A 10 year old nephew recently nagged enough and got the above pictured “snack”.  The product includes a “lemonade lollipop” to be dunked in a green “sour apple slime” and then coated with a “sour cherry powder”.

It’s the perfect eye-catching, tongue-pleasing treat for Spongebob Squarepants fans.

Or is it?

What you need to know:

The product is made in China for a Phildelphia based distributor called Frankford Candy and Chocolate Co.

A package includes 1 serving with absolutely no nutritional value, but 21 grams of sugar (5 teaspoons worth).

Here is the ingredient list:
Glucose syrup, Sugar, Dextrose, lactic acid, malic acid, water, artificial flavors, corn starch, geltain, preservatives (sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate), and artificial colors (FD&C Red #3, Red #40, Yellow #5, Yellow #6, Blue #1 & Titanium Dioxide)

Glucose syrup, Sugar, Dextrose – all synonyms for sugar
Lactic acid – a milk acid found in sour milk products. In most commercial uses it is derived not from milk but rather from bacteria that ferments non dairy foodstuff such as potatoes and molasses. It is found in foods as a pH-adjusting ingredient and/or  as an antioxidant.
Malic acid (E296) – provides tartness.
Artificial flavors – we weren’t expecting anything natural here.
Corn starch – used as a thickener
Sodium Benzoate (E211) – a preservative used to prevent food from molding. When mixed with ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) sodium benzoate transforms into benzene, a known carcinogen and DNA damager.
Potassium Sorbate (E202) – a preservative that inhibits yeasts and molds. Considered safe.
Artificial colors – though the FDA considers them safe, in Europe manufacturers are beginning to phase them out because some studies have shown that they can lead to hyperactive children.

So, not a single redeeming ingredient in here, except for the few drops of water in the “green slime”.

After reviewing this product, we can’t help but urge the company to reconsider its name and change it to Frankenfood Candy and Chocolate.
To the company’s merit, at least it is not trying to hide what it sells and make silly health claims like some of the bigger snack manufacturers out there.

What to do at the supermarket:

Would you let your kids have this as an occasional treat?

What if they really begged?

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Although food labels let consumers to learn about what they are eating, most spend only a few seconds if it all, browsing the available information. There is a large group of people though, for whom the labels are more than “nice to have”. People with with food allergies and intolerances, rely on labels to keep them alive. Just ask any mother of a peanut-allergic child.

The Chicago Tribune conducted a thorough investigation as to allergy labeling. The results were not impressive:

In one of the nation’s largest examinations of undisclosed ingredients in food, the Tribune reviewed thousands of items at 60 locations in or near Chicago, finding dozens of products obviously mislabeled. The newspaper also conducted 50 laboratory tests — more than the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration combined over the last several years — to determine precise ingredients.

Read the article…

What you need to know:

1. Label errors abound. For people with allergies, a mistake can be a deadly. Federal law requires ingredient labels to disclose 8 foods accounting for most allergies – milk, eggs, wheat, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish and shellfish.

2. Confusing synonyms. Consumers are not experts in food terms. A product including “durum semolina” must declare it as  “wheat” as well.

3. Cross contamination. As an example – oats are often tainted with wheat.

4. Poorly labeled imports. This is a result of lax regulations in other countries. To reduce this problem, the FDA recently opened offices in China.

5. Unlabeled food. The deli counter and bakery at the supermarket are not required to label foods. People with allergies should avoid them.

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From the LA Times:

The industrial chemical melamine was found in a sample of infant formula made in the U.S. in a “trace” amount that poses no health concern, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

The positive sample turned up as part of an FDA testing program begun after the chemical was found in Chinese products. The amount of melamine in the U.S. sample was “well below” 250 parts per billion.

Read more…

What you need to know:

The melamine saga took center stage in September when it was reported that several infants in China died of melamine poisoning and over 50,000 were hospitalized. Melamine , a posionous fertilizer that can cause kidney failure, was malfully introduced into baby formula as a protein substitute for milk. Since the disclosure, various products containing milk powder have been recalled around the globe, due to possibility of melamine presence.

The FDA recently announced an automatic detention of milk related imports from China, and has also set up offices in China to help avert future food safety problems before they reach the US.

Now the FDA has checked US infant formula has well, most likely as an extra safety measure, and found it to be suitable for consumption, despite the tiny amounts of melamine found, explained to be from the formula can lining, and not the result of adulteration.

What to do at the supermarket:

Currently there is no need for alarm, as the melamine amounts found are negligible. The FDA recommends people continue to buy and feed their infants formula as before. Of course, young mothers that can breast feed should be encouraged to do so for as long as possible.

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Stepping up to the threat posed to American consumers from melamine, the FDA has announced this week an automatic detention of all milk related imports from China. The New York Times provides details:

Melamine…was discovered in infant formula in September and has sickened more than 50,000 infants in China and killed at least four. Since that time, melamine has been found in a wide range of other products, including milk, eggs and fish feed. As a result, companies in the United States have recalled several products generally sold in Asian specialty stores…

Read Article…

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White Rabbit Candy

From the FDA:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — September 26, 2008 — QFCO, Inc. of Burlingame, California is recalling White Rabbit Candy because it may be contaminated with Melamine.

Product was distributed to the states of CA, GA, HI, IL, MN, NY, OR, TX, WA through wholesale distributors to retail stores. Read entire post…

What you need to know:

Melamine, present in these candies, is the same “ingredient” found in the tainted baby formulas that have caused several fatalities in China recently. Manufacturers water down milk and then add mealmine to make it appear as if the resulting product has the same amount of protein as milk. Unfortunately, it can kill ya.