Jash Botanicals Natural Health Corner

So what has the FDA been up to lately? Not much as far as I am concerned.  They are far too busy kicking down doors in the natural health industry. While I wouldn’t expect (or at least I hope) those who are genuinely concerned about their health to be routinely shopping at mainstream supermarkets, this little factoid is especially interesting.  The Center For Science in the Public Interest, a watchdog group based out of Washington DC, recently sent a letter to the FDA commissioner, urging them to crackdown on fraudulent food labeling.  According to CSPI, they have filed several formal complaints over the years with the FDA in regards to egregiously mislabeled foods.  Of course, it may come as no suprise, the FDA has done nothing.  This inaction on behalf of the FDA has been interpreted by food manufacturers as a signal to make even more deceptive claims.  Below are some of the most outrageous products highlighted in the expose:

• Gerber Graduates for Toddlers Fruit Juice Snacks: the package is decorated with pictures of oranges, cherries, and strawberries, but the leading ingredients are corn syrup and sugar. "You can guess why Gerber doesn’t call these things Corn Syrup Snacks-no parent would buy them," says Silverglade. "This is candy, not fruit juice."

• Betty Crocker Super Moist Carrot Cake Mix: the box depicts what appear to be pieces of carrot, but the only carrot ingredient is "carrot powder," which is the 19th ingredient listed, behind artificial color, salt, and dicalcium phosphate.

• Smucker’s Simply 100% Fruit: the strawberry version of this "100% fruit" spread contains 30 percent strawberries; the blueberry version contains only 43 percent blueberries. Both have more fruit syrup than fruit, that comes not from berries but from less-expensive apple, pineapple, or pear juice concentrates.

The integrity of the FDA is all but lost.  This is no exaggeration by any means.  With so many Americans putting their blind faith in the safety of the products they consume, whether it be synthetic drugs or mislabeled junk food, it is no suprise that our country is plagued with a multitude of degenerative diseases.  The genetically modified, over processed, sugar laden, chemically infested products that line commercial shelves can hardly be classified as food these days.