Would you like fries with that?

I spent most of today editing articles for the next issue of Get Fresh! magazine, and in the course of fact-checking one of them, I found myself on the website of a well-known fast food chain, clicking on their nutrition tab and scrolling through lists of ingredients. And I mean scrolling. Here as an example, dear reader (as I am so shocked by this I couldn't not share it), is the natural goodness that goes into said fast food chain's bacon sandwich:

INGREDIENTS: Egg Patty [Whole Eggs, Whey, Pasteurized Process Monterey Jack Cheese (Monterey Jack Cheese (Milk, Cheese Culture, Salt, Enzymes), Water, Milkfat, Sodium Phosphate, Salt, Sodium Hexametaphosphate), Green Pepper, Red Pepper, Skim Milk, Potatoes (Potatoes, Dextrose, Disodium Dihydrogen Pyrophosphate (Added To Maintain Color), Potassium Sorbate (Added To Maintain Freshness), Swiss And Mushroom Round (Swiss Cheese And Pasteurized Swiss Cheese Product (Swiss Cheese (Pasteurized Milk, Cheese Culture, Salt, Enzymes), Water, Milkfat, Sodium Phosphate, Lactic Acid, Salt, Sorbic Acid (Preservative), Natural Flavors, Sodium Citrate, Xanthan Gum), Roasted Mushrooms (Mushrooms, Canola Oil, Salt , Pepper)), Butter Flavored Oil (Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Salt, Soybean Lecithin, Artificial Flavors, Butter Oil, Vitamin A Palmitate Beta Carotene Added For Color), Dried Cream Cheese Product (Cream Cheese (Pasteurized Milk And Cream Cheese Culture, Salt, Carob Bean Gum), Non Fat Dry Milk And Sodium Phosphate), Soybean Oil, Onions, Modified Food Starch, Salt, Xanthan Gum, Liquid Pepper Extract And Citric Acid], Croissant (Enriched Unbleached Wheat Flour (Flour, Enzyme, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Water, Palm Oil, Sugar, Canola and/or Soybean Oil, Contain less than 2% of the following: Margarine (Vegetable Oils [Palm, Canola], Water, Mono and Diglycerides, Potassium Sorbate [to Preserve Freshness], Citric Acid, Artificial Flavor, Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D3), Yeast, Wheat Gluten, Salt, Artificial Flavor, Datem, Dextrose, Corn Syrup Solids, Fructose, Sodium Caseinate (a Milk Derivative), Monoglycerides, Soy Lecithin, Locust Bean Gum, Colored with [Tumeric and Annatto Extracts], Ascorbic Acid, Sodium Steroyl Lactylate, Leavening [Baking Soda], Azodicarbonamide, Pepper Bacon (Bacon Cured with Water, Salt, Sugar, Smoke Flavoring, Sodium Phosphate, Sodium Erythorbate, Sodium Nitrite, Bellies Coated with a Mixture of Ground Black Pepper), Colby Jack Cheese (Colby Cheese [Pasteurized Milk, Cheese Culture, Salt, Enzymes and Annatto (vegetable color)], Monterey Jack Cheese [Pasteurized Milk, Cheese Culture, Salt, Enzymes]).

Companies make and sell stuff like this? And it's legal? To package this stuff as food that men, women and children then eat?

But of course nowadays fast food chains cater for healthy eaters too, so there are several salads on the menu. You can't go far wrong with a salad, right? Well, we'll skip the Chicken and the Caesar but let's take a look at the ingredient list of their Mediterranean Salad......... Just lettuce, tomatoes and...

Fat Free Italian Dressing [Water, Distilled Vinegar, Maltodextrin, Corn Syrup, Sugar, Salt, Modified Food Starch, Less Than 1% Of Garlic, Onion, Red Bell Peppers, Spices, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Benzoate And Potassium Sorbate (Preservatives) Calcium Disodium EDTA (To Protect Flavor), Yellow #5, Yellow #6], Feta Cheese [Pasteurized Cow's Milk, Nonfat Dry Milk, Salt, Anti-Caking Agent (Potato Starch), Cheese Cultures, Enzymes], Carrots, Roasted Red Peppers Roasted [Peppers, Water, Salt, Citric Acid], Cucumber, Onion, Black Olives (Olives, Water, Salt, Ferrous Gluconate), Cheese & Garlic Croutons [Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Barley Malt, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Water, Whole Wheat Flour, Yeast, Salt, High Fructose Corn Syrup, 2% Or Less Of The Following: Whey, Dextrose, Rye Meal, Parsley, Garlic, Natural And Artificial Flavor, Parmesan Cheese And Enzyme Modified Cheese (Pasteurized Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes), Cultured Nonfat Milk, Caramel Color, Honey, Wheat Gluten, Calcium Propionate (Mold Inhibitor), Dough Conditioners (May Contain One Or More Of The Following: Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Calcium Stearoyl Lactylate, Calcium Peroxide, Calcium Sulfate, Ammonium Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Ascorbic Acid), Annatto, Extractives Of Turmeric And Paprika (Color), TBHQ (To Preserve Freshness)].

Bon appétit!

Comments

[Debbie Took]

I live with someone who thinks, because I make him a juice or a smoothie each morning and he has half his evening meals raw, that it's OK to pop into 'a certain fast food outlet' every so often. These lists are now blu-tacked on to the fridge. Incredible - far worse than I think most of us would have imagined. Huge thanks to Get Fresh for disseminating this information; you're saving lives.