”Swallow This”, serving the food industry’s darkest secrets.
This is the title of a book written by Joanna Blythman, Britain’s leading investigative food journalist and an influential commentator on the British Food Chain.
She as Michael Pollan (American based investigative Food author) have followed the journey of the food we eat from their origins to our plates...the truth is rather Scary.
I will as of now mention things related to the processed food we eat, this means that I will inform you about what we are not told, what we are led to believe and also what is hidden from us.
My duty is a duty of care towards you, I share the knowledge I acquire.
I also in my personal life apply as much as possible the lessons I learnt regarding food.
My family and I for example eat less meat, less grains and processed food in general. We eat more vegetables and Seasonal food in particular.
We replaced vegetable oil by ghee or extra virgin olive oil when we cook.
We do whatever we can when convenience and price allow to make the Healthiest food choices.
And when I don’t feel like making the Right Choice, I just feel like Eating Junk food, I simply do it!
It is all about being fully aware of what We put in our bodies!
How the processed food system works? It is is an interesting question, brace yourself as you are going to be puzzled by the answers.
Have You never wondered why the food you buy always taste the same?
On the contrary when you make from scratch your favourite meal, the taste/colour/texture vary! How strange, no?
Few data, by 2013, UK based companies were manufacturing over 12.000 different chilled food recipes!
Our investigator Joanna Blythman classifies the “ready meals” in the following categories.
The Red Family comprises the hot tomato/pizza/lasagne/tomato and basil soup/med veg bunch.
Then The Brown Family with cottage pie/steak and kidney/casserole/stew/peking duck, chow mien noodles and everything sold with a barbecue label.
Finally the Beige Family, variously labelled bread crumbed/battered products. Those products smell the same no matter they are fish, meat or vegetable based.
Why then processed food always taste the same?
To start with the ingredients bought from food manufacturers come from Specialised companies and their quantities, quality and the processing steps ARE ALWAYS THE SAME!
Food manufactures carry out little or NO preparation of RAW INGREDIENTS!
To summarise: the supermarkets where you shop, buy the food from a food Manufacturer, which in turn get other companies (food processors) to do the preparation. These processors may be quite remote from the primary food producers: farmers and growers.
5 steps From the supermarket to your plate:
1.Grower, farmers-2.hard to identify the entities/scientists at this Level-3.food processors-4.food manufacturers-5.supermarkets. Finally your plate!
Did you know that 40% of the chicken we eat in the UK is imported, almost all of it is destined for food processing and catering.
