We wrote that, “food substances that are overly heterogeneous (i.e. mixtures of too many different chemicals) tend to be bad for various forms of life. Those life forms include human beings, insect pests, and spoilage microorganisms. Pesticides and food preservatives often contain heterogeneous mixtures. Those mixtures help ward off the pests--but are, unfortunately, often just about as bad for humans as they are for the insects, bacteria, fungi, etc.
“For that reason we like hydroponic tomatoes which are often available at local Marsh® Supermarkets. Such tomatoes, which are grown indoors in chemical tanks, have the potential of minimal or no pesticide contamination. The hydroponic tomatoes are generally in the same price range as non-hydroponic.
“Another product we like is available at O’Malia Food Market downtown. The product is Knox® Unflavored Gelatin. We like it for the same biochemical reasons as the hydroponic tomatoes, and prefer it over flavored gelatin products. A similar product, Kroger® Unflavored Gelatin, is available at Kroger stores.
“Concern over heterogeneous additives extends to the liquor department. A number of Marsh, LoBill® and Village Pantry® stores have Magnum® Malt Liquor at a very reasonable price. With “no preservatives,” this beer-like product is as healthy as any alcoholic item can be. (It is somewhat stronger than beer, however.) Less worthy alcoholic products contain a number of heterogeneous additives--which, among other things, are likely to cause an undesired residual effect on the day after consumption. Some few of our readers may, unfortunately, be familiar with that effect--which goes under the popular appellation of a “hangover.”
“Neither Marsh nor O’Malia has paid us for the above testimonial. The same is true for Kroger and makers of products mentioned.
“And, since none of those parties have sponsored us, that leaves us free to insert one note of criticism. In the meat department at some Marsh stores one can currently find a substance resembling hamburger. Indeed, once it had been hamburger, but that was before it had been irradiated by the SureBeam® process. SureBeam literature, which we found available in a Marsh meat display, states that the hamburger is irradiated for the purpose of killing microorganisms. But such irradiation will also make the meat more heterogeneous on a biochemical basis.
“It was reported not too long ago in the Indianapolis Star that mail irradiated by a similar process has been making employees of the federal government sick. We’ve phoned SureBeam corporate headquarters twice to try to get a response from them about that, but they haven’t returned our calls. Irradiated meat is a product that should be avoided.”
THOSE WERE our thoughts in 2003 Our criticism of the product was probably not the only reason, but the irradiated meat was withdrawn from the Marsh store in Irvington shortly afterward. A Marsh employee later informed me that SureBeam had gone bankrupt. I also learned later that Kroger had sold the same irradiated meat product.
Marsh had made fun of me in some of their commercials. (Click at left to see references to Marsh in some of my other material). I decided to respond with my own comedy act. Marsh had the slogan “We value you.” It occurred to me that Marsh’s valuation of me wasn’t entirely compatible with my own self-evaluation. So I made a patch to wear on my cap, which said, “I value me ™.”
I could wear the cap, which was surely a high-fashion item, when shopping in neighborhood stores. I could wear it, in fact, in stores such as Marsh.
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trans fats,
&
food irradiation
