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Yikes! READ YOUR LABELS!

By Jennie 7 Comments

I have a little story for you…

Once upon a time…

…just kidding.

Tonight I made Melissa Joulwan’s Chocolate Chili (from her fantastic new cookbook, Well Fed).  The recipe called for tomato paste.  I reached into the cabinet, grabbed a can, and opened it.  Just as I was about to dump it in, I noticed that it said “with Italian Herbs” on the label.

The label looked innocent enough, so I figured it would be okay.  More out of curiosity than anything else, I checked the ingredients… just to be sure.  But really, what would anyone add to tomato paste?

Well, to my shock and HORROR, I saw a long list of ingredients.  Everything from high fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated oils, hydrolyzed corn gluten (what does that even mean??) to soy and wheat gluten proteins, and even cheese!

Seriously?  All I wanted was some tomato paste!  No cheese… no wheat… no added oils…

I had to do a double-take at the front label just to be sure I was actually holding “tomato paste” in my hand.  I noticed that it says “Tomato Paste Product.”  Product… isn’t that what people in hair salons call things like hair gel?  Or what ladies at makeup counters call moisturizers, and the like?

I quickly decided that my chili didn’t need any “product,” and tossed the can where it belonged.

Thankfully, I had recently picked up a few cans of *actual* tomato paste from Walmart a while ago.  This looked much better…

And the ingredients?  Hmmm… let’s see…

Two words.  One ingredient.  Nice.

Just a warning: check every label.  Even in your own home.  

I would have been SO SAD if I’d made the entire meal, and then realized that I’d poisoned us (okay, maybe that’s a little dramatic… but you get the idea).

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Filed Under: Lessons Learned, Modern Food, Personals Tagged With: food labels, ingredients, tomato paste

Comments

  1. Erienne Jones says

    January 10, 2012 at 9:08 pm

    I know… it is crazy some of the things they can put in canned foods. I usually stick with organic canned tomato products but I will say that Costco has a canned tomato brand (I can’t think of it right now) that is free of craziness and you can buy it in bulk!

    Reply
    • jennie says

      January 10, 2012 at 9:13 pm

      Erienne- I will have to look for that at Costco! Thanks!

      Reply
  2. Sandra says

    January 10, 2012 at 11:20 pm

    You say that poisoning the family was a bit dramatic – I don’t think so, for me that tomato paste “product” is poison when you have celiac. One bite and I would be sick for two weeks! I read labels at home and in the store! Double checking is always a good idea. It’s scary out there!,

    Reply
    • jennie says

      January 10, 2012 at 11:38 pm

      Sandra- you make an excellent point… ingredients like these are definitely more poisonous than most people realize. I really appreciate your comment!

      Reply
    • Christie B. says

      March 23, 2012 at 5:13 am

      I totally agree! My son and I have celiac, and we’re both allergic to corn (I had to even switch to a vitamin C from tapioca to get my son’s eczema to go away). This can of tomato paste would definitely be poison to our family, too. I have to wonder why they make it so hard to tell when something isn’t just pure (like this can that has the word “product” in small letters). It’s like they realize that people will prefer just tomato paste, so they kind of hide that there are other things in it. So if that’s the case, why do they put all that in there??

      Reply
  3. Tabitha says

    January 11, 2012 at 8:54 am

    It is shocking what they will but in these products like it’s normal! Being gluten intolorant and allergic to dairy I have to read every label every time I buy them!

    Reply
  4. Primal Kitchen's Family Grokumentarian says

    January 12, 2012 at 10:30 am

    I’ve found that generics or cheapo brands sometimes have shockingly less complicated labels too. (BTW that top paste’s ingredient list looks so blech…)

    Ex. went to get my husband some half & half. The cheapo brand list: milk, cream. Other half and halfs had all kinds of additives. Sometimes even organic stuff (like my store’s Organic Valley sour cream, includes corn starch!!) has a less preferable list, so I end up buying the Daisy sour cream which has ONE ingredient: Grade A cream.

    Reply

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