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Huge Food Recall – Are You Tired of Contaminated Food?

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Personal finance isn’t my only passion…

In case you were unaware, I’m a big proponent of healthy and sustainable food production and supporting local economy.  Local farms that seek to produce food enough for local communities – without the use of chemical pesticides, growth hormones, or other questionable practices – makes plain sense on many levels.  I don’t write more about this topic because Debt Free Adventure is about personal finance… not organic and sustainable food production.  That said, I am very passionate about these issues and like to touch on it occasionally here at DFA.

Note: If you are interested in learning more about this topic, I highly recommend you watch the movie Food, Inc. (also on blu-ray)

Recall products containing hydrolyzed vegetable protein

Thanks to Wisebread for tipping me off to this recall.

Today the FDA announced yet another food recall… this time it includes nearly 100 different products containing hydrolyzed vegetable protein.  The list is growing and will be updated as more contaminated products are found.  Here is a snippet from the FDA page:

This list includes products subject to recall in the United States since February 2010 related to hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP) paste and powder distributed by Basic Food Flavors, Inc. This list will be updated with publicly available information as received. The information is current as of the date indicated. Once included, recalls will remain listed. If we learn that any information is not accurate, we will revise the list as soon as possible. When available, this database also includes photos of recalled products that have been voluntarily submitted by recalling firms to the FDA to assist the public in identifying those products that are subject to recall.

Keep an eye on this FDA recall page for any future updates.

International corporate farms

Today’s FDA announcement does not surprise me, in fact… this sort of thing is one of the main reasons we try to limit our consumption to unprocessed foods from local suppliers.

The contamination driving the recalls is a result of unsustainable farming practices that permeate enormous corporate farms.  I won’t get into details… but wanted to let DFA readers know about the recall, and encourage everyone to eat well and support local growers above huge international food industry conglomerates.

Support local economy and eat healthy

My wife and I are very passionate about healthy eating, self-reliance, and local economy.  Cooking from scratch with local organic ingredients help us voice our preference for the foods we want grown.

Every time you shop you vote for what type of food you want.  Every time you cook you vote for what type of food you want.  Every time you eat you vote for what type of food you want.  What type of food do you want?  Do your shopping, cooking, and eating habits support those wants?  It is never to late to make a change.

When it comes to our choice for public office we can vote once every couple of years.  When it comes to our choice for food we can vote three times a day… or more!  That is exciting to me… what about you?

More food and self-reliance articles

I have written several articles on DFA related to this topic, if interested check ’em out:

I also have a few related articles published on Five Cent Nickel:

Lastly, awhile back I moved several posts a new site – diyNatural.com – and occasionally update that site with information of this type.  Check it out if you’d like.

How do you feel about the food recalls?

Have you been wanting to change your consumption habits to reflect more of a local and healthy approach to food and economy?  How do you plan to get started?

Note: If you are interested in learning more about this topic, I highly recommend you watch the movie Food, Inc. (also on blu-ray)

Comments

  1. Ron says

    Try reading “Just Food: Where locavores get it wrong and how we can truly eat responsibly” by James E. McWilliams. It will blow your mind, especially knowing that it was written by an avowed environmentalist.

    He skewers localism saying that there are much better ways to evaluate the food we eat than “food miles.” Also, all that’s claimed to be organic just simply isn’t.

    I was impressed by his willingness to search for the truth, even if it didn’t fit his version of reality. It’s a captivating read.

    • Matt Jabs says

      Yeah, there is soooo much more to this topic than I was able to cover in this short little post… I’ll have to check out that book – sounds great!

      I believe the most important thing to come away with is awareness. We really need to pay more attention to where our food comes from and how it is grown/prepared.

      I probably won’t be happy until I’m raising all my own food on my own land – which is all part of my long term goals. 🙂

  2. David says

    I highly recommend EVERYONE watch Food Inc. It is an eye-opening experience and will change your eating habits forever. Seriously, check it out – it is well worth renting/buying/borrowing however you can get it.

  3. T says

    You need to watch No Impact Man. Loved it. The trailer for the documentary can be found on You Tube, hilarious. I watched Food Inc. a couple of weeks ago. Very eye opening. I wonder how similar Canada’s agriculture is compared to the states. I can only hope that things are a little better here in Canada.

  4. Mrs. Money says

    Ughhhh that makes me sick. I like to grow a lot of our own food in the summer. Looks like I’ll have to do more of it and a better job preserving now!

  5. myfinancialobjectives says

    I was recently in a long discussion with a coworker about the merits of being a vegetarian, particularly in regards to the quality of our food due to the increase in demand in relation to world hunger. Now that was a great discussion.

    I have heard that Food Inc. is great and I want to see it, though I wonder how much of the information in it can be refuted, kinda like An Inconvenient Truth.

    • Matt Jabs says

      I haven’t watched An Incov Truth, mostly because I believe it to be 100% propaganda. Food, Inc. is more of a grass roots effort against the establishment. Great stuff.

  6. Jizzo says

    did you win any of the awards we were voting on or did I waste my time voting for you 67 times?

  7. Olivia says

    Well as spring is here (the second Burpee catalog’s arrival kind of confirms it), it’s back to the raised beds again this summer. This is where frugalistas and foodies and environmentalists shake hands. Homemade pesto anyone?

  8. Craig/FFB says

    We recently watched Food Inc and indeed it is eye-opening. I believe the movie is based mostly on the book Fast Food Nation and the Omnivore’s Dilemma. I read Fast Food Nation a few years ago and it really made me re-think eating food that I don’t know where it comes from.

    Another great book on health is Ultrametabolism by Dr Mark Hyams. In it he talks about artificial sweeteners and high fructose corn syrup.

  9. Myfinancialobjectives says

    Ahh I wasn’t aware that food Inc was a grass roots movement. I will definetly check I out. Incon truth kinda rubbed me the wrong way

  11. Forest says

    Still not seen the movie but really have been meaning too…. Grassroots movements to eat local and healthy often do save cash too, especially with growing coops or buying straight from farm.

    I really hope this movement blows up big time in the next few years…. Down with the mega farms 🙂

  12. Steve in W MA says

    Very little of the information in An Inconvenient Truth can be honestly and truthfully refuted. The main dispute regarding the movie was the “hockey stick” graph–and the criticisms of that graph do not seem to hold up. But since the criticisms are repeated endlessly even after being taken apart, they gain the status of “truth” through repetition.

  13. Steve in W MA says

    If you have access to land for your own vegetable garden–that’s really eating like kinds and queens. There is nothing as good as a vegetable that you just picked 10 minutes ago, it’s like another entity entirely than anything you can buy, even from a farmer’s market.

    • Matt Jabs says

      Precisely. The next best thing is teaching yourself how to preserve these foods. My wife and I had freezing down pat. 🙂 This year we taught ourselves how to pressure can everything from tomatoes to homemade soups. It’s great, and now we will save a bundle in groceries this winter.