Kraft and other food manufacturers are currently selling guacamole dips that have no avocado in them, according to a report from the non-profit Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). This is also obvious by simply visiting the grocery store and looking for guacamole products and checking their ingredients list. Most of them have no avocados whatsoever. Buying avocado-free guacamole is sort of like purchasing a hamburger that contains no meat.
Avocado should be the main ingredient in guacamole, of course. So what are companies like Kraft putting in their foods instead of avocado? Partially hydrogenated oils, of course, because it's a lot cheaper than avocados. The dip from Kraft has less than 2% avocado which means it's really not guacamole. It's more like "dumpster dip" because the primary ingredients are garbage for your diet.
This recipe may not be a big surprise given that avocado is a rather expensive ingredient to use. It's much cheaper to use hydrogenated oils and artificial colors such as yellow #5 and blue #1 to give it the appearance and color of avocado. Gullible American consumers actually buy the product and consume it in large enough quantities to keep it on the shelf, thereby proving that food companies can put practically anything they want in a plastic tub and most people will not just buy it, but actually put it in their mouths! (Didn't their parents ever teach them not to put garbage in their mouth?)
If anything, shouldn't it say 'artificial guacamole dip' in the same way that fake crabmeat products say 'artificial crabmeat?' By the way, have you ever read the ingredients on artificial crabmeat? That's enough to put you into a shivering frenzy. One of the ingredients in artificial crabmeat is, believe it or not, beef plasma. That's the liquid part of blood, minus the red blood cells. If you've ever popped an infected sore and watched an amber-colored liquid ooze out, that's plasma. Apparently, it makes great artificial crabmeat if you mix it with cod and artificial colors.
But getting back to avocado and guacamole, I can only imagine what the conversation must have been in the R&D labs where they were developing these foods. Maybe one scientist said, 'Hey, wouldn't it be great if we had a guacamole-flavored dip?' The other scientist says, 'Sure. Let's put some guacamole in here. I bet it'd be good.' But the CEO comes along and says, 'Well, we can't really do that because that's an expensive ingredient, so let's not use any avocado.' And then the researcher says, 'Wow. Okay. We can just throw in hydrogenated soybean oil and artificial colors and make it look like avocado.' Then the CEO says, 'Yes and then we can sell it at the price of regular guacamole and no one will know the difference as long as they don't read the ingredients label!'
It's absolutely brilliant. What fantastic food marketers we have in this country. And by the way, I really applaud the ethics and the use of wholesome, natural ingredients by Kraft which is also, by the way, the owner of Philip Morris, the cigarette company.
If you've ever wondered why Kraft uses these ingredients in their foods, just remember that this is part of the same mega-corporation that sells a nicotine product that every doctor agrees is likely to kill you, even when used as directed.
I'm just curious how far we could actually take this concept with Kraft and other food manufacturers. Maybe we could have milk-free milk, which is really just water mixed with chalk powder in a milk carton. I bet that would be a high-profit item and consumers would chug it down by the gallon, especially if they could get some industry-paid scientist to say that chalk is good for you. Maybe they could have ham-free ham products which are packed with nothing but water and a ham-looking gelatin substance. Wait a minute. We already have that. It's called "picnic product."
Or how about a strawberry glaze that has no strawberries in it whatsoever and is made of corn syrup, artificial strawberry flavoring and artificial food coloring? Oops, I'm tripping over myself again. That already exists as well. Someone has beaten me to the punch with this brilliant food manufacturing idea.
Come to think of it, there are a lot of food products at the grocery store that really don't have any foods in them at all. They're basically just synthetic chemicals, colors, artificial flavors, fragrances, pretty packaging and hydrogenated or homogenized fats to give it some texture. That's what you're buying, folks. But thank goodness you're saving 25¢ on it because you clipped a coupon out of the local newspaper. Aren't we smart consumers!
I recommend that people get avocado dip from places that actually use avocado as the main ingredient. That includes Trader Joe's avocado dip. Avocados are one of my top recommended superfoods. This is a food that people should be making part of their diet. Avocados are a fantastic, healthy, nutrient-densed food that, when eaten in the raw form, offer heart-healthy oils that enhance cardiovascular health and prevent chronic disease. Avocados are also excellent in recipes far beyond simple guacamole. I use avocados blended with stevia and soy milk to make a delicious ice cream-like textured milkshake drink. It's one of my favorite recipes. You can also throw in some supergreens powder or berries, or make yourself a tropical mix by blending avocados, bananas, papayas, macadamia nuts, stevia, soy milk and ice together in one recipe. It's a delicious tropical paradise drink that's also extremely good for you.
And it isn't made by Kraft.
About the author: Mike Adams is a natural health author and award-winning journalist with a passion for teaching people how to improve their health He is a prolific writer and has published thousands of articles, interviews, reports and consumer guides, and he has created several downloadable courses on survival and preparedness, including his widely-downloaded course on personal safety and self-defense. Adams is a trusted, independent journalist who receives no money or promotional fees whatsoever to write about other companies' products. In 2010, Adams launched TV.NaturalNews.com, a natural health video site featuring videos on holistic health and green living. He's also a veteran of the software technology industry, having founded a personalized mass email software product used to deliver email newsletters to subscribers. Adams also serves as the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a non-profit consumer protection group, and pursues hobbies such as martial arts, Capoeira, nature macrophotography and organic gardening. Known by his callsign, the 'Health Ranger,' Adams posts his missions statements, health statistics and health photos at www.HealthRanger.org
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Sunday, December 05, 2004
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