Food labelling: gluten free, organic etc.

Barriehie said:
Kind of close this.

Excluding myself, my family members are all pretty affluent. I've never cared much for massive bank accounts and multiple properties with loads of stuff and that's all they've pursued. So, it's amusing to watch these material people bow to the expectation of their class peers when it comes to eating. Despite liking liver, they all do, they'll never order it out somewhere since it doesn't cost $20+/lb. 🤣 Fast food restaurants, wrappers in their cars but they'll never, amongst themselves, suggest it as a food stop. Narrow minded...
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I cannot abide snobbery in either direction.
People like what they like and should be able to enjoy it without judgement or a value label attached to it 😔
 
SandwichShortOfAPicnic said:
I cannot abide snobbery in either direction.
People like what they like and should be able to enjoy it without judgement or a value label attached to it 😔
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Yep, I have to find it amusing because despite all the college papers, degrees, and letters after their name they still can't see. Good thing I'm the slow one! 😉
 
Organic = an excuse to jack up the price in my opinion. You grow, for example, peas - putting organic on the packaging doesn't make them any less or more a pea. Personally, if it says "Organic" on the packaging I move on.

Sugar Free and Gluten Free I can understand as people with diabeties need to know about sugras (amongst other things) and some people, like my step son, if gluten intolerant and can;'t eat anything with gluten in it.
 
I am reasonably well off BUT like you guys can't abide snobbery or people who flaunt what they have, or in many cases what they think they have. Most snobs are little more than wannabe's and name droppers. The genuinely wealthy deliberately avoid the subject.

Marketing practices are mostly aimed at the gullible and/or nieve - people seeking attention and wanting to be in with the "In Crowd" - is that still a thing? Anyway - it is like Sushi - kids in their 20's went nuts over it because it was considered cool, just like telling everyone that you "only eat" organic stuff for example it's all just a front in the search for popularity and acceptance.

Gluten free labelling has a real purpose. It isn't a fad it has a real agenda and those who are Gluten Intolerant appreciate it greatly.
 
Only slightly off topic.
We got a fairly big muslim population and a lot of places are halaal.
All fine by me, but I burst out laughing when I saw black peppercorns labelled ss "halaal" :hyper:

As for GF, of course it's important for people with an allergy to know this.
I have no aversion to GF labelled food, same as food for diabetics, but I won:t go look for it specifically. As it is not necessary for me.

Back to books: if it says "recipes for GF sauces or so" I treat it the same as "cooking for diabetics". I may check it out, but will not be attracted to it persé.
Maybe it could say "also suitable for people on a GF diet"?
Or "adjustable to GF"?
 
I have to say, I tend to get up and leave a place when I ask if they have anything dairy free and get the reply, "no but we've got gluten free".

That really doesn't help me. Gluten and dairy are two totally different things and anaphylaxis is no joke. Confidence in their ability to serve merge safely is gone.
 
Wombat457 said:
You would think a resteraunt would no, and understand the difference, at least I would expect it from a resteraunt.
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It is amazingly common sadly. Trying to explain that it is the same as saying that if I was allergic to nuts, saying no sorry, but we've got gluten free, is not helpful just gets blank stares. They can't comprehend someone being allergic to dairy (anything at all containing milk or milk products including medications) and just assume i mean I'm intolerant to lactose (when I'm allergic to casein and whey protein), or they are that ignorant of the concept entirely that I'd not trust them period. Anaphylaxis is not pleasant and at the same time as failing to breath and knowing its getting worse, you've got to try to remember how to use your hands to get to your epi-pens and other medications as well. Few people even realise that an adult epi-pen only contains ⅙th of the dose needed to fully treat anaphylactic shock. They are designed to buy time only, nothing more.

I'm consumption and inhalation sensitive. I've not tried or dared to try dairy products on my skin. Unfortunately dairy is actually in inhaled medications for asthma and I'm severly asthmatic as well, just to add to the fun.
 
SatNavSaysStraightOn said:
It is amazingly common sadly. Trying to explain that it is the same as saying that if I was allergic to nuts, saying no sorry, but we've got gluten free, is not helpful just gets blank stares. They can't comprehend someone being allergic to dairy (anything at all containing milk or milk products including medications) and just assume i mean I'm intolerant to lactose (when I'm allergic to casein and whey protein), or they are that ignorant of the concept entirely that I'd not trust them period. Anaphylaxis is not pleasant and at the same time as failing to breath and knowing its getting worse, you've got to try to remember how to use your hands to get to your epi-pens and other medications as well. Few people even realise that an adult epi-pen only contains ⅙th of the dose needed to fully treat anaphylactic shock. They are designed to buy time only, nothing more.

I'm consumption and inhalation sensitive. I've not tried or dared to try dairy products on my skin. Unfortunately dairy is actually in inhaled medications for asthma and I'm severly asthmatic as well, just to add to the fun.
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Just an aside but you can ask for more pens.
Last time my son had an anaphylaxis the A&E Dr said he needs to carry three pens, so that’s what he now has.
 
SandwichShortOfAPicnic said:
Just an aside but you can ask for more pens.
Last time my son had an anaphylaxis the A&E Dr said he needs to carry three pens, so that’s what he now has.
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I have 2, and keep the old ones in the fridge at home. The worst that will happen if they are not cloudy, is that i won't get the full dose. They are incredibly expensive though. 2 pens will set me back over £260 (roughly AU$580) not taking into account how much the price has risen since I last needed to replace them 18 months ago and sometimes the luck of the draw means that they've got less than 12 months on the expiry date, other times I've received nearly 2 years. And i have had to use them sadly.
I've also got my emergency hydrocortisone powder to replace as well. It expired "yesterday" and that needs all of the sterile kit replacing as well (syringes, drawing needles and injecting needles, plus gloves, swabs and so on).

Not a cheap month this month.
 
Wombat457 said:
Organic = an excuse to jack up the price in my opinion. You grow, for example, peas - putting organic on the packaging doesn't make them any less or more a pea. Personally, if it says "Organic" on the packaging I move on.
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Agree with you there. We don't see much of it in Venezuela, because we're still, in many aspects, "3rd world". However, I did happen to notice some organic eggs in one of the supermarkets the other day.
30 regular eggs (they're sold in trays of 30 here) cost $6.19.
30 organic eggs cost $17.99.
:hyper: :hyper: :hyper: :hyper:
 
Wombat457 said:
You would think a resteraunt would no, and understand the difference, at least I would expect it from a resteraunt.
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Don't know about in Australia but I've lived most of my life in Las Vegas and there are lots of restaurants. The servers are getting a union wage plus tips and only have to know the union contract. Food knowledge isn't required, the health dept. tests for some diseases and if you're clean you're hired.

My biz was HVAC and if you didn't know what you were doing you'd get fired or worked until you got injured, maimed, or killed being stupid. Pays to know!
 
Organic - I’ll generally buy organic if it’s something I’m going to eat the peel of, like a cucumber. Bananas…nope, those are the non-organic ones.

If I know I’m going to use the zest of my citrus, I’ll buy organic for that because the non-organic ones have that (food-safe) thin layer of wax on them that should be scrubbed off first.

Eggs - I’m more concerned about the Certified Humane sticker than the organic classification, but if they’ve been certified as humane, then they’re already organic and free range and all that, as the egg companies figure if you’ll pay for one, you’ll pay for the rest. They’re not that expensive, though - I can get eggs like that as cheap as $3.85/dozen at Aldi. I splurge for the $4.85/dozen. 😉

I no longer buy any organic produce that’s wrapped (cauliflower, certain lettuces), after too many experiences with finding live aphids in them. I grew up on a farm, so bugs in the lettuce was never a big deal, but I’m talking about unwrapping the organic lettuce and finding thousands upon thousands of aphids and their sticky black goo covering everything, which no amount of soaking would ever remove.

Also, if I’m looking at organic this or that, the organic stuff does have to look edible. I bought lemons yesterday, and I ended up with the non-organic ones because the organic ones were all brown - I thought they were kiwis at first glance (seriously, I did!).
 
I dunno.
I think perhaps if you removed money from the equation and organic and non-organic items were the same price and I said hey which one would you prefer-
This one that’s sprayed with chemicals that are strong enough to kill insects, oh and then it then grows in it, or this one without the chemicals?
I’m thinking most people would consider the one without the chemicals more appealing.

Organic will NEVER be as cheap as your chemically ones because growing crops without the most potent pesticides is more costly.
Organic farming does also allow certain chemicals to be used so choose your poison!

The real problem with organic food is people’s attitude towards it.
The “my foods superior because it’s organic” brigade really p*ss off normal people.
I literally can’t stop my eyes from rolling if I have to listen to someone say “I only eat organic” because it’s never about the food it’s about judgement and status. Exhausting!

If there was some reasoned education about what accumulated digested pesticides do or how pesticides are negatively effecting the wildlife most people would want to know about it. Unfortunately it’s a topic that got subverted into competitive one upmanship on diet and lifestyle.

Personally I mostly only buy organic wine because they’re not allowed to chuck a load of sulphites into a barrel to fix it and I’ve noticed I don’t spend the evening sneezing if I avoid the really sulphitey stuff.

I do buy both organic and waxed fruit because it’s food grade wax, you can eat it and I prefer a safe physical barrier to a chemical one.
Same as TR though, that lack of a wax coating means the organic really doesn’t keep as well so I’ll look at it and then often buy the waxed stuff.
 
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