Ingredients, do you know what is in your food?

monkeynuz

Hi,

Apologies if this has been covered before but something I bought over Christmas got me thinking.

I know what most ingredients are, and I buy most products fully aware of what is in them.

But if you saw Shellac as an ingredient in Lidl's sugar roasted Almonds would you know what it is or even care?

By the way, it didn't bother me in the slightest.

Faith

Shellac is what I get on my nails when I get a manicure...

This isn't really a forum about ethics of food or whatnot, but I'll leave the thread here for a while and see how it develops.

monkeynuz

I wasn't really concerned with ethics, just wondering if people know/understand what ingredients are?

If there is a problem with me asking the question then by all means take it off immediately.

thegreatiam

I think they used to make old records out of shellac.

Its some kind of wax or resin or syrupy stuff either from an insect or made from squashing insects. cant remember which.

Id guess its whats makes the coating.

monkeynuz

Yes it is what makes the coating, keeps it nice and crunchy!

And it is effectively shellac beetle poo.

And yes it was used to makes records years ago as well as other things like furniture varnish.

thegreatiam

monkeynuz wrote: »

Yes it is what makes the coating, keeps it nice and crunchy!

And it is effectively shellac beetle poo.

And yes it was used to makes records years ago as well as other things like furniture varnish.

I had a quick Google, its pretty versatile stuff. I only knew they made record from it because the record producer Steve Albini has a band called Shellac.

Did not know it was used in food tho. Maybe other coated food has it.

Beetle poo flavoured M&M's maybe?

rubadub

Many animal products are used so they can still legally say it is "all natural ingredients".

Channel 4 had a series of programs about processing various foods. Many ingredients could have artificial alternatives at around the same price, but you loose the marketing claim.

There are allowed contaminants in foods too. In the vegan forum I was asking if anybody worried about them or paid attention. e.g. you could have up to 200 "insect lives" lost in a pint of beer which could still claim to be vegan, that's just form the hops alone. While a single life of a cow would give loads of "servings". So you could conceivably have a vegan who would rather/sooner eat a steak than a sip of beer, if forced to do so.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Food_Defect_Action_Levels

Frozen broccoli Insects and mites Average of 60 or more aphids and/or thrips and/or mites per 100 grams
Hops Insects Average of more than 2,500 aphids per 10 grams

monkeynuz

Crunchy stuff yes, shiny crunchy stuff is sugar casing and carnauba wax for shine.