In lieu of the recent peanut butter scandal, I have been more of an observer rather than a spectator. We don’t eat a lot of peanut butter in our house or have peanuts around unless I am making partymix. I don’t ever buy the mainstream brands – although I am a sucker for some Jif – because it’s usually made with trans fats. If and when we buy peanut butter, we get it from Harry’s in Marietta in the honey roasted self-serving kind. It grinds the peanuts right in front of you and my daughter, Spencer, always likes to “accidentally” let some drop before so she can have a sampling. But something caught my eye the other day – I happen to be reading an article about the peanut butter salmonella situation and it provided a link to the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) website listing all products that were being recalled. Not really thinking I’d see anything on that list we eat, but I was still curious about all the products that were having to be pulled from the shelves and destroyed. Well, was I ever in for a surprise. That peanut butter I buy and feed my family – on the list. I was shocked. Here is where my snobiness comes into play. I said to myself – how could Whole Foods (they own Harry’s) buy from a company that made such mediocre products, that were loaded with horrible ingredients and now possibly contaminated with salmonella. I hold Whole Foods up to high standard because the majority of their products are organic, better quality ingredients, and overall better for you. Then as I kept studying the list, I ran into an item that was in my cabinet. Kashi Trail Mix cookies. They don’t have peanut butter in them, but they are made in a facility where peanuts are processed to make other items. I sat in disbelief until I compared the UPC numbers and there it was. A couple of weeks ago, I had eaten a product that was not immune from this matter. Kashi’s products are one of my favorites and I get them from the organic/natural food section of my grocery store – simple ingredients, not a lot of calories, high fiber content – but let’s face it – they are still proccess food. If it looks like a duck or walks like a duck, it’s still a duck. I know the cookies are fine, but what if I never took the time to inform myself. These things happen I believe to get us going, to make us aware, for us to take responsibility in what goes in our bodies and our family’s bodies. Educate yourself people. Read more, learn more – ask questions. Discover what is in your food you serve. Knowledge is power.
I implore you to check out the FDA list – you never know if something you have in your pantry could be on it.
Organically Opinionated 