I have talked before about reading food labels, and I almost always read the label of any packaged food I buy. If an ingredient strikes me as bad (food dyes, for instance, which are still around), I’ll skip it.
I avoid products containing GMOs (genetically modified organism), as well as “bioengineered,” the government’s term, which is essentially the same thing, but not quite. Details on the difference and other useful information from the nongmoproject.
I know many folks think this is not a big deal. FYI, from the U.S. Departure of Agriculture:
What are bioengineered foods?
• A food that contains genetic material that has been modified through in vitrorDNA techniques and for which the modification could not otherwise be obtained through conventional breeding or found in nature.
• Foods in which the modified genetic material is not detectable are notbioengineered foods.
• Foods subject to certain factors and conditions are not bioengineered foods (i.e. incidental additives).
I feel like I am likely already ingesting questionable foods every time I eat out, why potentially add more at home?
Yet, I have not always followed though. For instance, mandarins in the cute orange mesh bags.
I bought a bag at Aldi’s a few weeks ago, and it didn’t occur to me to read the label till I was home. (Image on right.)
This is what it said: “Treated with imazalil and/or thiabendazole.”
I looked it up and from the Environmental Working Group found this:
Tests commissioned by EWG in 2020 found the two hormone-disrupting fungicides, imazalil and thiabendazole, on nearly 90 percent of non-organic citrus fruit samples. More than half the samples contained both fungicides.
Both chemicals disrupt the body’s hormones, or endocrine system, which regulates metabolism, growth and development, and other important functions. They can also harm the reproductive system, and California classifies imazalil as a chemical known to cause cancer.
Okay, so they may be biased. Here’s info from the National Library of Medicine.
Summarizing our results, imazalil, thiabendazole and pyrimethanil could induce point mutations directly and indirectly in various ways, depending on the test conditions. All three fungicides tested have been found to cause primary DNA damage under different exposure conditions. The results of our research seek to raise awareness of the potential health risks of fungicides, such as malignant tumors, developmental disorders and metabolic diseases…
Conclusion: Our study aimed to evaluate the genotoxic risks of imazalil, pyrimethanil, thiabendazole and their mixtures. The results confirm the importance of further research to gain more in-depth knowledge about pesticide residues, given the key significance of food safety for consumers. Recently, there has been a growing trend for adopting alternative bio-based agricultural practices, applying bio-fungicides and biological control, such as essential oils, plant extracts and chitosan, which are considered to be less toxic to humans, safe and environmentally friendly. Finally, sustainable practices in food production can contribute to a more resilient agricultural system, mitigating the impacts of climate change and fostering food security.
I composted them.
Trader Joe’s claims it does not sell GMO products, and I generally go there anyway.
A bag of halos there said:
“Coated with vegetable and/or lac-resin based wax.” (Image on left.)
Wax, in general, is used to prolong shelf life.
Whatever you decide to buy, be careful if you are using the peels for zest, where you would be directly eating this stuff. I have always gone organic for that.
I think you can run with this theme. We need the info and dummied down a bit to pay attention. I used to make a joke how my eating cold cuts from 9th Ave. the first 20 years of my life almost daily until my first go-round as vegetarian and not eating it since was balanced by my disdain for fresh fruits which harm my delicate stomach but mostly anyone I know enjoys fresh fruit daily. I say you have a series started. This needs to be reported because the fruit growers industry (like the vaccine producers, eye roll...sorry different subject) are not going to allow us to learn from their content. I waded through 5 ChatGPT provided links until I found one that identifies Halos are 'Treated with imazalil and/or thiabendazole.'
Interesting you should post this now. I was on a video shoot in Alabama last week (hold the jokes because Huntsville was very nice unlike our Northern biases) and I bought two bags of those little mandarins or tangerines or cuties. It’s a healthy snake while we’re shooting or so I thought before reading this. The first bag was excellent. I bought that one at Target. The second bag, not as good by a mile. I bought that at Trader Joe’s. So if Trader Joe’s truly does not sell fruit with GMO processing, as they claim, it sadly makes sense. Their cuties just did not taste nearly as good as the ones that were mostly likely engineered. Is there a lesson here though? :))