|
Why I was wrong about fresh food
24th November 2006
Can you cast your mind back two Fridays ago?
Don't worry… this isn't a test. Sometimes I can't remember why I stepped outside the front door.
No, I just want you to think back to an email I wrote you. It had the subject line: 'Will Al Capone be your new doctor?'
In the email I talked about how you should try as much as possible to eat natural, fresh food, rather than rely on artificial products.
After all, it's not as if you can fake fresh food.
To illustrate my point I said, and I quote:
“Have you ever heard of a counterfeit gang trying to smuggle fake fruit into the supermarket? Or taking a bite of a jacket potato only to discover some criminal genius has swapped the real thing for a plastic one?”
Well, talk about putting my foot in it…
Criminals ARE faking fresh food!
A few days later, allegations of “FOOD FRAUD!” hit the newsstands, as the Food Standards Agency launched an inquiry into British food fraud.
It seems there's been an upsurge in fake “organic” meat, fish, fruit and veg across the country.
Labels changed… big black marker pens used to blatantly lie on market stall packaging… sneaky loopholes exploited to bend the truth... that kind of thing.
And this criminal deceit is everywhere.
Shoppers have been duped into buying fake freerange eggs that were actually factory farmed. This means we pay double what the Continent pays for similar eggs.
Organic Scotch Beef was found to be poor quality beef from South America... “wild” salmon was found to be as wild as a pet gerbil... “corn fed” chicken was found to be nothing of the sort.
|
But you can see why the rogue traders have moved in.
A chicken worth £2 can fetch £10 when you stick on an organic label. Steak that sells for £10 per kilo can fetch as much as £29.59 if it's “organic”.
A lot of people are making a lot of money by taking advantage of our desire to eat good food.
So, I have to say, I was wrong in that Good Life Letter.
It's not easy to find a solution, either
I usually come up with a specific tip for you to follow though when I moan about a big health issue.
But in this case it's tricky.
I mean, what can you do when food manufacturers lie to you on the packet? How can we tell?
All I can say that, if you can, you try and buy fresh British produce from farmers markets, bona fide organic retailers, and good, traditional markets.
I realise this is sometimes hard for people to do. But check out this email I got from a friend of mine who reads the Good Life Letter and whose father is in the farming business.
“Supermarkets are bleeding farmers and producers dry. In a few years our dairy farms will be broke and we'll be net importers of milk.
“We should stop buying fruit, veg and meat from the supermarkets, use farmers and normal markets instead.
“In many cases, I think it's cheaper and a whole load tastier than supermarket stuff and when you get home there's none of that packaging to get rid of so it's much better for the environment too.
|
“It's really satisfying to sit down to a meal knowing that more of the money is going back to the farmers and producers as opposed to lining the pockets of monopolistic supermarkets.”
Looks like I struck a chord
Despite me being wrong about there being no such thing as fake fresh food in the supermarket, I did seem to strike a chord with Good Lifers in my Al Capone email.
Especially with those lucky blighters who live abroad!
Regular reader, L.T emailed me to say:
“I am currently working in Gibraltar, where there is a branch of Morrison's....yes the fruit & veg are re-delivered from the UK. If I cross the border to Spain, the F&V is far fresher, and only seasonal products are available.
”The fish is fresh not frozen. The meat is prepared by real butchers. The market place is vibrant. People are shopping for the weekend, not building up supplies for a month long siege.
“The pears are ripe and last for a week, the only preservative they have is a blob of red wax on the stalk.”
And, I imagine, the population have lower levels of diabetes, obesity and depression.
Blimey this healthy living isn't rocket science, is it? Which makes you wonder why Britain is getting sicker.
Another reader, M.S, emailed me from Switzerland to say:
“You make me realise how lucky I am to live where I do. My local supermarkets currently have lots of different apples - and all are locally grown.
“Would a campaign aimed at UK supermarkets demanding they sell local, varied produce have an effect? The two big supermarkets here (Switzerland) are fighting to offer the most local and organic food. The customers are benefiting and local is now thought to be best.”
Well, after the revelations in the newspapers recently, it wouldn't surprise me if there's eventually a campaign to sort out this mess.
Only one problem…
Another epidemic is gripping Britain
We're damned lazy in this country.
Saying that, you and I are writing and reading the Good Life Letter every week… we're doing something at least… which makes us a plucky bunch of pioneers, right?
So that's a start.
Yours, as ever
Ray Collins
The Good Life Letter
|
|
|
|
