Food Fraud - I'm On a Hunger Strike Now

[BXMurphy]

I somehow stumbled on the subject of "food fraud" on YouTube! Good grief! They're talking about your olive oil having vegetable oil in it, your haddock might be some other "white fish," and there could be horse meat in the hamburger. In fact, how do you really know that the hunk of red meat you just bought is what you think it is?

You already know about truffles and saffron and caviar. Some are more rare than the others but all are expensive. You are not surprised to learn that there are imitation versions of them and that they taste almost as good. Just like imitation vanilla. But maple syrup? Honey?

After watching some of these videos, I'm just not hungry anymore. If anybody made a New Year's resolution to lose weight, watching some of these videos might help you stick to the plan!

Murph

 

[Culinary Otter]

A large part of the reason I try to source from as many direct sources as possible vs the corporate conglomerates.

The Secret History of Food by Matt Siegel talks about food fraud quite a bit. Rather interesting.

 

[DRKsmoking]

I'm just not hungry anymore. If anybody made a New Year's resolution to lose weight

This also would help with that.
I have seen things in the restaurants exchanged for what they were really called on the menu's.

Or you could go to a milk factory and watch them make chocolate drink ( not called milk really ) for a reason. Or watch a show on factory made hotdogs and how chickens are processed.
Talk about instant going on a food strike.

Like ^^^^ Otter ^^^^ above said, try and source from places you know. And that would also go for some restaurants .
I have seen some bad in my years at working in them.

I really try no to think of how some things are processed , as I might just become my own , Hunter gatherer, lol

David

 

[Gonna Smoke]

I remember reading a report several years ago, maybe longer, where DNA samples were taken from fish ordered in restaurants and something like 85% was not what they said it was. I'll do an interweb search later and see if I can find that report, right now, I'm going fishing...

 

[Culinary Otter]

I remember reading a report several years ago, maybe longer, where DNA samples were taken from fish ordered in restaurants and something like 85% was not what they said it was. I'll do an interweb search later and see if I can find that report, right now, I'm going fishing...

Not sure if this is the same one you read but sounds like it. 50% of restaurants and 60% of markets tested sold mislabeled fish. It was actually cited in the book I had mentioned.

Fish Tale Has DNA Hook: Students Find Bad Labels (Published 2008)

With new tests, students found that restaurants and markets often misidentified fish, sometimes as more expensive species.

www.nytimes.com

 

[flatbroke]

Didn’t a food packing plant label horse and kangaroo meat as beef in the late 70s or real early 80s. O Think Jack in the box got caught up in it.

 

[Culinary Otter]

Didn’t a food packing plant label horse and kangaroo meat as beef in the late 70s or real early 80s. O Think Jack in the box got caught up in it.

Would love to see that news article if its around!

I recall about a decade ago some Ikea meatballs were found to have horse meat in them. If it was found through DNA tracing, it could have just come from being cross-contaminated from a processor that also slaughtered horses in a country where that's legal. I don't think the percentage found was ever disclosed (or discovered).

<insert "meatballs are cheaper, but you have to assemble them yourself" joke here>

 

[BGKYSmoker]

Didn’t a food packing plant label horse and kangaroo meat as beef in the late 70s or real early 80s. O Think Jack in the box got caught up in it.

Best tacos ever. Not changed in 50 years. Cat tacos, roo, horse...dont care still good.

Yes I have eaten horse meat.

 

[normanaj]

Yes I have eaten horse meat.

Used to be sold in military commissaries back in the day.

 

[BGKYSmoker]

Used to be sold in military commissaries back in the day.

Yup

I have not seen it at the comm on base....lol

 

[gmc2003]

...and here I remember horse being used to make white glue.

 

[Fueling Around]

Anyone remember the meat glue exposé a number of years ago?

Commercial horse slaughter got outlawed in the US of A thanks to bleeding heart, horse loving lobbyists & politicians. There used to be a huge plant in the Minneapolis - St, Paul area and the bulk of the flesh went directly to France.

Also those scallops you paid $$$ might be die cut skate and ray wings.

Honey is ultra pasteurized and filterd to disguise the origin.

Agave is blended with HFCS.

The boot legging of Canadian maple syrup into the US rivals the liquor trade during prohibition.

I could go on and on

 

[Buckeyedude]

At least my spam and dino shaped nuggets are real........

 

[normanaj]

Also those scallops you paid $$$ might be die cut skate and ray wings.

That's a fact.Very common practice over the years.

 

[DRKsmoking]

Also those scallops you paid $$$ might be die cut skate and ray wings.

Years back, there was a restaurant in town that was doing this , one of the workers told on them. ( they also said they were using eel, but I don't believe that, would have a center core I think )

David

 

[daspyknows]

I try not to know. After hearing about ham at a meatpacking plant and seeing a chicken processing assembly line at a client once I don't want to know.

A bit off-topic.

During football season need me some horse to smoke for games against Chargers, Broncos or Colts. Almost bought zebra (which I tried once in Kenya) for a Broncos game. Same for some form of feline for Panthers, Lions, Jaguars or Bengals although have used catfish up to this point..

Currently its lamb for the Rams, chicken, turkey, duck or that species called turducken for the bird teams, brisket for the Bills and Cowboys and albacore tuna or some other fish for the Dolphins. Saints are boudin, Packers are sausages and the remaining teams are whatever.

 

[BGKYSmoker]

At least my spam and dino shaped nuggets are real........

And my sourdough starter came from the boat Cleopatra was on.

 

[gmc2003]

Currently its lamb for the Rams, chicken, turkey, duck or that species called turducken for the bird teams, brisket for the Bills and Cowboys and albacore tuna or some other fish for the Dolphins. Saints are boudin, Packers are sausages and the remaining teams are whatever.

What no Paul Bunyan for the Giants games?

Chris

 

[Buckeyedude]

And my sourdough starter came from the boat Cleopatra was on.

Yeast is yeast brother................

 

[BGKYSmoker]

Yeast is yeast brother................

Maybe she was in de-nile