What follows is the list of ingredients taken
directly from the box of Betty Crocker Scalloped Potatoes. There are
brief explanations for some of the 40 ingredients in this "food".
1. Dried Potatoes
2.
Wheat flour
3.
Niacin – a vitamin – Vitamins and minerals
found naturally in foods are lost under food processing conditions. Therefore
manufacturers add back synthetic or natural forms of these substances to
maintain the nutritional value.
4.
Iron – a mineral
5. Thiamin Mononitrate – a synthetic form
of the vitamin, Thiamine, Vitamin B-1
6. Riboflavin – a vitamin
7. Folic Acid – a vitamin
9.
Corn Starch
10.
Salt
11.
Potassium Phosphate – “Phosphates are used to enhance the
characteristics, cooking performance, and value of the foods in which they are used.”
From a page linked to the National Institutes of
Health: "the
public should be informed that added phosphate is damaging to health.”
12.
Monosodium Glutamate – Also
known as MSG, this chemical is used as a flavor enhancer. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has classified MSG as a
food ingredient that's "generally recognized as safe," but its use
remains controversial. For this reason, when MSG is added to food, the FDA
requires that it be listed on the label.
13.
Canola and/or partially hydrogenated soybean oil – Partially hydrogenated fat
molecules have Trans fats, and they may be the worst type of fat you can
consume. These trans fats are also present in margarine and ‘butter
spreads’.
14.
Potassium Chloride – Used as a flavor
enhancer, as a replacement for the potassium lost due to processing, and to provide
flavor without increasing the amount of sodium in the food.
15.
Sugar
16.
Natural Flavor – The definition of natural flavor under the Code of Federal
Regulations is: “the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein
hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis,
which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit
juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf
or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or
fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring
rather than nutritional” (21CFR101.22).
17.
Paprika
18.
Whey
19.
Dried Celery
20.
Dried Onion
21.
Wheat Starch
23.
Soy flour
24.
Nonfat Powdered Milk
25.
Lactic Acid
26.
Yeast Extract –Yeast
extract is the common name for various forms of
processed yeast products made by extracting the cell contents (removing the
cell walls).
27.
Enzyme Modified Cheddar Cheese (milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes) – Enzyme-modified cheese (EMC) is cheese
curd which has been treated with enzymes to produce a concentrated cheese
flavor ingredient.
28.
Calcium Lactate – Calcium lactate is a black or white crystalline
salt made by the action of lactic acid on calcium carbonate.
29. Spice
30.
Enzyme Modified Cream – From Cargill’s
website: Through natural processes enzymes and cultures act on the
proteins, fat, and carbohydrates of fresh dairy products to develop highly
flavorful compounds. During this process of enzymolysis and fermentation, the
dairy product is transformed into a highly concentrated, intensely flavored
ingredient. The process is controlled to inactivate enzymatic activity and
ensure proper flavor development. The ingredients will not change in flavor
profile or texture over the span of their shelf life.
31.
Silicon Dioxide (anticaking agent) – This
is also known as silica. It is a major component of quartz. I do
not know what function it has in processed food.
32.
Yellow Lake 5 Food Coloring – Yellow No. 5 is an azo dye that imparts a
lemon-yellow color to foods, drugs and cosmetics.
33.
Yellow Lake 6 Food Coloring – FD&C Yellow No. 6 Lake is a color additive used for drug dosage
forms such as tablets and capsules. It is also approved for use in foods and cosmetics.
FD&C
Yellow No. 6 Lake imparts a reddish-yellow color to medicinal dosage forms.
FDA performs regulatory review for color additives used in
foods, drugs, cosmetics, and medical devices.
FD&C specifies the color is approved for use in food, drugs and
cosmetics. FD&C Yellow No. 6 Lake may be safely used as a color additive
when following FDA specifications.
To form lake colors, straight dyes (such as FD&C Yellow No.
6) are mixed with precipitants and salts. Aluminum may be a component.
34.
Artificial Color – from the website
of the American Chemical Society: “Why bother with artificial, or synthetic, food colorings?
Aren’t there enough natural colors to go around? A big reason to go
artificial is cost. Synthetic dyes can be mass-produced at a fraction of
the cost of gathering and processing the materials used to make natural
colorings.”
For more information go to
35.
Dried Blue Cheese (milk, salt, cheese cultures, enzymes)
36.
Enzyme modified Blue Cheese (milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes) – Enzyme-modified
cheese (EMC) is cheese curd which has been treated with enzymes to produce
a concentrated cheese flavor ingredient.
37.
Soy
38.
Lecithin – Lecithin is used in many foods as an
emulsifying agent (emulsifiers help keep the fat from separating).
39. Sodium Phosphate
– Sodium phosphates are often used as emulsifiers, thickening
agents, and leavening agents for baked goods.
They are also used to control pH of processed foods. They are also used in
medicine for constipation and to prepare the bowel for medical procedures.
40.
Freshness preserved by Sodium Bisulfite – (Seriously, this is taken directly
from the ingredient list! I don’t think Big Agriculture sees it as oh so
ironic!)
LOOK!!
If you
want home cooked, cooked-from-scratch, scalloped potatoes, here is the
ingredient list for that recipe from the Betty Crocker Cookbook:
1.
Potatoes
2.
Milk
3.
Onion
4.
Butter
5.
Flour
6.
Salt
7.
Pepper
More tomorrow on how this relates to this blog’s articulated
focus on aging and aging services.
