DadTalk

Bisphenol A Present in All Tested Cans, Study Finds

Remember when parents freaked about Bisphenol A in their water bottles? Well, it turns out that it’s in our food cans, too, reports The Wall Street Journal.

The Consumer Reports study found that the chemical, which some believe causes behavioral problems as well as breast and prostrate prostate cancers in animals, was present in cans labeled “BPA-free” and “organic.”

The American Chemistry Council, which is in part funded by BPA makers, rejects the study as faulty.

This caught my attention in a blog post from Consumer Reports (the main article is behind the pay wall):

(Eden Foods President and Chairman Michael) Potter says that finding a supplier of cans that weren’t lined with BPA-containing epoxy resin was a difficult and frustrating process. “I made hundreds of calls to can manufacturers trying to find out what was in their can linings and I always ended up talking to an attorney in the Beltway who informed me to my amazement that it was a trade secret and I had no right to know,” says Potter.

Ah, good old trade secrets. Another way to say, “We’re poisoning you, folk. Just move right along.”

Food Recalls There’s Peanut Butter in Jelly Bellys?

While I don’t go after every Food and Drug Administration recall, this one caught my attention: The Jelly Belly Candy Company is warning that they left off peanut butter from one of their package labels.

Who would have though there was real peanut butter in any of the Jelly Belly products? I thought they were 100 percent artificial!

The recall, by the way, is for the 49 Flavors of Jelly Belly jelly beans, which comes in a cylindrical 7.5-ounce package. Details:

The Jelly Belly 49 Flavors cylinder packages were shipped to approximately 200 independent stores nationwide from September 29 to October 30, 2009. Product was packaged in a clear 7.5-ounce acetate cylinder with white label on the bottom of the package with lot codes 090925, 090928, 090929 or 091001. UPC code 07156798939.

As many parents know, peanut allergies can kill kids, so be careful out there.

Food Recalls Boston Parents Sue After Beef Sickens 2 Children

The families of two children sickened by a recent E. Coli outbreak, possibly in meat, are suing, reports The Boston Herald.

So far, two deaths and 28 illnesses have been linked to a recall of 545,699 pounds of Fairbank Farms beef. The recalled ground beef and beef patties were packaged from Sept. 14 to Sept. 16 and had “EST 492” stamped on the packages, reports The New York Times.

The products were sold in Northeastern states at grocery stores such as Trader Joe’s, Giant, Price Chopper, Wild Harvest and Shaw’s. (I don’t know about you, but I’m getting a bit nervous as to the number of times TJ’s shows up in recalls.)

While this meat dates back to September, it could still be in the freezer. For specific recall information, go here.

The Nesting Instinct

My kids are getting very good at keeping themselves busy – probably to avoid being henpecked – when we go camping. While mom slept and the rooster worked on food or some other task, the kids decided to build a bird’s nest.

I was so impressed with the result, I took the last three eggs out of the cooler and took a few photos. I’m also glad the kids are learning how to crack a yolk. (By the way, the kids say the egg came before the chicken.)

Beach Camping With the Family

Well, I’m still married. That’s what I tell friends when they ask how went our big camping trip at San Clemente State Beach. You see, it’s the first time my wife ever slept outdoors in a tent with me (and the kids.)

Of course, I worked hard to make sure everything was in my favor:

• Running toilets
• Reasonably warm showers
• Big, new tent
• Cozy king-sized sleeping bag
• Ocean view
• Nearby city
• Lots and lots of good camp food
• Chocolate for all
• Lots and lots of marshmallows
• Lots to do

Perhaps my biggest failing? I forgot the wine. But, that’s why we had the city nearby. Trader Joe’s was about 3 miles away. Wine problem solved.

Actually, the biggest threat was two and a half days of nighttime rain. My wife was ready to bag it at one point, but I said, “It will clear up.”

Fortunately, it did and we ended the trip with two gorgeous days.

There are too many photos to show at once, so I’m going to spread them out over a couple days.

Hope you like.

PepsiCo Makes Smart Choice Moving Away from Food Label

One thing about big business, it usually knows what is in its best interest. Perhaps that’s why PepsiCo is backing away from the Smart Choices labeling program, according to The New York Times.

Smart Choices is a voluntary food labeling system in which a green checkmark can be put on products that qualify as “healthy.” I use quote marks because Froot Loops and other high-sugar products won the right to use the green checkmark.

It’s my guess that corporate pressure is also the reason Smart Choices is suspending most its operations until the Food and Drug Administration reveals its own front-of-the box labeling plan, as I mentioned in a recent post. “I regard it as a partial victory,” Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal tells the Times.

Indeed. Some brands, such as Kraft, plan to continue using the logo for the time being. But it’s nice to know that some companies, like PepsiCo have decided to stop insulting its customers when it comes to the Smart Choices logo.

FDA Labeling Plan Will Fail Unless It Is Mandatory

When it comes to deceptive marketing, you have to give the food industry credit for sheer balls. Did manufacturers really think they could create a labeling system that considered Cocoa Krispies and Froot Loops a “Smart Choice?”

Apparently so, but it seems the Food and Drug Administration is (sort 0f) running out of patience. The agency announced this week it will consider setting standards for front-of-the-package nutrition labels, reports The New York Times. One possible outcome: those labels will contain bad news about the food products instead of only happy half-truths.

Apparently, the FDA is interested in a British labeling system that mimics traffic symbols for fat, saturated fats, sugars and salt. The system has been successful in England and Australia according to Grist.

I’m going to guess that Cocoa Krispies and Froot Loops would receive a red light for sugar, but any system would be enhanced if unrefined starches and excessive chemical content were also rated.

One flagrant flaw in the FDA’s move is that such reporting would be voluntary. Only those companies wanting to use the FDA system, which could be in place by the end of the year, would have to follow the agency’s rules.

Under such a system, it’s likely that manufacturers will only sign up if they make healthy products, which will invalidate the entire worth of the stoplight system. The FDA giveth hope; the FDA taketh hope.

Food Recalls FDA Seeks to Shut Down Ready-to-Eat Sandwich-Maker

During the drive home from a recent camping trip, which I’ll be posting photos from soon, I thought about buying a pre-made sandwich at a gas station. Even though I was starving, I decided to pass noting the sorry-looking bread and lettuce.

Good thing, too, because I missed the Food and Drug Administration’s unusually strong action to shut down one of the companies that provides ready-to-eat sandwiches, according to the San Francisco Business Times.

What was allegedly wrong with the 44,000 sandwiches made each week by Rel’s? Enough that the FDA asked the U.S. Department of Justice to stop the company from making and selling food products.

Meet the Tomboy Princess

Yes, my daughter loves to dress up as a princess, just as long as she can be a tomboy as well. These photos are from her best friend’s recent birthday party.

Pumpkin Fun

As a volunteer at Lael’s school, I get to experience centers, which are various art, project and reading stations for the kids. As you can see by the pictures, the theme this day was Halloween.