stapfam

We are having a food scare in Europe at present and it is to do with processed meat. It would appear that "Some" of the processed meats contain Horsemeat. It is not unsafe or dangerous but if you buy a beef product- you expect it to be beef.

This has made me wonder about some of the other things we buy over here that are apparently healthy. There is the obvious point about contaminated foods and this can happen to any foodstuffs. One of the things we had over here a few years ago was fruit being treated to keep it fresh. Apples had a wax type film covering them to keep them fresher on the shelf and another current problem is pre-packed salads being washed in Chlorine to kill off any bugs. The washing will keep the bagged product looking fresh for up to 10 days but as soon as opened- they wilt within a couple of days.

So there is a big resurgence in local producers and farmers markets that can trace their product direct to the farm that produced it. I know with me- I like to grow as many vegetables in my own garden as I can but even I cannot grow enough to keep us going for the whole year so we have started using the farmers markets more.

But it got me thinking. Not that I use many but in cycling I use gels- power-bars and drink supplements. It has taken me a while to find the ones that do not affect me but looking down the list of ingredients there seem to be a "Lot" of E Numbers and artificial products used in the formula that I am eating and drinking. I have no idea what they are- what they are doing to my body and whether any of them are harmful in the long term. Then there are the "Healthier" products that I have noted on the supermarket shelves. Low sugar Sodas that although do they not have the fattening sugar in them- have other sweeteners that in the long term are harmful or have side effects that you really don'y want.

Perhaps it is the meat scare that is making me look at what I am eating- or am I getting paranoid about something I should not be worrying about? And more important-Do we really know what we are eating from within the modern Food chain?