What Will They Put in Your Food Next?

I ranted a few weeks ago about Activia yogurt with its lab-created frankenbacteria that's supposed to be good for you...not to mention all the sugar, fructose, aspartame and gelatin they throw into these "yogurts."  I tasted the stuff a few weeks ago and the aftertaste was naaaaasty.  While I don't believe organic is always better...I'll stick with my organic non-sweetened or lightly naturally sweetened yogurt with bacteria I've heard of.  I have a funny feeling that someday they're going to discover that Activia and similar products cause big problems.  Just a hunch. 

Today I saw Crest toothpaste with green tea extract added.  Why, oh why, the heck would I "need" green tea extract in my toothpaste?   What is Crest trying to tell us?  While the effects of green tea are well-documented, do I really care if it's in my toothpaste or my shampoo?  Gimme a break.   

I don't know, maybe I'm getting old.  I'm not against trying new things, but lately, the marketing scams are blowing me away. 

Comments

[Dina at EntrepreneursBreakfast.com]

Ahh, I'm feeling ranty - allow me to jump in here.

I shouldn't have to buy *special* brands at *special* prices just to get products made from safe, ordinary ingredients.

A while ago, they changed the scent of my favorite dishwashing detergent, which was Joy at the time. They turned it into this completely nasty lemon-made-in-a-lab odor that made doing dishes a highly unpleasant experience. I switched to Ajax and am praying they don't decide to go the same route.

Then there are the shampoos. Why does every one have to be this faux-fruit explosion, with undertones of chemical? I just want my shampoos to smell of light, fresh fragrance.

I don't remember shampoos carrying this heavy stench in the 80s.

Hand creams. Same deal. I was using St. Ives for a while but - guess what they did - altered the formula and the new scent had that knock-you-over-with-fake-flowers-and-fruit odor that I so detest.

On an offshoot of this rant, I wish they'd stop meddling with the genetics of the vegetables they stock our supermarket shelves with. I've noticed that regular green peppers repeat on me to the point that I feel nauseous, but organic ones don't. They can't fool me... I know there's some shady stuff going on behind the scenes to make the peppers grow that big.

I wish they'd cut it out.

Thanks for giving air to my vent.

[Michael at Eddiesenergy.com]

Ditto on the produce, Dina. I just bought spinach and mustard greens at a farmer's market and mixed it into my salad...so fresh and flavorful--it was great!

But to rant along, I am not a fan of anything with corn syrup listed three times on an ingredient label, or red 40 and blue 20. Numbers should not be associated with colors. How about using the real flavors for things--like bananas, not banana flavoring.

[Anne]

How about lying in a bath filled with green tea and letting it seep into your skin? Or better yet, fill that hot tub with hot, mossy, frothy H2O and let the bubbles build a healthy foam to soothe and relieve the stress and tension?

Yes, I think I'll go brew a nice, hot cup of plain old Lipton and let the wonderful caffeine found in traditional tea keep this writer awake just a little while longer...