Fw: 15 Shocking Food Industry Secrets

[Guest guest]

> Food manufacturers think you're stupid. In fact, they’re banking on it.

> Why else would Hershey’s put a ribbon on the Good & Plenty box that says

> “A fat-free candy.” Sure, it's true—no fat in the box—but it's also very

> misleading. The candy is essentially 100 percent sugar and processed

> carbs. And Hershey knows the average American equates fat-free with being

> good for you.

>

> Another example: Between 2005 and 2008, as the organic movement gathered

> steam, the prevalence of “simple” or “simply” on food labels increased by

> 65 percent. Food marketers pinpointed how our expectations were changing,

> and began using that knowledge to keep us buying unhealthy processed

> foods.

>

> While researching our latest book, Eat This, Not That! 2011, we spotted

> more minefields than ever—in restaurants, at supermarkets, in your own

> pantry. That’s why we cornered food-industry insiders and asked them to

> come clean. What they told us may shock you. Go ahead, dig in.

>

> 1. The average American has easy access to 2,700 calories each day,

> according to the USDA, versus just 2,200 in 1970. That food is on their

> plates and in their refrigerators, or neatly lining the vending machines

> at work. In other words, potential calories are everywhere. And studies

> show a direct correlation between food exposure and consumption. If 500

> calories a day doesn't sound like much, consider: that’s 52 pounds a year.

>

> 2. The average American drinks 450 liquid calories a day. That’s twice as

> much as we consumed 30 years ago, according to researchers at the

> University of North Carolina. What’s to blame? Take your pick: sodas,

> energy drinks, lattes, bottled teas, milk shakes. (Here are the most

> sinister culprits—

>

> 3. Fresh fruits and vegetables cost 10 times more than junk food,

> according to researchers at the University of Washington. A thousand

> calories of nutritious food cost $18.16, while a thousand calories of junk

> food cost a mere $1.76. How do they keep junk-food costs so low? Pretty

> simple, actually: flavor enhancers and other chemical additives. Speaking

> of . . .

>

> 4. There are more than 3,000 items on the FDA’s list of approved food

> additives—everything from acesulfame potassium (an artificial sweetner

> that animal studies have linked to breast cancer) to Yellow #5 (a food

> coloring linked to learning and concentration disorders in children).

>

> 5. Your food can legally contain maggots and rat poop. Sure, the FDA

> limits the amount of such appetite killers in your food, but that limit

> isn't zero. Trace amounts won’t make you sick, but the thought of them

> will.

>

> 6. Smaller portions are equally as satisfying as larger portions.

> Participants in a Penn State study ate macaroni and cheese over four

> different days, and when presented with bigger portions, they consumed an

> extra 160 calories. Despite the extra food, they rated their fullness the

> same.

>

> 7. Between 1977 and 1996, the average cheeseburger grew in size by 25

> percent. In that same time, a bag of pretzels grew by 93 calories,

> according to analysis by researchers in North Carolina. But you don't have

> to give up the burgers to stay thin, but it helps to avoid them.

>

> 8. What do hamburgers and fertilizer have in common? Turns out,

> hamburgers—especially the stuff served at schools and fast food

> restaurants—are routinely treated with ammonia to kill off E. coli

> bacteria. That’s the same substance used in fertilizers and household

> cleaners.

>

> 9. There's a good chance chicken will make you sick. In a 2006 Consumer

> Reports review, more than 80 percent of whole broiler chickens bought

> nationwide contained campylobacter or salmonella—the leading causes of

> foodborne illness in America.

>

> 10. Junk food is like a drug. A study in the journal of Nature

> Neuroscience found that eating junk food doesn’t just satisfy cravings—it

> creates them. That’s right; junk food is addictive. That's why

> manufacturers load their foods with sugar, salt, and artificial

> flavorings, and why you should never forget the golden rule: If your food

> can go bad, it's good for you. If it can't go bad, it's bad for you.

>

> 11. Only 19 percent of what you pay for a food product actually goes

> toward the food itself. The rest pays for packaging, labor, and marketing,

> according to USDA data. Yet another reason to buy fresh, local

> ingredients.

>

> 12. Food companies pay “slotting fees” to supermarkets to ensure the best

> possible placement—an average of $70 per item, according to a 2004

> government report. These fees are passed on to consumers in the form of

> higher prices. Pay less by shopping the tops and bottoms of the shelves;

> that’s where you’ll find brands that aren’t paying slotting fees.

>

> 13. The leanest cuts of meat may have the highest sodium levels. Leaner

> cuts by definition are less juicy. To counteract this, some manufacturers

> " enhance " turkey, chicken, and beef products by pumping them full of a

> liquid solution that contains water and salt.

>

> 14. Long checkout lines may make you fat. If you’re waiting to pay, you're

> up to 25 percent more likely to buy the candy and sodas around you,

> according to a recent study at the University of Arizona.

>

> 15. Calorie counts may be wrong. To ensure you're getting at least as much

> as you pay for, the FDA is more likely to penalize a food manufacturer for

> overstating the net weight of a product than understating it. As a result,

> manufacturers often package more food than the stated net weight or make

> servings heavier than the stated serving size weight.

>

>

>

> EAT RIGHT RULE: The best bedtime snack is a bowl of bran cereal with skim

> milk. The slow-burning carbs will ease you into slumber.

>

>

>

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