DailyDirt: Foods Unfit For Consumption

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Fri, Nov 2nd 2012 5:00pm — Michael Ho

Food science has come a long way and makes a lot of incredibly delicious foods that last longer and stay fresher and provide more vitamins/nutrients than previously thought possible. But just as any technology is a tool that can be used for either the benefit or to the detriment of humankind, there's also the dark side of modern food production that has produced some of the most unhealthy foods in history. Here are just a few examples of sketchy food stories that you might want to avoid.

A factory making counterfeit ketchup was found in New Jersey -- where thousands of plastic bottles labelled 'Heinz ketchup' leaked and caused a foul stench. The would-be counterfeiters apparently gave up on trying to pour out the ketchup and abandoned their ketchup scheme, leaving it all to rot. [url]
Schools are cracking down on Flamin' Hot Cheetos for being too high in calories, salt and fat. These Cheetos are almost addictive because they're spicy, and kids who eat too many of them suffer from stomach pains and leave a trail of dusty red fingerprints.... [url]
Monster Energy drinks are being investigated after reports of deaths from possible caffeine poisoning. Energy drinks are sold as nutritional supplements, so they're not subject to the FDA-mandated limit of 71 milligrams of caffeine for typical soft drinks. Some estimate the amount of caffeine in these ~~drinks~~ supplements is over 200 mg. [url]

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Filed Under: caffeine poisoning, cheetos, counterfeit ketchup, food, science

17 Comments

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AzureSky (profile), 2 Nov 2012 @ 6:04pm

to the Monster part.....dear god......anybody stupid enough to drink a bunch of any energy drink in 1 day......IDIOTS...

sorry I feel anybody that stupid should be allowed to darwin themselves.....

in this case, I would like to know any other foods/drinks she had, if it really was just 2 monsters(and if thats all she had.....well her parents need kicked in the head)

I see alot of people make themselves sick on energy drinks, but I also see alot of idiots give themselves alcohol poisoning because its "Cool"....

its sad she died, but I dont agree with suing monster or redbull or any energy drink maker for user stupidity....

also note: the US has a lower "recommended" dose of caffien then many other countries and these stories are pretty rare.... best place for examples of how these things become a problem is the idiots who game for 3+ days without sleep drinking huge amounts of stimulant laced drinks AND on top of that, they dont eat or drink anything else most of the time...and then people are shocked they keel over dead...

BAH....i know im ranting but.....I drink these things a couple times a week from various makers, and im always aware I need to also drink other fluids as well...

on another note, I once watched a coworker give himself a heart attack from eating over 4lb of dark chocolate in 1 day, the stuff was 93% cocoa to bitter for anybody else, doctor told him it was the caffeine and fact all he drank with it was strong coffee......(not kidding in that day all he had was coffee and chocolate....)

but im sure that eventually there will be laws that make energy drinks illegal "for the children".....(im so tired of the naney state crap)
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Nov 2012 @ 6:10pm

Energy drinks won't kill you...
There isn't enough caffeine in them to kill a healthy person, even a kid. But if you had some kind of heart condition already, then the caffeine might kill you.

Probably isn't a great idea to drink too many of anything.. even pure water will kill you in large enough quantities
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Pixelation, 2 Nov 2012 @ 6:23pm

"kids who eat too many of them suffer from stomach pains "

...and Flamin' Hot dumps.
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AzureSky (profile), 2 Nov 2012 @ 6:50pm

the cheetos artical.....dear god the poor logic and excuses to ban them.....and the comments about a healthy school lunch....they must not scubscibe to the federal student lunch program and use said food, because last i checked the companies that make that food wont even lable it like they are required to do with retail goods, because its so high in sodium,fat,exct.

school lunches are worse then fast food.....(read 2 studies that showed that to be true here in the states) nuggets made from "pink slime" spaghetti that comes premade in a can
canned fruits and veggies high in sodium and sugar.....choco milk thats got more sugar then a soda 2x its size....i could go on....its really foul....but somebody is making big bucks selling that shit to the govt for massive profits so...it must be a good thing.
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Nov 2012 @ 8:02am

"Food science"

Is that what they are calling it now?
They do not add all those chemicals for your benefit and the result is certainly not natural or organic and yet this is claimed. No wonder they want to get rid of regulation.
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Rabbit80, 3 Nov 2012 @ 8:17am

Re:
Maybe I ought to cut down? Usually have 2 cans/day
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DCX2, 3 Nov 2012 @ 11:22am

Re: Energy drinks won't kill you...
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/23/business/fda-receives-death-reports-citing-monster-energy-a-high-c affeine-drink.html?_r=0

The lawsuit filed last week on behalf of the teenager referred to autopsy and medical examiner reports that said she had died of �cardiac arrhythmia due to caffeine toxicity� that had exacerbated an existing heart problem. The report also showed that the teenager had Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, which can affect the body�s connective tissue, including blood vessels. A lawyer for her family, Kevin Goldberg, said that the 14-year-old had been aware she had an underlying heart condition but added that her doctors had not told her to restrict her physical activities or her caffeine use.
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Josh (profile), 3 Nov 2012 @ 11:26am

These Cheetos are almost addictive because they're freaking Cheetos.
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Davey, 3 Nov 2012 @ 2:33pm

Re:
And who spends $millions/billions making this crap "cool"? Personally if I want an "energy drink" I'll go for something that tastes good, not some pharmaceutical dressed up as a beverage. I go to the supermarket and see bottles of household cleaner with labels full of happy oranges and limes, exactly like soda pop. I guess some kid that responds to a short lifetime of cutesy propaganda about the wonder of brightly colored chemical solutions should just darwin himself, too, for being too stupid to live? If there were justice in the universe you'd get to live in the world you yearn for.

There are two ways to keep creeps in line: lawsuits and regulations. If you think marketers are in need of neither it just might be time to think about whether darwin could be right for you -- it being the standard you wish to set for others.
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Gerald Robinson (profile), 3 Nov 2012 @ 3:17pm

silly assertions
The ld50 for caffene in humans is not well established but is at least 60mg/kg. e.g. someone weighing 60kg (121.2 lbs) would need to consume ~3600mg of caffene. 18 cans of Monster?! Anyone would be barffing on their boots long before. That doesn't count the caffene being pissed away. There are medical conditions and drugs that are serious problems with caffene--but what is someone with those doing with caffene at all.

To be taken seriously there would need to be a pathologists autopsy report and toxicology screen.
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Anonymous Coward, 4 Nov 2012 @ 3:44pm

Re: Re:
I drink an energy drink every day (2 at the absolute most). If you want good-tasting ones, try the Rip-It line. Those are my favorite. NOS and AMP have some good ones too. I also like some Monster flavors, like Assault and Khaos. Java Monster is good too. Monster Rehab, however, sucks.
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John Fenderson (profile), 4 Nov 2012 @ 9:11pm

Re: silly assertions
To be taken seriously there would need to be a pathologists autopsy report and toxicology screen.

There was. The girl has a preexisting medical condition that contraindicated caffeine use. This was not Monster's fault.
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ChrisH (profile), 4 Nov 2012 @ 10:05pm

Modern processed food is complete crap. As fewer and fewer people cook for themselves, the less questions they think to ask about what they're putting in their mouths. Did you know the majority of the money you pay for a box of corn flakes goes to advertising? Did you know ingredients used in "processing" are never included on the ingredient label even though they end up in the food? You might also think simple produce items aren't processed, but many of them from cuts of raw meat to heads of broccoli have been soaked in acid. The acid improves the shelf life but the taste and nutrition suffers. Hope your not one of the growing number of people allergic to these chemicals. Don't bother asking the store. The long supply chain in today's food market ensures the store knows next to nothing about what's actually in the food their selling. Meat is often treated with carbon monoxide to make it look fresher. The modern food industry is all about deceiving the consumer.
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ChrisH (profile), 4 Nov 2012 @ 10:18pm

Also, notice how many items in the grocery store are labeled "All Natural". They do that because while it conjures up a nice image for you, unlike labels such as "Organic", the word "natural" has no regulation whatsoever by the Food and Drug Administration. Any edible product at all can be labeled "All Natural" without running afoul of the law.
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JEDIDIAH, 5 Nov 2012 @ 8:46am

Re: Energy drinks won't kill you...
Cans of Monster specifically tell you not to over do it. Of course this sort of thing depends on the consumer actually bothering to read the label. Most people are not likely to bother.
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art guerrilla (profile), 5 Nov 2012 @ 10:01am

Re:
1. not a huge choco fan, but it has minimal caffeine (took a choco factory tour a little while back which passed on this factoid)...
2. *however*, a true and natural fun fact, is that caffeine is actually 'more deadly' (based on LD50) than cocaine...
3. the other caffeine factoid of interest, is that you pretty quickly become inured to the effect, so you are just taking more and more caffeine to stay a 'normal' amount of alertness...
just sayin...

art guerrilla
aka ann archy
eof
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Mike Budd, 25 Nov 2012 @ 1:39pm

Energy drinks, caffeine and death
I heard about this poor young girl who died from caffeine toxicity after two cans of Monster energy drink... As a father of three children, my thoughts go to her parents and family. Regarding the cause of her death, I have serious doubts about the responsibility of Monster drinks: so many people drink these products since years without adverse effects, for me it has probably to do with a condition that this girl had and the intake of caffeine that would have been ok for most people has been fatal to her.
What could we learn from that tragic experience?
- First, this terrible case is an exception. Caffeine in these energy drinks or in coffee is well-known and for me it can be linked to a normal consumption alone. Many medical studies show that caffeine is great in moderation for adults: http://ephedrinewheretobuy.com/ephedrine-where-to-buy-eca-stacks/coffee-a-true-wonder-drug
- Second: this death should draw attention on the risk of future similar cases. Maybe new laws should force all producers of caffeinated drinks to print statutory safety warnings on their packs.
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