The secret lurking on the candy shelf

As people in North America become more health and body conscious (and have less children), candy consumption is lessening. Sales of sugar confectionary dropped by 4% between 2001 and 2006, [while energy-drink sales rose by more than 400% to $3.23 billion in the period, according to market research Mintel.] (from WSJ article “Stimulus Plan for Candy: Pack it full of Caffeine”, Feb 13/08). The industry is trying to recapture some of that lost revenue by introducing a small herd of new cash cows (in a kind of alternative-medicine-so-it-can-be-sold-on-the-shelves kind of way): energy drinks, enhanced cough/cold and preventive-care lozenges (not a new concept), and ‘medicinal’ energy candy or chocolate bars. This article is about the third.

I’m sure you’ve seen them. Oh Henry Pro, for example, sitting right next to the regular Oh Henry in the Walmart checkout line. Same price, very similar packaging...and if you’re not paying attention, there’s a good chance you’d pick it up and not even give the bar a second notice...until you took the first bite. Not the same taste. Not far off, but slightly more grainy, and it has more ‘body’ somehow. But even then, my friend said he couldn’t really tell the difference. To my knowledge, this was Hershey’s first test-run of a new type of ‘high protein candy”-and it sat quietly among its peers, undetected.

There was a time when ‘energy’ bars could only be purchased in stores oriented toward athletes or adventurers-available through gyms or special retail stores. Then they moved into our grocery stores, although often in their own section, possibly near the vitamins or health food (which still screamed: these are different, will probably be expensive, and likely won’t taste good). But now, between Hershey’s Oh Henry Pro, Mars’ Snickers Charged, and Jelly Belly’s Extreme Sports Beans, its becoming clear that what I call ‘medicinal candy’ is moving quickly onto the mainstream shelves.

I’m not in the health field... but it seems to me that this might be a problem. Are these supplements in mainstream candies really a good idea? What is the long-term effectiveness of guarana in the shelf life of a product anyway? Can it go bad? What if a person eats three of them? Is anyone allergic to it? (when Nutchos added rice crisps into their chocolates this Christmas as a filler, I gave them a piece of my mind for not reflecting the recipe change clearly on the label. “Marketing decision” my ass. Talk about cheaping out, and being too chicken to admit it, while possibly putting lives at risk. I guess someone has to die before the labeling of confectionary recipe changes are mandated by law…)
When its introduced this month, will the Snickers Charged have a warning label that it is equivalent to a cup of coffee and will it be large enough for parents to notice at a glance?

I miss sugar. I can’t even chew gum anymore. Even Juicy Fruit is being pulled over to the darkside of unpronounceable sugar-like substances. I should start a “Bring Back Sugar” campaign. (At least until GE sugarbeets are introduced next year, then it will have to be a “Bring Back Sugar that’s Labelled and Non-GE campaign”-ugh-I’m tired just thinking about it.)

But before you go on thinking that I hate all things “new”, I have a confession. I’ve tried a chocolate energy bar that I like. To its credit, it is not a commercial bar-in a sense that the packaging is energy-bar-like which is a sleek black wrapper with a dragon on it-so you won’t get it confused with any existing brand of conventional bars. (Please note: I am not endorsing this product, because I don’t like to endorse any chocolate that I’m not sure won’t kill you when mixed with red wine). But its called “Red Rush”.
It contains caffeine, taurine and guarana, and yes, it tastes like old good chocolate. The lovely sample lady said that 1 bar = 1 cup coffee; so I was tasting it with my most critical tongue, and I was surprised. But when I compared its composition with another bar I like, I was not surprised why.

Red Rush*	Bounty**
Bar summary: 50grams and 280 calories	Bar Summary: 57 grams and 270 calories
29% fat	20% fat
66% trans fat	50% trans fat
10mg cholesterol	5mg cholesterol
4% fibre	8% fibre
but on the vitamin front
Vitamin A 2%	Vitamin A 0%
Vitamin C 2%	Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 2%	Calcium 4%
Iron 10%	Iron 6%

*The website also provides a comparison between three major brands of energy drinks and the bar, which states that the bar has twice the caffeine of red bull!
**Bounty has no “energy value” in the same sense; and was chosen as a comparison merely because it was sitting on my kitchen counter.

So I guess my lessons for today are:
1. Chocolate bars aren't just 'candy bars' anymore.
2. Energy bars aren't necessarily good for you.
and
3. If it looks like a duck and talks like a duck..it still might not be a duck.

Whey? ...Way!

So lately I've taken to making my own cheese. It's kind of like ricotta, not very 'firm', but uber yummy (if you're into that kinda thing). It only takes about an hour, and at the end you are left with a big ball of curd, and you guessed it, whey. I don't really know what to do with whey, and although the recipe said I could freeze it and save it for soup stock, I opted for the less savvy pour-it-down-the-drain route.

But the other day I saw an article in the Daily Green that gave me a whole new appreciation for this magical juice. "Alternative Fuel: Could Cheese Run the Cars of the Future." Of course, they don't literally mean cheese, but in fact, whey is rich in lactose sugar (sugars are one of the key ingredients in ethanol too), so it seemed kind of a no-brainer. Why are we trying to grow things and put them through costly processes to break them down, to harness something that might already be easily available elsewhere? Even WORSE, why are we trying to grow genetically modified things (which are sold as 'more productive'/better 'designed'), that are at risk of screwing up our ecosystem and our bodies, when we could be using low tech, preexisting options. Of course, that's simply not profitable-silly me. But I digress.

So let's start with cheese, why not! Then once we've figured that out, why not other "normal" household bio-waste like kitchen garbage! I admit, being an apartment dweller, composting is an activity that I do not partake in. I know there are apartment-sized composters, but I hear they also involve worms...so thanks, but no thanks. But what I can get into is having a brown bin, just like my blue and black ones, for organic matter. The city could add it to its regularly scheduled pickup and reduce landfill contribution by tonnes. There's gotta be a better use for this stuff...let's use our imaginations here people. I proposed adding a fourth R to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Rethink.

Coconut water..the new sports drink?

Read em and weep Gatorade. Coconuts rule...

Ode to baby bok choy

Oh baby oh baby oh baby bok choy
Your sulfurous freshness brings me such joy

Wilst thou wilt for me
if I put you in a steamy situation?

Wilst thou wilt for me
if I flavour you with libations?

Be not afraid, little stem
you will not grow cold
as you, dearest sprout
will never grow old.

Food that are not/do not contain what they say

Dragon Sausages (see previous post)
Farmers Sausage
Hot dogs
Kraft Dinner (I mean really, what does THAT mean, Corporations Meal?)
Crêpe Suzette
Pigs in a Blanket (admittedly, this is more of a metaphor, just don't expect squiggly tails)
Deviled Eggs (can't you just see em dancing around with pitchforks?)

The Brits have given us too many to name, like Bubble and Squeak, Spotted Dick etc...not to mention alligator pears (which we call avocado)..but I digress...Email me to add your suggestion to the list!

fat bees-my last words on this

Unless something really shocks me, I won't comment on the bee situation anymore-there's plenty of coverage elsewhere. I was intrigued, though, to read an organic beekeeper, Sharon Labchuk, say that:

"One, we would not be so dependent on commercial non-native factory farmed honey bees if we were not killing off native pollinators. Organic agriculture does not use chemicals or crops toxic to bees and, done properly, preserves wildlife habitat in the vicinity, recognizing the intimate relationship between cultivated fields and natural areas.

Two, factory farmed honey bees are more susceptible to stress from environmental sources than organic or feral honey bees. I know alot of people think beekeeping is all natural but in commercial operations the bees are treated just like livestock on factory farms. Bees have been bred for the past 100 years to be much larger than they would be if left to their own devices. If you find a feral honeybee colony in a tree, for example, the cells they lay eggs in are about 4.9 mm wide. This is the size they want to build, the natural size. The foundation wax that beekeepers buy have cells that are 5.4 mm wide so eggs laid in these cells produce much bigger bees. It's the same factory farm mentality we've used to produce other livestock - bigger is better. But the bigger bees, for alot of easy to understand reasons, do not fare as well as natural sized bees. It's now possible to buy foundation with these smaller sized cells but most beekeepers in Canada don't have a clue, or aren't willing to put the effort into going organic this way. Certified organic honey, as in the President's Choice brand, still allows chemicals to be put in the hive."

Food for Agrifuels

I will not go into detail on the use of food for fuel, as it is also being extensively covered elsewhere, (and its not the intended spirit of this blog), so I'll boil down my thoughts: The production of food for agrifuels is bad because:

1. We're sucking at feeding the hungry as it is, lets just stick with wind or solar powers and leave the plants to the consumption of people and animals. The same amount of 'grain' can fill an SUV tank or feed a person for a year... then we can get back to the bigger issues of supply and distribution..
2. GM crop use is going to skyrocket, and likely more chemicals will be used. See a great article here.

Don't even get me started on the modification of food and animals for
medicine...Designer Hens Lay Anti-Cancer Eggs

Can't Knock It Down

Ok, this article is just tooo fun...
http://blog.sciencenews.org/mathtrek/2007/04/cant_knock_it_down.html#more

Cost to label genetic food is overblown

This is NOT written by me, but I found it interesting, and wanted to share it...

MICHELLE LALONDE- mlalonde@thegazette.canwest.com, The Gazette
(Published: Sunday, March 18, 2007)

Mandatory labelling of genetically modified foods would cost much
less than the food industry has claimed, a new study commissioned by
Quebec's Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food reveals.
The as-yet-unpublished study, obtained by The Gazette, estimates
the yearly cost of such a program at $28 million to Quebec's food
industry and $1.7 million to the provincial government.
Previous studies commissioned by the food industry - and cited by
the federal and Quebec governments as reason not to act on the issue
- pegged the annual cost of implementing such a system at up to $950
million (both government and industry) for the whole country, and up
to $200 million in Quebec alone.
At a news conference planned for this afternoon, environmental
groups, organic food advocates and consumer groups are expected to
renew calls for mandatory labelling in Quebec and to denounce Jean
Charest's Liberals for abandoning a 2003 election pledge to bring in
a labelling system.
Eric Darier of Greenpeace says the new study, written by Martin
Cloutier of the Universite du Quebec a Montreal, shows that the cost
of mandatory labelling is reasonable.
"Thirty million is a much lower figure than what (the food
industry) has been saying," he said.
Considering Quebecers spend about $30 billion on food every year,
it is a cost that could and should be absorbed by the industry,
Darier added.
Many commonly consumed processed foods - an estimated 70 per cent
of the processed foods found on grocery store shelves - contain or
may contain genetically modified organisms, or GMOs.
GMOs are organisms with genetic material that has been altered
using gene technology.
While there is uncertainty over whether genetically modified foods
pose a long-term danger to human health and environmental threats are
debated, polls have consistently shown that a strong majority of
Canadians want to know whether there are GMOs in the foods they buy.
A 2004 survey by Leger Marketing indicated 83 per cent of Canadians
- and 87 per cent of Quebecers - want mandatory labelling of GMO foods.
Canada is a major producer of genetically altered crops, such as
corn and soy, along with the U.S., Argentina, China and Brazil.
Many countries require mandatory labelling of foods that contain
GMOs, including the European Union countries, Japan, China, Australia
and New Zealand.
Labelling requires the implementation of separate production,
harvesting, storage, handling and processing systems for genetically
modified and completely natural foods, plus a validation system, and
separate shelf allocations by retailers.
While some assume the costs of such a system would simply be passed
to consumers through higher food prices, Darier said this has not
proven to be the case in other countries where labelling is mandatory.
"The international experience shows there is no impact on
consumers, because the entrepreneurs decided to change the way they
do things to absorb the supplemental costs," Darier said.
Greenpeace and other anti-GMO groups argue that long-term human
health effects of consuming genetically engineered food have not been
studied, and cite such potential health risks as resistance to
antibiotics and allergic reactions.

So that's what mosquitoes are for!

Not that I want to negate the honey bee situation, (although I think it really sucks that every article I read talks about the $ loss of the industry - missing the point people!)...anyway.. It turns out that honey possums, lizards, geckos, skinks and mosquitoes are also pollinators! I always assumed they had a purpose other than being astronomically annoying (and I should know, my family comes from a region of Manitoba that boasts the biggest Mosquito statue in the world-the town is named after the Ukrainian word for mosquito because the situation was so bad when the area was settled)...but it still surprised me anyway. Old biases die hard I guess.
(I was also suprised to read that the lemur is the world’s largest pollinator! Go lemurs!)

I just had a baby octopus for lunch!

I love weird food. I'll try anything once...but this one...well, let's just say I'm happy I live in Ottawa, where you cannot get this dish. *shudder*

Baby Octopus in Soju (Korea): You are given a bowl of live baby
octopuses and a plate which is covered in soju (Korean alcohol). You
pick one octopus up and wipe it in the soju which puts it to sleep
and then eat it. More fun near the end of the meal when there is less
soju on the plate or the octopus doesn't go asleep and starts to
fight as you're eating it. (from http://www.weird-food.com/weird-food-new.html)

Update on Bee story

This is amazing...a graphic representation of the bee crisis in the US.
(Thanks Pete)

Dragon sausages don't contain any Dragon

My buddy Jer sent me this wicked article entitled "'Dragon' sausages burnt by trade laws", which states that "A spicy sausage known as the Welsh Dragon will have to be renamed after trading standards’ officers warned manufacturers that they could face prosecution because it does not contain dragon."

What a drag man!

For those who are interested, the alleged 'dragon' is really pork. I know its a letdown, but I understand why they did it...one dragon does make alot of sausages, but they're a bitch to catch...as Jer can attest.

Web 2.0 video

Every once in a while, if it really speaks to me, I'll post a non-food thing.
This is something you have to see.

"Operation"...sushi style.

I always enjoy good food presentation, and a unique plate totally jacks up the value of what's on it for me, but my latest favorite article on Slashfood (which lead me to a cool site called neatorama) has got me thinking.

The idea is that there is a "body" (that is sculpted out of food) that is lying on the table, and to start, you cut out a piece of skin (it even bleeds!) and eat the interior. Now, I can't tell by the photo what its made of...but the patrons do not look entirely impressed.

I, for one, don't want to eat a person (in case that needed to be said)...but I would be convinced to eat a cow or pig in this manner...a little ham here and bacon there, or a little prime rib and then some headcheese...so maybe, in a weird way, I do like this idea. But I don't need it to bleed.

p.s. While you're at neatorama, check out the Chocolate and Candy Sushi!

The Bees knees

Last month I was at an event at Parliament where David Suzuki was speaking to a group of people who are looking out for the interests of pollinators. Yup, pollinators (I know, it just screams excitement). Now, its important to begin this conversation by explaining two things: 1. I hate bugs. I know they are an important part of the ecosystem, but *yeeeech*. 2. Bees and I go way back..from the moment in the back seat of my family's big blue Pontiac Parisiane when one sat very confidently on my arm and settled his big-ass stinger into me - to recently, when I was helping my grandparents squeeze residual honey out of the freshly cut wax layer that protects the combs, in which of course, you're bound to find a dead bee or two...anyway... I really only think of bees when I think 'pollinators', and frankly, that isn't something I do often anyway. But this day opened my eyes.

As it turns out, pollinators include such other lovely creatures as flies, moths, butterflies, wasps, beetles, hummingbirds and bats! And reframing it that way..it hit me. Pollinators are really important! (Quick bit o science: A pollinator goes to a flower seeking nectar and in the process pollen from the male part of the flower sticks to the pollinator's legs or other parts of its body. When it flies on to another flower of the same type, the pollen is deposited on the female part of the plant. This allows the plant to reproduce by creating seeds and fruit.**) So..plants depend on them to reproduce! WE depend on these little bastards to eat! I have to start liking bugs! Bugs are really important! Then it hit me...all the pesticides, the agrochemicals, the poisoned runoff, the acid rainwater...its not just killing the fish and toxifying the soil...its killing the insects...the pollinators! And then I saw this article on Cnn.com today "Mysterious ailment wiping out bees"...and it just made me want to cry.
Another blow to my new, fragile friends. I don't know what's happening here, but amongst all of the hubbub about climate change, all I ask is, please don't forget the pollinators...because sometimes we just don't know how important something can be until its gone.

Now I'm not saying that the next time I hear the low, precise, signature hum I won't still cower as I grab for the longest fattest magazine-iest object I can find..but this time, inspired by my newfound respect, I might just try to find a way to shoo it out the door instead.

If you want to know more, here's some great articles:
Pollinator decline (From Wikipedia)
Our Forgotten Pollinators: Protecting the Birds and Bees
and creating a pollinators' paradise**.

Yay! I'll take 20!

Ladies and Gentlemen...my new favorite invention!! DaysAgo counters

These cute little doodads attach to any jar or bottle. Basically, you set it the day you open the jar (or stash your tupperware-esque container away), and whenever you wonder how long its been...you can check it! They have a simple LCD display, and are available in either 'magnetic' or 'suction cup' models.

No, I don't actually own any yet, no, I don't know the people that make this product, and at $10USD (owch) a pop, I'm not even sure I'll buy many of them...but with my memory, I sure could use a few in my kitchen.

Of course this really only solves half the equation...since many of the jars in my fridge have 'expiry codes' that I can't make heads or tails of...there's still bound to be a certain amount of 'hesitant sniffing'. Question for you-daysago inventors-I know it counts days and hours, but what happens after a year? Can the device function in the freezer?
*Update* The company has responded. It counts up to 99 days and then rolls back to Zero, and yes, it can function in the freezer. They've also said that if you enter the coupon code "wiym", you can save 25% off on online orders through the website. Woohoo!

There's a patent on what?!?

Every once in a while I stumble across something that floors me.
The other day I was surfing the United States Patent Office website (searchword: chocolate), and guess what I found patents on:

1. United States Patent 7163185; System, method and article of manufacture for three dimensional bride and groom cake kit
Inventors: Dail; Lisha Annette (Ocala, FL)

It is described as:

A baking system that allows the user to create a three-dimensional cake having the form of a bride and groom, or man and woman. The substantial part of the human forms is accomplished by a molding process using cake, candy or chocolate. Utilizing 2 piece pans; having a removable outer rim with spring action hinges, locking spring action clasps, and corresponding pan insets to complete the process. The pan insets are specifically designed to become the interior support system for the cake structure. The entire cake is molded, baked, poured, and stacked prior the removal of the outer rims of the pans. Fitted, plastic snap-on storage lids are included, enabling the user to bake the cakes in advance, and keep them fresh until ready to assemble and decorate. The system offers the flexibility of easy creation, easy storage, easy assembly, and easy transportation of the completed assembly.

So..what the h*ll does this mean? I've made this exact kind of cake before..and I may make it again...will I have to pay someone next time I wish to make one? How does Wiltons feel about this? Martha, care to weight in?

Then there's:
United States Patent 7,153,536; Method for preparation of a food sauce
Assignee: Welch Foods Inc., A Cooperative (Concord, MA)

Abstract

A method for preparation of a food sauce having a fresh fruit suspension. The method disclosed by the invention involves manipulating the pre-gel of a low methoxyl pectin by various processing steps and ingredient additions. The end product provides a sauce having a fresh fruit flavor with a unique texture and mouth feel.

Is this the death knell for the jellied fruit salad? What's next..applesauce?

And for those of you who are into molecular gastromony (or whatever it will be called in the future..)..you might want to take a gander at this.

GREEN BEAN CAKE BEING RECALLED DUE TO UNDECLARED SESAME FILLING

I know this is a serious problem, but when I saw this headline the other day it made me giggle like a schoolgirl. Sometimes, among the bombings, politics and commerce, its nice to see a little news about food.

For the record, I too have an undeclared sesame filling.

Pink Milk Anyone? *shudder*

According to my favorite food blog Slashfood, "color can be a setback for organics" (original article posted Jan 10th 2007 by Nicole Weston). The article is about strawberry-flavored milk, and the diffuculty in finding "a natural, organic coloring to give it the familiar color that consumers associate with strawberry-flavored milk".

If you're from a farm, you know that pink milk is not something you want to encourage. The pink is, as you'd imagine, caused by trace amounts of blood that made it into the milk because the cow was sick. So frankly, if I ever came across a glass of pink milk my gag reflex would be raring to go...but these days, most people are very removed this experience..so I guess the quest for organic pink milk coloring will continue. But what I can't figure out here is what bothers me more: that milk has become so tastless that it needs strawberry (if you've ever tried unpasturized milk fresh from a cow the taste is rich and well... unforgettably stellar); that kids need strawberry to make milk interesting, or that ORGANIC milk has become so processed that it tastes like regular milk.