Campaign against ready made food, Stop ready meals and foodborne diseases |
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Questions for the industry and answers
15 QUESTIONS FOR FOOD MANUFACTURERS
OPEN LETTER TO THE FOOD DOCTOR
The following questions were sent to 30 companies.
1. Could you submit a list of all your products?
2. Could you submit a list of suppliers for all ingredients of your products?
3. Could you submit a copy of all your food labels?
4. Are all ingredients of your product(s) organic?
5. If not all, which range uses exclusively organic ingredients?
6. Could you comment on the amount of biogenic amines in your products containing fish, cheese and (other) fermented foods?
7. Did you ever had a problem with scombroid poisoning?
8. Do you use preservatives to inhibit the growth of bacteria and therefore inhibit the further production of amines?
9. If preservatives are used, which ones and what are the amounts?
10. Would you promote the notion to indicate amounts of histamines and tyramines on food labels?
Questions 11 – 13 only for sandwich/wrap production:
11. Do you use special bread which is not baked using the Chorleywood Bread Process?
12. Is the bread fortified?
13. Are added enzymes used during bread production (like transglutaminase)?
14. People with weakened immune systems, especially pregnant women, have always been advised not to consume ready meals ( due to concern over Listeria monocytogenes). Are your ready meals and sandwiches safe for immuno-compromised people?
15. Would you say that your products are 100% safe to eat for pregnant women?
16. Is your packaging and wrapping unique (different to other manufacturers)?
17. Is your packaging/wrapping 100% recyclable?
18. If not how much can be recycled? (in percentage)
Answer from ICELAND
Thank you for your interest in Iceland, we are really pleased that you
have chosen Iceland to help with your studies. Unfortunately, we receive
large numbers of similar requests for specific information, including
requests for confidential information. As a result of this, as I am sure
you will appreciate, we are unable to help you.
However, our web site holds a range of useful and interesting information.
If you log onto (Iceland website) to view our “job opportunities", "about Iceland", and our "media centre" pages.
Good luck with your studies.
Kind regards
Comment:
1.
Answers to health concerning questions are confidential?
2.
I am not sure if the link “job opportunities” is relevant…
3.
What a useless bladibla
Answer from HEINZ
We thank you for your recent enquiry.
Every effort is made to help our Consumers on courses or projects such as yours.
The greater proportion of our material and statistics are highly confidential, and we have found from experience that we are able to release very little information for your use outside the company.
For further information about Heinz worldwide, access our Website…I am sure you will find more information by using the search facility.
Comment:
Again… they use the word confidentiality … This time, answers concerning questions about health issues are HIGHLY confidential…
but then... on 16 October 2006 an answer from HEINZ (the ONLY company to answer some of the above questions. Thank you, Customer Care Co-ordinator.)
Dear Mr Budka
Thank you for your further e mail.
Please find some information below:-
6 Raw materials used in our products are controlled by specification
7 No
8. The vast majority of Heinz products contain no added preservatives. Some of our dressings such as Light and Extra Light Salad Cream contain very small amounts of permitted preservatives such as potassium sorbate.
9. Potassium sorbate is used in a very small number of dressings such as Light and Extra Light Salad Cream. The trace amounts used are below the legal limit and to ensure that product remains safely preserved.
10 It is not current policy to do so
Yours sincerely
Answer from BIRD’S EYE (thanks Captain)
Thank you for your recent email.
I am afraid we are unable to provide the exact information you requested.
However, we do have excellent Web-Sites where you may be able to find the
information you require.
Comment: What do they mean by saying “the EXACT information”?
Answer from MERIDIAN FOODS
We regret that, due to time constraints, we are unable to assist you with your research.
Comment: At least this time health issues are not confidential… the company just have no time to answer.
At least these 4 companies answered... 26 didn't, including: Buckingham Foods, manufacturer of 'Food Doctors' products, and Waitrose.
LETTER TO THE FOOD DOCTOR:
Dear Food Doctor - Ian Marber,
I introduced myself to you in a previous e-mail.
I am currently doing intensive research about the nutritional value and dangers of ready meals (incl. all variations of definitions like ready-to-eat or ready-to-steam, ready-to-prepare, etc.) The results of my research will be also submitted to Birkbeck College, University of London. All information may also be used for the “STOP-READY MEALS”-campaign.
Before releasing the actual work I would kindly request your co-operation as a colleague.
Health practitioners – and especially those who are well-known or even called ‘celebrities’, like yourself as the Food Doctor or Dr.Gillian McKeith (the holistic nutritionist) - have an increased responsibility and opportunity to change things for the good because of their reputation.
I honestly believe that health practitioners (esp. nutritionists) should discourage consumers to buy/use ready meals and not promote this kind of food. You not only promote ready meals, but also produce your own range of these products.
You have launched a range of “Healthy Ready Meals available exclusively from Waitrose and Ocado” and a “Range of Healthy Sandwiches, Wraps and Salads Available Exclusively From All Leading Boots Stores”.
You state on your website www.thefooddoctor.com: “Each recipe has been specially created by The Food Doctor nutritionists to include an ideal combination of protein, carbohydrates, fibre and Essential Omega fats. The range demonstrates that healthy food can be delicious and satisfying and provides a great alternative to the many high fat, high salt sandwiches available today.”
I would like to ask you to send me the complete and detailed ingredients list of all ‘The Food Doctor’ products.
The creation of recipes that include an ideal combination of necessary and healthy nutrients is important and I agree that it might be helpful for manufacturers to involve a nutritionist. But a good chef like Jamie Oliver, who does more for the health of the nation than most ‘celebrity-nutritionists’, is perfectly capable of creating healthy, balanced food on his own.
The manufacturing, distribution, storage, etc. of these foods should concern nutritionists!
What makes the Food Doctor’s products so different from all other ready meals and sandwiches on offer?
Is the food processing and manufacturing so different that all fungal/bacterial contaminations can be 100% excluded? Have you found a method of beating bacteria, especially heat/cold resistant spore - forming strains that are increasingly capable of surviving modern food processing techniques (even in anaerobic environments) and are able to survive for a long period of time?
What do/did you do about levels of amines (i.e. histamines) in fish sandwiches, or sandwiches containing cheese or fermented food?
Do you use preservatives to inhibit the growth of bacteria and therefore inhibit the further production of amines? If preservatives are used, which ones and what are the amounts?
Do you use special bread which is not baked using the Chorleywood Bread Process?
Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Celiac Disease and other gastrointestinal diseases and digestive disorders are also connected to the modern bread varieties which have up to 50% fewer minerals.
Is the bread you use for your healthy options fortified?
Are added enzymes used during bread production (like transglutaminase)?
Are used enzymes genetically modified?
People with weakened immune systems, especially pregnant women, have always been advised not to consume ready meals ( due to concern over Listeria monocytogenes).
Are your ready meals and sandwiches safe for immuno-compromised people?
Is the packaging and wrapping completely different to other products? (issues of recycling and contamination?)
Why do you believe it is a good idea to be part of the increasing addiction to industrial techno-foods in the UK and not campaign against it?
Dear Food Doctor, our immune system has probably not adapted to processed food/ready meals and the growing number of patients with food allergies and intolerances is a great concern.
I am sure you are aware of the rising incidents of gastrointestinal-problems, food-poisoning and weakened immune systems.
Of course it is easier to accept defeat when it comes to educating the public about good food, healthy food, slow food… Of course it is frustrating to see manufacturers and supermarkets win the battle concerning convenient, ready-to-eat food, which will put more pressure on the NHS… and I am not talking about obesity, but a possible breakdown of many people’s immune system.
Of course – one can argue – we still have supplements which are classified as food by the authorities… so one day they might take over all our needs for vitamins and minerals… And we have our regular detox or even “fast-track-detox” like Dr. Gillian McKeith’s “24-hour-detox programme” which allows us to eat and drink unhealthy produce every 48 hours. (I hope my maths is correct)
If we do not stop this development, if we do not stop manufacturers and sellers telling people how healthy their ready-food is, that may ultimately lead to the belief that fresh food is unhealthy… we will probably one day end up with “Soylent Green”.
Will we then see “The Food Doctor’s Healthy Option Soylent Green” ? Or are you ready as a well respected and good nutritionist to join the really healthy food campaign?
It is always easier to join Goliath … but I still prefer to be David…
Hope to hear from you soon,
With Best Wishes and Kind Regards
Off course... we have not received an answer ... |
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