This past Sunday I was doing a little baking, attempting to use up some of the excess stuff I have kicking around left over from Christmas (someone remind me why I bought 1 kg of marshmallows??). Normally I don’t read the labels on processed stuff like this because I know they are full of garbage, but this one caught my eye. I decided not to blur out the brand name because, hey, they put this crap in there, not me.
Do you see the words “sodium metabisulphite”? That’s what did it. Not to go into too much detail about my personal life, but I work in a lab and we use sodium metabisulphite to dechlorinate municipal water. And we wear gloves when using it. A little googling later I also found out it is used as a sanitizer, an ingredient in film development solution and an industrial bleaching agent in addition to the food industry’s use of it for keeping dried fruit from oxidizing (browning). Oh, and it is also apparently really handy in removing pesky tree stumps. And kids, as an additive goes, this isn’t even one of the bad ones.
I’ve been mulling it over the past couple of days and I’ve decided that, in general, the human race is pretty much insane. But then again, I have been pretty grumpy lately.
I’m not even going to look at the marshmallows.
Did you noticed that the list of ingredients includes Propylene Glycol ?
A cosmetic form of mineral oil found in automatic brake and hydraulic fluid and industrial antifreeze. In the skin and hair, propylene glycol works as a humescent, which causes retention of moisture content of skin or cosmetic products by preventing the escape of moisture or water. The Material Safety Data Sheet warns users to avoid skin contact with propylene glycol as this strong skin irritant can cause liver abnormalities and kidney damage.
Known health effects Eye irritation, skin irritation, skin drying, defatting. Ingestion has serious health effects similar to above.
Hi AF, thanks for stopping by! I did see the propylene glycol, but hadn’t looked into it. I really have to wonder what is wrong with the system that these things are even considered reasonable to be added to food, and why more people aren’t angry about it.
Ugh…I just found the same stuff in my deodorant and my imitation vanilla! I had no idea it was in those until I read this post.
I can understand (in a twisted way) why it would be in deoderant if it prevents moisture loss, but why is it in imitation vanilla? That’s messed up.
I just wanted to say a hardy “Amen!” to your title. I completely agreed with you.
Thanks Julie! 🙂
yep, nothing like a little antifreeze with your goodies! that’s one of the processes I’m immersed in right now– eliminating all consumption of ingredients of questionable or confirmed harmful origin. my kids frequently threaten mutiny, but I’m figuring out alternatives for the “treats.” I was a chemist in my former life so I know exactly what you mean about using some chemical at work with gloves, respirator, etc (you read the MSDS and it’s a 3 on health hazard and a known carcinogen) and then you find it in your breakfast cereal. it’s infuriating!
Hi Julia, and welcome! Infuriating is right! Infuriating and frustrating. I wonder where the common sense is in the food industry these days, or the responsibility for that matter.
Hi you two, Okay, so here’s my question: why are companies allowed to put this kind of …. (feces) in our food? Oh, sorry, make that “food” and I withdraw the question. (That is why we’re all here talking about growing our own, right? ; )
And Galen Weston thinks that farmer’s markets are going to kill somebody? Like Loblaw’s isn’t using stuff like this in the President’s Choice brands? He’s got a friggin’ nerve, I tell ya!
Glad your bean experiment worked so well Daisy. They look so beautiful all spread out on your “drying rack” You going to try using them to plant again this year? (Say, what brand of beans did you use? I wouldn’t mind giving them a shot this year myself; )
Hi Deb! Galen Weston is a fear-mongering tool. You can bet your booties that wasn’t just some off the cuff remark, but planned because it would get repeated over and over again in the news. My hope is that people will recognize it for what it was – a scare tactic – and ignore him and give their money to farmers, not millionaires.
I sure am going to plant our own beans this year. The brands I used were Thompson’s and Mr. Gouda’s for the kidney beans, I can’t remember what brand the romanos were. If I were going to do it again I would still do a germination test on them, just in case, since I wonder if they are heat treated to remove any pests or to get them to a certain moisture content. Good luck!