THE STREET– The recent class-action lawsuit brought against Taco Bell raised questions about the quality of food many Americans eat each day.

Chief among those concerns is the use of cellulose (read: wood pulp), an extender whose use in a roster of food products, from crackers and ice creams to puddings and baked goods, is now being exposed. What you’re actually paying for — and consuming — may be surprising.

Cellulose is virgin wood pulp that has been processed and manufactured to different lengths for functionality, though use of it and its variant forms (cellulose gum, powdered cellulose, microcrystalline cellulose, etc.) is deemed safe for human consumption, according to the FDA, which regulates most food industry products. The government agency sets no limit on the amount of cellulose that can be used in food products meant for human consumption. The USDA, which regulates meats, has set a limit of 3.5% on the use of cellulose, since fiber in meat products cannot be recognized nutritionally.

Jump directly to the slideshow of companies whose food contains cellulose.

“As commodity prices continue to rally and the cost of imported materials impacts earnings, we expect to see increasing use of surrogate products within food items. Cellulose is certainly in higher demand and we expect this to continue,” Michael A. Yoshikami, chief investment strategist at YCMNet Advisors, told TheStreet.

Manufacturers use cellulose in food as an extender, providing structure and reducing breakage, said Dan Inman, director of research and development at J. Rettenmaier USA, a company that supplies “organic” cellulose fibers for use in a variety of processed foods and meats meant for human and pet consumption, as well as for plastics, cleaning detergents, welding electrodes, pet litter, automotive brake pads, glue and reinforcing compounds, construction materials, roof coating, asphalt and even emulsion paints, among many other products.

“Cellulose adds fiber to the food, which is good for people who do not get the recommended daily intake of fiber in their diets,” Inman said. “It also extends the shelf life of processed foods. Plus, cellulose’s water-absorbing properties can mimic fat,” he said, allowing consumers to reduce their fat intake.

Read the full article about 15 Food Companies That Serve You ‘Wood’.

© 2011 The Street

Photo by Flickr user freya_gefn

ELEPHANT JOURNAL– A convenience “cooking” method that was invented by the Nazis, refined by the notorious company Raytheon and banned by Russia in the 70’s, the microwave has no place in my kitchen.

Some are still convinced that these radiation boxes are safe, nuke hot meals with efficiency and have no side-effects. Really? There are some scary facts that prove otherwise. If these don’t provoke you to adopt slower cooking methods, not sure what will.

1. Remember the lawsuit that involved a hospital warming blood in a microwave prior to a blood transfusion, resulting in the death of a womyn prior to a hip surgery?

2. Research has proven that heating breast milk or baby formula in a microwave destroys vital vitamins and nutrients.

3. Heating prepared meats in a microwave sufficiently for human consumption created:

* d-Nitrosodiethanolamine (a well-known cancer-causing agent)

* Destabilization of active protein biomolecular compounds

* Creation of a binding effect to radioactivity in the atmosphere

* Creation of cancer-causing agents within protein-hydrosylate compounds in milk and cereal grains;

4. Microwave emissions also caused alteration in the catabolic (breakdown) behavior of glucoside – and galactoside – elements within frozen fruits when thawed in this way;

5. Microwaves altered catabolic behavior of plant-alkaloids when raw, cooked or frozen vegetables were exposed for even very short periods;

Continue reading about 10 Reasons to Ditch the Microwave.

© Elephant Journal, 2010

Photo by flickr user Robert Couse-Baker