How we're scammed into eating phony food

Post by thesimpsons1022 » Mon, Jul 11, 2016, 7:51 AM UTC

hueving wrote: post #67

Jerry2 wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Another scam is extra virgin olive oil. Almost all of the ev-olive oils that you buy at supermarkets in the US are fake [0]. It's basically lower-grade olive or vegetable oil with some added green chlorophyl for color. UK supermarkets aren't faring much better [1]. It's all due to mafia control of the oil markets in Italy. 60 Minutes did a report on it recently and they even tested oils for fakes [2]. It's extremely…

>It's difficult to tell if your ev-olive oil is fake without chromatography/spectroscopy equipment but some people try Sorry if I'm asking something obvious, but if it's that difficult to tell, what is the downside of using a fake?

Post by LoSboccacc » Mon, Jul 11, 2016, 7:53 AM UTC

kbart wrote: post #68

culturestate wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a great argument to whip people into a frenzy, but it's a little bit of a straw man. The US has labeling laws as well - it's not that the government doesn't care, it's that they're nearly impossible to enforce at scale. Without genetic analysis of literally every shipment, how is a regulatory authority to know what's what if the paperwork is otherwise "in order?"

EU does enforce food safety and labeling laws quite well. That might be because every EU country has its own FDA equivalent that provisions much smaller market. Sure, incidents happen, but fake food is nowhere such widespread in EU than USA.

Post by DasIch » Mon, Jul 11, 2016, 7:54 AM UTC

thaumasiotes wrote: post #82

gambiting wrote: post #80

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I don't see it as stupid at all! To me, Greek Yoghurt has to come from greece, that's what I expect as a customer. Any non-Greek Greek yoghurt is simply labeled as "Greek-style Yoghurt" and that's easy enough, when I go to the shop I know exactly what I'm getting.

> To me, Greek Yoghurt has to come from greece, that's what I expect as a customer. Why do you expect that? It can't be based on the name, since virtually all foods with an origin name were not actually made there. I'm pretty sure you don't expect Cheddar cheese to have come from Cheddar? Would you accept ordinary yoghurt that was imported from Greece being sold as "Greek Yoghurt"? If I imported Camembert cheese from…

Post by LoSboccacc » Mon, Jul 11, 2016, 7:55 AM UTC

Dutchie wrote: post #83

thaumasiotes wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Greek Yoghurt has to be made in Greece and nowhere else. This is a really stupid regulation though. It's just protectionism for Greece, like the regulation that you can't call it "champagne" unless the grapes were grown in Champagne, France. There is no reason to expect this; consider Cheddar cheese, Peking duck, French toast, and Hamburgers.

No it's not just protectionism. If I buy Bleu d'Auvergne (it's a French cheese) in the Netherlands, I want to be sure I get the real deal, as a consumer.

Post by emp_zealoth » Mon, Jul 11, 2016, 7:55 AM UTC

cyberferret wrote: post #7

I am surprised this isn't more commonly known. Locally (Australia), there has been recent furore over the 'blueberries' in most foods (including blueberry muffins etc.) not actually being blueberries, but a bluey chemical gel. Also, a local delicacy, the Barramundi fish is commonly replaced in restaurants with the cheaper, imported, less tasty, commercially raised Nile perch. Same with prawns, where beautiful sea fre…