We’ve decided to start a series regarding foods that are sold to the general population for a variety of reasons, most of which are not beneficial to anyone’s health. The foodservice industry is a powerful creature of the market, with companies that net profits in the billions of dollars by mass producing and standardizing the food cultivation and creation process. There is something to be said for the many innovations that have been introduced along the way, including sanitation standards that are now the norm.
However, they still manage to put out some things that are questionable at best, so we’re calling them out so that you are in the know. So let’s start with this:
No, your eyes are not deceiving you: yes, this is roast beef spread in the tin. There seems to be something quite unnatural about roast beef (1) being made into spread form and (2) served in the tin. It is definitely possible to see the creation of a roast beef spread as part of an hors d’oeurve, but not on the supermarket shelves. This product is a mash-up of meat products all designed and flavor enhanced to provide the experience of roast beef. Aside from the multi meat mesh, there is a bigger concern with items like this: the fat level, salt content and preservatives that are used. The amount of sodium in products such as these are typically enough for your total daily consumption. Half of the calories in this item comes from fat! It comes as no surprise that food of this sort is often sold in less affluent neighborhoods due to its lower pricing and production cost. Families choose things like this because of price concerns. We are now fighting a war of convenience versus cost versus health.
It’s no wonder obesity is now our number one killer in the United States when it comes to preventable diseases.
We have nothing against the company that produced this product; business is business and they are fully entitled to produce the items consumers want. However consumers drive their production numbers and should demand more wholesome products on their market shelves. Someone is obviously buying this or they wouldn’t produce it! And frankly, good products should not be limited to places like Whole Foods or Fairway. To make drastic changes to this process, it has to be addressed at the national level and with the people (that means YOU!) speaking up. What kind of legacy are we leaving behind to our children and what kind of example are we setting with their eating habits and culinary exposure?
Consumers, we implore you. Demand to know where your food came from and how it was prepared. Don’t be afraid to ask your server to go through what is in your fish dish. Read your labels! Buy fresh when you are able. It sounds cliche, said a thousand times over by a plethora of people, but it is fundamentally true. We cannot keep consuming food with ingredients we can’t even pronounce; it is simply not a sustainable way to live. There are some things we have come to accept with processed foods, but not our protein supply and certainly not to this extent.
Fight for your food; we are!
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