24 February 2018 - A Call to Action!

Check Quality Grades of Vegetables You Buy

"Many canned and frozen vegetables are sold under quality grades established and maintained by consumer and marketing experts of the United States Department of Agriculture."

Here is my tip on the subject:

If you can't buy fresh buy it frozen.

This is because the fruit or veg is frozen when the item was ripe. The flash freezing technique prevents moisture loss so it tastes better than the canned variety.

Canned vegetables are cooked or blanched before the canning process. Canned foods also have some type of filler like water, oil, or syrup. So you lose some of the freshness of the product.

I found a USDA pamphlet on canned and frozen grading that was published in 1969.

READ IT HERE!

Basically there are Grades A, B, & C

A is best

B is ok

C is trash

"Fancy" is also a term used for Grade A products.

You just thought it was fancy marketing!

EXTRA FANCY

This is the best of the best. Good color, uniform size and shape, and normal flavor and odor

So that "fancy" ketchup or "fancy" green beans is a term used for the vegetable grade before it was canned.

Now here is the scoop.

All the information the grading process I found went into effect in the 1970's. This means that the USDA hasn't updated their quality guidelines since then.

I found similar entries on meat inspection guidelines too.

I'm a little concerned people!

I mean with everything coming out about the ingredients in our food, shouldn't the USDA be on top of this?

At least the guidelines for bread was updated in 1998.

IN FACT

Upon further reading the USDA main website, they are asking

"Burdened by regulations?"

You know what USDA. I really want you to burden the food industry with regulations to keep my food safe. I mean I see freaking documents written in the 1970's and 90's and I feel that we can improve on those in the year 20-freaking-18!

So reader I urge you to click here and visit the USDA website.

Until July 17, 2018, the Regulatory Reform Task Force is taking in public opinion on ways to improve the USDA.

Go write them, call them, or submit an online document.

PLEASE

For the love of all that is holy encourage the USDA to continue their jobs of maintaining and creating new ways to keep our food industry safe and healthy for us all!

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