Food Tech - The UltimateFatBurner Blog

Smart Choices 2.0

Remember the late, unlamented “Smart Choices” front-of-package labeling system implemented by various players in the food industry? The industry claimed it was an initiative that would “…help consumers make more nutritious food and beverage choices that fit within their daily calorie needs.” Not surprisingly, “Smart Choices” turned out to be a total farce. Well, the industry is making another...

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Why Isn’t This Guy In Jail???

A while back, I discussed the recent egg recall, and opined that the owners of the egg farms in question should be put out of business. I need to update that statement. At least one of them – Jack deCoster, the owner of Wright County Egg – should be put out of business… and put into jail.  While I noted that there were “previous sanitation and safety violations” on his egg farms, I didn’t know just...

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Makin’ Bacon

Everyone loves bacon.* Thus, I thought the vid below – on how the stuff is made – was pretty interesting… if not particularly appetizing. No, don’t worry: unless you’re a vegetarian, it’s not particularly gross.  It’s just… so clinical and sterile.  Not to mention, I feel kinda sorry for the workers – to spend hours each day tending a greasy, bacon-smelling assembly line would be...

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A Candwich to Go

My degrees are in Food Science, but I’m rather glad that I ended up in research vs. an industry job (like most of my fellow grads). As fascinating and fulfilling as studying food tech was, the prospect of spending my life making junk/snack/convenience foods had zero appeal. Even then, I was too much of a “foodie” to enjoy product development. Novelty drives the market, so no product idea is too far out… unless...

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Give Your Kids Fruit – Not Fruit Snacks

There’s a good article in the LA Times about the misleading claims plastered on the labels of fruit snacks.  While fruit leather and Roll Ups “made with real fruit” seem wholesome, they’re NOT equivalent to fresh fruit.  Not even close… The snacks usually derive their fruit content from the same few sources: purée of apple or pear, apple juice concentrate and grape juice concentrate. Apples, pears and...

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Ummmm…Yay, I guess

According to researchers from the University of Minnesota, fast food chains have “…significantly decreased trans fats in the oils they use to cook food.” By using the School of Public Health’s Nutrition Coordinating Center’s proprietary database — which catalogs the nutritional values of more than 18,000 foods — researchers looked at trans fat and saturated fat levels in french fries from five major fast...

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