You are what you eat?

So I was thinking lately that it seems that more and more people are going the extra mile (and paying the extra dollar) to consume foods that have been grown organically and processed minimally without all the additives and preservatives that saturated the refined foods we ate back in the '80s (not to mention previous decades). Now you see milk with labels reading "No rBST or rBGH" or "no artificial hormones." Seemingly, the consumers spoke, and the food industry listened to what they said: "We do not want food that has been jacked with...keep your chemicals out of our consumables!" or "I don't want to drink extra pus with my milk, thank you..." I digress, but to read more on this topic, here is a well-written letter to Congress regarding Monsanto's rBST/rBGH: (Monsanto was one of the companies that produced Agent Orange; do you really want this sort of company to have anything to do with the milk you drink?) http://www.ftc.gov/os/comments/monsanto/FinalResponsetoFTC.pdf Here is some more information about Monsanto Corporation regarding its role in Agent Orange production: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_Orange Apparently, I came too quickly to my conclusion that the food industry was really listening to what consumers were saying. In this month's Gourmet, there is an article called "The Corrections" by Bruce Feiler, which, to me, is a serious indication that something has gone awry. Check it out for yourself: http://www.gourmet.com/magazine/2000s/2008/07/scienceofflavor
According to the article, there are now new food additives in the works that "might improve or block particular flavors." Now why might this be useful? The example the article gives is of a V8 taste test in which one of the samples is regular V8, and the other is low-sodium V8. The low-sodium V8 has been treated with a "concoction" called "Betra," which is a chemical manufactured by Redpoint Bio that blocks the taste of Potassium Chloride (here is what Wikipedia states regarding Potassium Chloride or KCl: "KCl is used in medicine, scientific applications, food processing and in judicial execution through lethal injection). " You may read more about it (mainly its medical use) in the article titled "Potassium chloride death prompts warning." 23/11/2005. ABC News Online http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200511/s1515303.htm]

In this particular example, the chemical compound is used to allow for a low-sodium version of V8 (double the amount of KCl is substituted for the sodium found in the original V8). However, KCl has an unpleasant aftertaste, which does not appeal to many. The Betra takes care of that. The article does not mention how long Betra has been on the market, or if it has any strange side effects like the other synthetic food chemicals it mentions: saccharin (believed to be a carcinogen since 1977, though Congress has recently removed it from its list of known cancer-causing agents) and aspartame (a neurotoxin that supposedly causes MS-like symptoms in many of its users; guess which company created this little gem: Monsanto Corporation!). Dr. Ray Salemme, Redpoint Bio's CEO, refers to the discovery of these chemicals, stating "There was a large component of serendipity in finding those compounds..." (Emphasis mine). Yeah, they sound GREAT! There is a plethora of online information (especially about aspartame) regarding this issue; here is a good one with many links: http://www.safefood.org.nz/aspartaddict.html. The most disturbing part about the article in Gourmet was the statement that "Further benefiting [the food companies, some with names like 'Senomyx' ~ doesn't that sound yummy?!], the additive would be in such a tiny amount that it could be referenced in the 'artificial flavors' category and not be specifically listed on the label." Okay, now I am questioning why (if these products are so great) the addition of these substances to our food would be something the food companies would benefit from keeping secret. Additionally, it seems crazy to keep adding all these chemicals to a freaking vegetable juice! Don't people drink that stuff because it is "healthy?" Perhaps I am just being an alarmist, but where my food is concerned, I think the less you do to it chemically the better. I hope that these companies go bankrupt from these experiments. Why aren't these scientists using their amazing brains to cure AIDS or something instead of messing with the food supply? I look around me (especially in Hawaii) and there are so many kinds of foods that occur naturally that it seems ridiculous to spend millions of dollars coming up with synthetic foodstuffs. So, why are these companies doing it? Oh yeah, must be the money! I guess it works because people either don't care or are not educated about the chemicals we use on a daily basis. The stuff is everywhere. One good example of this is the BHT in my cereal box lining or in my deodorant (BHT is a known carcinogen, let's rub some of that under our arms right next to the lymph nodes). What are we to do, stop wearing deodorant? Whatever the answer may be, it just seems wrong that these corporations keep selling us poison while the FDA looks the other way. Is it really that hard to come up with a product that is toxin free? Now you might be thinking, if these chemicals are everywhere, there is nothing we can do about it, so why learn or care about it? If so, then you are of the same viewpoint of Dr. Salemme as he dispels fears about the use of new synthetic substances such as Bestra, stating: "you already add aspartame and saccharine to your coffee to block the bitter taste..." Is he implying that that is a good thing? I shudder to think! He is basically saying, "you already poison your brain by adding NutraSweet to your coffee, why not add this new chemical to that and see how it works out for ya!" The truth is that if these chemicals are ill-received by consumers (the way that rBST and rBGH have been), these companies will eventually abandon them. Naturally, it's all about the green (and by that I mean the almighty DOLLAR!).