MSG and Newer, Scarier Alternatives Part Dos

Well the last post here talked about how MSG has become necessary for the processed food industry.  It seems to be a rather frightening thing that people, actual human consumers, would not want to buy and eat all the crap that is on the shelves in stores without this one chemical additive.  That all that crap, would actually taste, well, like crap.  That MSG is what makes the wheels roll and makes all that stuff palatable.  But over the years, MSG has begun to get a bad reputation and so the industry has responded.  As told to you last time, the industry persists on using glutamates in different forms, still the same effect, and still the same consequences.  The industry does understand the court of public opinion, that's how all that MSG made its way into our food supply in the first place, the public would never buy their crap without it.  And as research shows the nasty side of MSG, so the court of public opinion decides that the need for the stuff diminishes.  The industry however realizes how necessary flavor enhancers are, so that was the beginning of the need to hide glutamates under different names.

But modern science is stepping up to help those that control our lives with something new and what they believe to be amazing.  To me, it is scary, to big business, it is nothing short of a miracle of the highest kind.  A food additive that acts like a taste enhancer with unparalleled results, without the bad side effects of glutamates.  You know, those pesky side effects that consumers complain about.  Headaches, nausea, death of neurons, ADD, heart palpitations etc., all those harmless side effects.  This new stuff makes the world of science fiction seem pretty tame.  A new company called Senomyx is taking kidney cells from aborted human fetuses and in an incredibly secret process (meaning if they told us, they would have to kill us) they then make flavor enhancers that are far and above the actions of glutamates.  These new flavor enhancers don't just enhance all flavors, they actually target specific flavor profiles and can be manufactured to the specific needs of a company's individual product.  Seven corporations have long term contracts with Senomyx, including Pepsi and Nestle.  Nestle is the first company to actually start to use the new flavor enhancers in production.  Don't look for human kidney cells on the ingredient list of your favorite candy bar, the only thing that will be there are the words "natural flavoring".

Does that seem odd to you?

It is a bit odd.  Cannibalism?  Not really, according to my research, Senomyx has been using Human Embryonic Kidney cells since the seventies.  They don't go out and harvest aborted fetuses anymore, they have some cells already, and they grow more of them to use.  And to use again, and again.  Hmmmm, makes me wonder about the right to life people, how do they think this comports to their philosophy about life.  It seems that although it is only part of a human baby, businesses have kept these particular parts of a human alive for over forty years.  Is it alive, is it a life?  Well, not really important here, what is important is that this company uses these human kidney cells to "TEST" various chemical compounds to verify that they in fact "ENHANCE" flavor profiles.  The company states that using these human kidney cells they are able to target specific taste types and to enhance only those that they want.  Like Pepsi.  Or Hershey's Chocolate.

The scary part of all of this behind closed door research is that whatever chemical compounds that they have found so far and are using, they "SEEM" to all be classified as "NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS"  and therefore no one actually has any idea what they are.  Nor are they having to test them in any way for toxicity, for cancerous properties, or in reality, ANYTHING!  Senomyx has already introduced a number of flavor enhancers and has been granted GRAS status by the FDA.  This doesn't mean that the FDA did ANY testing on the chemicals, all it means is that Senomyx submitted THEIR own test results and the the FDA approved it based on their own rather biased report.  Some of these new chemicals that we are not allowed to know what is in them are already in foods you eat.  Well, that is if you buy processed foods, burgers and fries from fast food megadollar junk food places, or tacos, or subs, or actually eat any fast food or convenience food.  Because such tiny amounts of these NEW chemical compounds are used, they DO NOT HAVE TO BE LISTED ON THE LABELS AS AN INGREDIENT.

Do you know what you are eating today?

If you live in the Valley, I teach healthy cooking.  It really isn't hard, time consuming or tiresome.  It is fun and exciting to play with different flavors and taste sensations and make your own WOW foods.  Using real food, and NO chemicals.  Send me an email for more info if interested.