The Truth about Your Food

Recently an Alabama law firm filed a lawsuit claiming that Taco Bell only uses 35% ground beef. The law firm did not want money, they just wanted a disclaimer to tell Americans what they're really eating. Needless to say, Taco Bell isn't taking this lying down. They filed a counter lawsuit and are starting a social media campaign to defend their food.

This isn't the first or last time that the quality of fast food or food in general has been questioned in a court of law. For over 60 years, the food manufacturers fought to have the "imitation" label removed from their food. After all, they put alot of time and effort into their "food" and they won't make money if no one will eat it. In America, the USDA only requires 35% beef for something to be labeled as beef or made with beef. I don't know what you believe but 35% beef isn't good enough.

Have you ever read a food label? It's very vague. "Natural flavors" "Artificial flavors" Let's look at a recipe for a strawberry milkshake: it should be milk, ice cream, ice, and whatever else you need. Let's look at one of the best milkshakes from a fast food restaurant:

Icecream (whole milk, sugar, nonfat dry milk, cream, corn syrup, natural and artificial flavors, dried whole eggs, cornstarch, mono and diglycerides, disodium phosphate, cellulose gum, carrageenan, sodium phosphate, guar gum, sodium citrate, annatto and caramel colors, artificial color [Yellow 5 & 6]), milkshake base (whole milk, sugar, cream, whey powder milk, nonfat dry milk, artificial flavor, disodium phosphate, mono and diglycerides, tetrasodium pyrophosphate, guar gum, cellulose gum, carrageenan), strawberries (water, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, sugar syrup, modified food starch, salt, erythorbic acid, potassium sorbate as preservative, citric acid, artificial color, [contains FD&C Red #40]), whipped cream (cream, milk, sugar, sorbitol, nonfat milk solids, artificial flavor, mono and diglycerides, carrageenan, polysorbate 80, mixed tocopherols [vitamin E] to protect flavor, propellant: nitrous oxide), cherries, (high fructose corn syrup, water, potassium sorbate [a preservative], sodium benzoate [a preservative], citric acid, artificial flavor, FD&C Red #40, sulfur dioxide [a preservative]).

That looks like science experiment to me. As good as this milkshake is, I think i'm going to invest in a blender and start making my own. Anything you make at home is better than anything you buy.