: 234
    What floors me when they put on the box..... only let's say 100 calories per serving then a serving is 3 crackers lol. Drives me nuts likes that a realistic serving size...........forget it!!!
  • luv2ash
    luv2ash Posts: 1,903 Member
    Makes me sick! This is why such a large percentage of Americans are obese!!!! Drives me crazy!
  • ThatDollSally
    ThatDollSally Posts: 473 Member
    Yeah, sulfer is found in nature, but you don't want to eat that. My boyfriend particularly has a problem with food being labeled "organic". Standard fruits and veggies are oganic, too.
  • elid
    elid Posts: 209 Member
    What were the ingredients like? Surprisingly, trans fat occurs naturally in certain foods.
    Small amounts of trans fats occur naturally in some meat and dairy products, including beef, lamb and butterfat. It isn’t clear; though, whether these naturally occurring trans fats have the same bad effects on cholesterol levels as trans fats that have been industrially manufactured.

    (source: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/FatsAndOils/Fats101/Trans-Fats_UCM_301120_Article.jsp)
  • CelesteENelson
    CelesteENelson Posts: 89 Member
    my frustration is ice cream and things. Klondike 100 calories ice cream bars but a serving size is 2 which is 200 calories.Thats not fair. But I have found other alternatives. Regular popsicles are only 45 calories and those are good for a treat. There are also sugar free life savers that I got in my fave flavor, cherry, that are only 30 calories each and kill the sweet tooth big time. I have gone big time to looking at the calories, drives my family crazy.
  • jessieinblue
    jessieinblue Posts: 287 Member
    Actually, certified organic fruits and vegetables are not the same as conventional (or "standard") fruits and vegetables. Organic produce is grown without the use of harmful pesticides.
  • TiniTurtle
    TiniTurtle Posts: 595 Member
    What floors me when they put on the box..... only let's say 100 calories per serving then a serving is 3 crackers lol. Drives me nuts likes that a realistic serving size...........forget it!!!



    ah i agree! it is the worst, when you get excited to have something that looks amazing & the box says low cal & then you look at the serving size. yup-no. then we wonder why americans have issues with being overweight.
  • mjd0109
    mjd0109 Posts: 152
    Actually, certified organic fruits and vegetables are not the same as conventional (or "standard") fruits and vegetables. Organic produce is grown without the use of harmful pesticides.

    Yup! It has to do with number in the sticker on your fruits and vegetables!

    The other day someone actually said this to me, " I don't worry about organic because people don't know what organic really is. People are ignorant. It's not pesticide free food, just biodigradable pesticides."

    Ok hmm...well if youre so knowledgeable why does it matter about other peoples ignorance? And some organic is completely pesticide free, others use natural pest deterrents...so sure I guess you can call it biodigradable but if its natural...found naturally in the environment that's not necessarily bad for you! It's like aloe vera, for example, grows all by itself and the juice stuff on the inside has benefits for lots of things! (I'm not saying its used to grow plants, Idk but just using an example!)

    I just stood there in silence, too baffled to respond. He was right...some people ARE ignorant.
  • jessieinblue
    jessieinblue Posts: 287 Member
    What were the ingredients like? Surprisingly, trans fat occurs naturally in certain foods.
    Small amounts of trans fats occur naturally in some meat and dairy products, including beef, lamb and butterfat. It isn’t clear; though, whether these naturally occurring trans fats have the same bad effects on cholesterol levels as trans fats that have been industrially manufactured.

    (source: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/FatsAndOils/Fats101/Trans-Fats_UCM_301120_Article.jsp)

    Would that trans fat be labeled on the box though?

    You make a good point; that's why I ask. I can't actually find any of the usual trans fat markers in the ingredients lists.

    PUFF PASTRY: Enriched flour, butter, water, glaze (water, liquid whole egg, egg yolk, corn syrup solids, modified milk ingredients, salt), salt, yeast.

    FILLING [for the pesto one I wanted, but the rest have the same type of stuff]: Ricotta cheese (whey, milk, bacterial culture, citric acid, salt), sundried tomato pesto (sundried tomato, canola oil, basil, garlic, parmesan cheese, salt, carob bean gum), light mayonnaise type dressing (canola and/or soya oil, water, sugar, white vinegar, modified corn starch, frozen egg yolk, salt, mustard flour, spices, locust bean gum, dehydrated onion, calcium disodium EDTA), parmesan cheese (milk, bacterial culture, salt, lipase, calcium chloride, microbial enzyme, cellulose), garlic (roasted garlic, olive oil, water, salt, citric acid, black pepper), basil (basil, canola oil, salt, citric acid), salt, spice.
  • katzplay62
    katzplay62 Posts: 66
    Actually, certified organic fruits and vegetables are not the same as conventional (or "standard") fruits and vegetables. Organic produce is grown without the use of harmful pesticides.

    You're more likely to be "harmed" be the pesticides and herbicides you use in your own garden and lawn. And who defines "harmful pesticides?" Organic farms DO use pesticides and since they use "organic" ones, they use 10 times as much to do the same job. And don't forget what they use to fertilize: that's right...all natural *kitten*. E. coli and salmonella with your food, anyone?

    If every farm went organic, 2 billion people would starve because they could NOT produce enough to feed everyone

    Kat
    (who thinks the whole organic food deal is WAY over-rated and ridiculously over-priced)
  • bparsont
    bparsont Posts: 50
    Yes, Jeesieinblue, there is a BIG difference in standard and organic fruits and veggies. There is a list on the interent that has the 12 dirtiest fruits and veggies and the 12 least dirtiest and that's what i go by, because I cant afford to by all organic so I buy only the 12 dirtiest fruits and veggies as organic.

    Another thought is that how can we be guaranteed that the farm next door to the organic farm is not conventional? Therefore, the organic farm gets over spray when the standard farmer sprays anything good or bad. Tough deliemma don't cha think?

    Monsanto won a lawsuit about crop crossover and there was an organic farm next door that got some of Monsantos roundup ready soybeans, i think, and the farm was sued and put out of business and it wasn't the organic farmers falt that the "wind" blew over soybeans, but so much for the government standing up for the family famers, they side with Monsanto. It's all about the money and not the safety of John Q Public!!
  • jessieinblue
    jessieinblue Posts: 287 Member
    Actually, certified organic fruits and vegetables are not the same as conventional (or "standard") fruits and vegetables. Organic produce is grown without the use of harmful pesticides.

    You're more likely to be "harmed" be the pesticides and herbicides you use in your own garden and lawn. And who defines "harmful pesticides?" Organic farms DO use pesticides and since they use "organic" ones, they use 10 times as much to do the same job. And don't forget what they use to fertilize: that's right...all natural *kitten*. E. coli and salmonella with your food, anyone?

    If every farm went organic, 2 billion people would starve because they could NOT produce enough to feed everyone

    Kat
    (who thinks the whole organic food deal is WAY over-rated and ridiculously over-priced)

    Are you aware that the United States produces enough food for every American to have over 3,000 calories a day? I think the exact number is around 3,600. As far as fertilizer, to be honest, I would rather have vegetables grown in compost than vegetables grown in chemicals and sewage sludge. I don't use *any* pesticides or herbicides in my own vegetable and herb gardens.

    As far as price, I believe buying the best available food is more important than anything else I could buy, and I budget my money accordingly. To each their own.
  • jessieinblue
    jessieinblue Posts: 287 Member
    Monsanto won a lawsuit about crop crossover and there was an organic farm next door that got some of Monsantos roundup ready soybeans, i think, and the farm was sued and put out of business and it wasn't the organic farmers falt that the "wind" blew over soybeans, but so much for the government standing up for the family famers, they side with Monsanto. It's all about the money and not the safety of John Q Public!!

    True statement. I've read so much about Monsanto's practices, and the more I read the more disgusted I get.
  • bparsont
    bparsont Posts: 50

    You're more likely to be "harmed" be the pesticides and herbicides you use in your own garden and lawn. And who defines "harmful pesticides?" Organic farms DO use pesticides and since they use "organic" ones, they use 10 times as much to do the same job. And don't forget what they use to fertilize: that's right...all natural *kitten*. E. coli and salmonella with your food, anyone?

    If every farm went organic, 2 billion people would starve because they could NOT produce enough to feed everyone.

    KAT,
    you are forgetting that in the United States *kitten* is composted and therefore there is no ECOLI or any other harmful bacteria. We do not use raw feces of any kind. It all has to be composted. thats not to say that MEXICO doesn't do that, THEY do.

    So you need to get the facts before commenting on something you obviously are not familiar with. Also alot of organic farms use BUGS to control pests in the garden and also rotate crops to prevent pests from settling in.
  • elid
    elid Posts: 209 Member
    Would that trans fat be labeled on the box though?

    Good question, I wasn't sure what the US labeling requirements were for trans fat either. I found this: (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110103110325.htm)
    Current law requires that fat content of greater than five grams be listed in one gram increments, less than five grams be listed in .5 gram increments, and lower than .5 grams as containing zero grams of fat. Meaning, if a product has .49 grams of trans fat, the label can list the trans fat content as zero, thus masking a significant amount of trans fat that can exceed recommended limits and potentially lead to various adverse health effects.

    So it looks like the law may not differentiate between naturally occurring trans fats and trans fats from processing. (Though admittedly that tidbit doesn't necessarily summarize the entire law, so I may be wrong in my assumption.)
    PUFF PASTRY: Enriched flour, butter, water, glaze (water, liquid whole egg, egg yolk, corn syrup solids, modified milk ingredients, salt), salt, yeast.

    FILLING [for the pesto one I wanted, but the rest have the same type of stuff]: Ricotta cheese (whey, milk, bacterial culture, citric acid, salt), sundried tomato pesto (sundried tomato, canola oil, basil, garlic, parmesan cheese, salt, carob bean gum), light mayonnaise type dressing (canola and/or soya oil, water, sugar, white vinegar, modified corn starch, frozen egg yolk, salt, mustard flour, spices, locust bean gum, dehydrated onion, calcium disodium EDTA), parmesan cheese (milk, bacterial culture, salt, lipase, calcium chloride, microbial enzyme, cellulose), garlic (roasted garlic, olive oil, water, salt, citric acid, black pepper), basil (basil, canola oil, salt, citric acid), salt, spice.

    Based on those ingredients, I'd wager a guess that the trans fat is coming from the milk. I don't honestly know whether trans fat from milk/meat/whatever is "better" for you than trans fat from vegetable shortening (and I don't think that's been determined scientifically yet).

    But wow, those ingredients... I do agree that the "All Natural" labeling is pretty dubious... yikes, "modified corn starch" and "modified milk ingredients" just kind of sound scary. Any time the labels contain something completely incomprehensible like that, I wonder what they're trying to hide.
  • jessieinblue
    jessieinblue Posts: 287 Member
    Current law requires that fat content of greater than five grams be listed in one gram increments, less than five grams be listed in .5 gram increments, and lower than .5 grams as containing zero grams of fat. Meaning, if a product has .49 grams of trans fat, the label can list the trans fat content as zero, thus masking a significant amount of trans fat that can exceed recommended limits and potentially lead to various adverse health effects.

    So it looks like the law may not differentiate between naturally occurring trans fats and trans fats from processing. (Though admittedly that tidbit doesn't necessarily summarize the entire law, so I may be wrong in my assumption.)

    Yeah, who knows. What bugs me about this, though is those stupid decimal rules. Can't we just make it black and white? Honestly.
    Based on those ingredients, I'd wager a guess that the trans fat is coming from the milk. I don't honestly know whether trans fat from milk/meat/whatever is "better" for you than trans fat from vegetable shortening (and I don't think that's been determined scientifically yet).

    But wow, those ingredients... I do agree that the "All Natural" labeling is pretty dubious... yikes, "modified corn starch" and "modified milk ingredients" just kind of sound scary. Any time the labels contain something completely incomprehensible like that, I wonder what they're trying to hide.

    Yeah, the "modified milk ingredients" stood out to me. I'm definitely not eating any of these :P
  • Dreambodyreacher
    Dreambodyreacher Posts: 25
    Makes me sick! This is why such a large percentage of Americans are obese!!!! Drives me crazy!

    Agreed!
  • carl1738
    carl1738 Posts: 444 Member
    I would have thought that the whole "puff pastry" title might have been a bit of a red flag that maybe these things aren't terribly healthy. As a person that has worked in the food processing industry, I know that virtually all pastry products contain a lot of fat. As an aside, "modified milk ingredients" usually means either powdered or condensed milk, which is easier and cheaper to store than actual milk in a food processing plant. And as there are many different types of corn starch, "modified corn starch" is simply easier to print on the ingredient label than "Purity-W Corn Starch", or whatever they might have used. It doesn't mean that a bunch of evil chemicals were added to it to modify it.
  • elid
    elid Posts: 209 Member
    As an aside, "modified milk ingredients" usually means either powdered or condensed milk, which is easier and cheaper to store than actual milk in a food processing plant. And as there are many different types of corn starch, "modified corn starch" is simply easier to print on the ingredient label than "Purity-W Corn Starch", or whatever they might have used. It doesn't mean that a bunch of evil chemicals were added to it to modify it.

    Thanks for the explanation.
  • jessieinblue
    jessieinblue Posts: 287 Member
    I would have thought that the whole "puff pastry" title might have been a bit of a red flag that maybe these things aren't terribly healthy. As a person that has worked in the food processing industry, I know that virtually all pastry products contain a lot of fat. As an aside, "modified milk ingredients" usually means either powdered or condensed milk, which is easier and cheaper to store than actual milk in a food processing plant. And as there are many different types of corn starch, "modified corn starch" is simply easier to print on the ingredient label than "Purity-W Corn Starch", or whatever they might have used. It doesn't mean that a bunch of evil chemicals were added to it to modify it.

    Thanks for explaining! I knew that "puff pastry" meant junk, but I was still a little surprised to see the trans fat.
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