Archive for February, 2007

I can’t remember having heard so much about food illnesses than I have over the last 6 to 8 months. If I’m not mistaken, the FDA warned us about bagged spinach being tainted, as well as bagged salads. Most of this being imported. Now, peanut butter and spinach again. What is going on?

Well, it seems the FDA has reduced the number of inspections they do over the last few years. It has been reported on MSNBC.com that the number of inspections made by the FDA has been cut by 47% in just the last 3 years. From what I read, the rise in the cost of employing inspectors, even though the budget has increased.

I think things are only going to get worse before they get any better. So, be careful and pay attention to what’s being said about food. Don’t trust that your food is safe.

While I was pregnant with my second child, I craved granola bars. I thought my favorite was Nature Valley Trail Mix Granola Bars, but in truth I absolutely love their Oats N Honey Granola Bars. Its simple taste and excellent crunch make them the perfect snack or companion to coffee.

Granola has an interesting history. According to Wikipedia:

The names Granula, Granola and Ganolietta were trademarks in the late nineteenth century United States for foods consisting of whole grain products crumbled and baked until crispy; compare the contemporary Swiss invention, muesli. The food and name were revived in the 1960s, and fruits and nuts were added to it to make it a health food popular with the hippie movement. Granola made a major appearance at the 1969 Woodstock Music and Art Festival. The name is no longer trademarked except in Australia where it is by the Australian Health & Nutrition Association Ltd.’s Sanitarium Health Food Company.

Just recently granola bars have saturated the market as a healthier snack alternative to candy bars, cookies, etc. Now, traditional granola bars are better for you, but many companies have added chocolate chips, marshmallows, and other “empty” calories to the mix. But even with those additions, these bars are still a little better than junk foods.

As I mentioned before, I’m a purist; just give me Oats N Honey bars. Less is more is definitely true for granola bars.

I spend alot of time looking online for specific recipes that I do not have in my cookbooks. I use FoodNetwork.com, the Food Network’s website, but sometimes the recipes a little more involved than I have time for.

Well, I have found a site that has a recipe for everything. It is called Cooks Recipes, and I have used several of the recipes and they are fantastic.

Since I am a diabetic, I look for recipes that I can use for myself as well as my family. At Cooks Recipes, they have a section especially for people with special needs. I haven’t seen anything like that at Food Network.

If you need a good recipe, check out Cooks, you won’t be disappointed.

Lately it seems that every week we find that our food has been tainted. Today, BJ’s Wholesale Club, Inc. has recalled packages of fresh mushrooms under the suspicion they have been infected with E. coli.

This report comes almost a week after ConAgra’s recall of Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter because of salmonella.

It looks like we really need to pay attention to what manufacturers are doing with our food supply. They need to beef up their system for detecting tainted food and disposing of it properly.

The organic food market has grown over the last ten years and is still growing. Consumer demand for organically grown food continues to grow. But there is a debate about whether these foods are better than those grown in traditional manners.