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Common counterfeit foods and how to identify them (2014)
- Blackthorn 4y agoI think the cinnamon one is a bit unfair. Cassia is what basically everyone in the USA knows and expects as cinnamon.
- stouset 4y agoAlternatively you could see this as a damning consequence of letting this kind of “innocent” food fraud go unchecked. It’s gotten so bad with cinnamon that effectively zero percent of cinnamon in America is cinnamon, but is a cheaper counterfeit. Part of me is inclined to agree with you. There’s nothing “wrong” with cassia. But it bothers me that we’ve established a precedent that we can just label one food as another because it’s cheaper and easier to access.
- esperent 4y agoThere's two types of cinnamon commonly used as a spice: Cassia cinnamon Ceylon cinnamon The latter is what this article is calling "real" but they are both real. Ceylon originates in India and is used in Indian cooking. Cassia originates in SEA/China Asia and is used in recipes there. They are simply two different varieties of the same tree and they are both cinnamon. In fact there are many more varieties than just that two, same as with apples, tea, coffee or any other plant and it makes no sense to designate only one variety of cinnamon as "real". They have different flavors and neither is better.
- 6177c40f 4y agoIn fact, the genus Cinnamomum which contains cassia and ceylon (C. cassia and C. verum, respectively) is pretty large and diverse. Sometimes what people refer to as cassia can actually be one of several species, e.g. C. burmannii, which is also often referred to as korintje. There are others that can be ambiguously named. E.g. the aromatic compound camphor is harvested from camphorwood (Cinnamomum camphora), which is not to be confused with the tree known as camphorwood in Australia, Cinnamomum oliveri. I have no real point here other than cinnamon (i.e. the genus Cinnamomum) is fascinating and confusing in equal measures and people should definitely read up on it.
- LordAtlas 4y ago> Ceylon originates in India and is used in Indian cooking. As an Indian, I can assure you that the cinnamon we use in our cooking is indeed Cassia. Ceylon is in Sri Lanka, a bit south of us.
- esperent 4y agoAh, thanks for the info, I didn't know that - I have only travelled in the south of India and found that mostly Ceylon was used. Cassia does originally come from China though, although I guess it has spread a long way.
- fsckboy 4y agoit's not, however, "unfair" to teach people that there are actually different varieties of a product they buy, and that one is more expensive and maybe presumed to be better. I agree with you that they did not make all these distictions clearly, but it was interesting to learn and I plan to taste test them when I can.
- esperent 4y agoThey are literally calling other varieties "fake" and telling you to avoid them at all costs. Not really what I would call teaching.
- avereveard 4y agoThere is almost zero correlation in Italy between the type of the rice on the package and the type of the rice contained, only a couple types have regulations, and even for these they're not always respected [1] I hate it because we're often sold an inferior product and likewise it's probably too late to do anything about it. 1. http://bressanini-lescienze.blogautore.espresso.repubblica.it/2015/05/28/l%E2%80%99arborio-mai-mangiato-e-forse-neanche-il-carnaroli/ http://bressanini-lescienze.blogautore.espresso.repubblica.i...
- 6177c40f 4y agoYeah, I would argue that calling it counterfeit is completely wrong. Cassia and Ceylon cinnamon are both in the genus cinnamomum, so it's completely appropriate to call both cinnamon. Really, they're two very different spices whose flavors are only somewhat similar and have different culinary uses, but Ceylon cinnamon is less common in the US, so when we say cinnamon we pretty much always mean it to be cassia cinnamon- no deception or counterfeiting involved here.
- _rutinerad 4y agoKind of like wasabi. The people who expect real wasabi know what to look for.
- WalterGR 4y agoI've heard that most wasabi in American restaurants is actually horseradish with green food coloring. Does anyone know more?
- RajT88 4y agoI had heard the same, but it is true even in Japan. Real Wasabi is insanely water-intensive. This is where I first read about it: https://www.theatlantic.com/video/index/585172/wasabi-fake/ https://www.theatlantic.com/video/index/585172/wasabi-fake/ There is a NZ brand which has cracked cultivation. It is not cheap. https://www.purewasabi.co.nz/ https://www.purewasabi.co.nz/ ETA: I have not tried it. Saving the purchase for when I can talk my wife into sushi from my wild catches. Tall order.
- kurthr 4y agoYes, even in Japan real wasabi is a treat at a nice sushi place. Most wasabi is gathered and cultivated by hand, and then freshly hand grated for your seating. You can buy the root at some Japanese stores and grate it yourself.
- 0des 4y agoyeah but if you get real wasabi, to do it justice you're gonna need the traditional shark pelt mounted on an artisanal wooden board to grind it on. we aren't peasants.
- dendrite9 4y agoThere are a number of places in the PNW that grow wasabi, at least one on Vancouver island, one in Oregon, and I think one in Washington. The price at my local asian grocery store seems to range from $99 to $199 per pound over the last 3-4 years. Totally nonscientific, I just pay attention when picking up other herbs. I'd guess about $129/lb is normal there. I still haven't convinced myself to make a meal to justify the expense, I don't cook enough Japanese food. https://www.thewasabistore.com/the-farm-1 https://www.thewasabistore.com/the-farm-1
- 4y ago
- jonahbenton 4y ago(2014)
- moistly 4y agoDang. I don’t see a way to edit the title now. Sorry.
- 542458 4y agoVanilla extract is listed - I’ve recently been using homemade extract. I originally did this because I ran out during a covid spike, but it works well enough that I’ll probably continue doing it. It’s relatively straightforward. Just chuck a split vanilla bean or two in with some strong liquor like tequila or vodka and let it sit for a month or two.
- orev 4y agoThings that are imitated are usually done so because the “real thing” is expensive and/or hard to get. This is like saying “why buy a fake Rolex when you can just buy a real one”. Sure, you can, but it pretty much misses the point of why imitations exist.
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- legitster 4y agoI've forgone real vanilla completely. It's expensive, inconsistent, and very bad for the environment. The taste we associate with real vanilla is it's imperfections anyway. So I'll cut artificial vanilla with a splash of bitters and bourbon and have found it to be generally superior for most recipes.
- millimeterman 4y agoGood vanilla extract is made using a more complex process than just putting vanilla in alcohol [1]. With that said, in most usages the differences between good extract, cheap extract, and even artificial extract are not noticeable [2]. 1. https://www.seriouseats.com/diy-vanilla-extract https://www.seriouseats.com/diy-vanilla-extract 2. https://www.seriouseats.com/taste-test-is-better-vanilla-extract-worth-the-price https://www.seriouseats.com/taste-test-is-better-vanilla-ext...
- 542458 4y agoThats an interesting pair of articles. Thanks for the links.
- wirthjason 4y agoWhile not a true counterfeit I'd be curious on the brands/foods/restaurants that increasingly add fillers to their products. As inflation rises companies turn shady tricks like less product for the same price and substituting ingredients to help offset the costs. These tricks tend to happen slowly so they go unnoticed to the average consumer.
- wolverine876 4y agoIs there evidence connecting fraud to inflation? Very generally, the cost of someone's income and expenses both increase. It also provides a way for sellers to increase costs, regardless of inflation, then blame inflation like it's a natural force. There was a NY Times article about it in the last few months.
- wirthjason 4y agoI’m not saying it’s outright fraud but companies change things and don’t tell the consumer. Im making up this example but let’s say you buy a coffee blend that’s composed of 60% bean A, which is more expensive, and 40% bean B. Then next week they flip the ratio, 60% B/40% A but still charge the same price. I can’t say it’s outright fraud but it kinda feels deceptive. Of course the company might say “consumers actually prefer the 2nd mix blah blah blah.” I found a this article pretty good. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-12/how-inflation-is-shrinking-food-portions-at-domino-s-burger-king-restaurants https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-12/how-infla...
- wolverine876 4y agoI understand, but I'm saying it's fraud. I think we somehow have lowered our standards for 'business'. If customers prefer the second mix, then there's no reason the vendor can't label it as such and let customers make up their own minds.
- wirthjason 4y agoI see what you mean. I totally agree. It’s a bit like a bait an switch. I’m not aware of any consumer protection laws against something like that. The only thing I could think of is either regulated products, like buying 2% milk that isn’t 2%. Or where it’s a obviously counterfeit. In the former case of regulation Bryers ice cream changed their labeling to remove “ice cream” because it doesn’t meet the USDA definition of ice cream and instead call it “frozen dairy dessert”. https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/is-your-favorite-ice-cream-posing-as-something-else/ https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/is-your-favorite-ice... The best people could do is vote with their dollars but it’s not always obvious.
- legitster 4y agoI remember an anecdote about Heinz insisting his products come in glass containers. Apparently at the time it wasn't unheard of for the bottom of canned goods to be packed with rocks or sawdust.
- grapeskin 4y agoAnd now we've returned to that era with overly large plastic packaging that's only 50% full, if that.
- em-bee 4y agofor a completely different industry (lego bricks) someone explained that the overly large packaging comes from automation. because the machines just drop stuff in an open box. an they need extra space to avoid overflow or parts falling off the side because they didn fall into the right place. just like you use a large funnel to avoid spillage even when a smaller one would do. i also read elsewhere that the products settle during transport. which at least makes sense for corn flakes and other similar shaped foods.
- krageon 4y agoIf this were the case, the air would not keep increasing relative to bag size. Leaving all that aside, the crisps I bought as a child came in bags with nowhere near this amount of "required" extra space. This is quite simply a deceptive marketing tactic to make you be at peace with getting less for more (or the same, best-case).
- aaron695 4y ago
- jhugo 4y agoLiving in southeast Asia, i just look for the spelling mistakes. Pretty sure Quaker Oats don't really put "seaving suggetions" on the tin.
- pleb_nz 4y agoNo wasabi?
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- artificialLimbs 4y agoI see butter didn't make the list. Butter quality has gone to shit in many brands recently, and some of it tastes like it was mixed with or is wholly pure margarine. Kerrigold was sued recently over their claim that their butter is from pasture raised cows. Edit: "has been" = was
- freddie_mercury 4y agoThis is a disingenuous comment. I just Googled the Kerrygold thing. A single person sued, making claims. Suit dismissed by judge four years ago.
- udit99 4y agohttps://twitter.com/Butterrespecter/status/1532764404617555968?s=20&t=xasYFdHs3bNc_X27RvWtrg https://twitter.com/Butterrespecter/status/15327644046175559...
- frank_nitti 4y agoWell, now that does seem pretty misleading on Kerrygold’s part. Very similar to the “from Italy” essentially meaning “spent a nonzero amount of time within Italy’s borders” in some cases, as the author called out. Likewise Kerrygold’s cows are “grass-fed” insofar as they’ve ingested grass at some point in their lives… I think it merits the criticism
- tptacek 4y agoNot only does this mean the customer overpays, but the fish that end up on the plate are often ones you wouldn't want to eat in the first place. Escolar, which often shows up instead of tuna, contains histamines that can cause very disturbing side effects... Escolar is delicious, and I'd be disappointed to learn that the "white tuna" I was getting was albacore (blech). Also: I don't think histamines have anything to do with the GI side effects of overconsuming escolar. The whole article is pretty weak. "Stay away" from artificial vanilla, it says, but then: Cooks Illustrated triangle-tested this with panels and found that in baked goods, artificial vanilla is actually what you want. Your cinnamon is... cassia! Look for real Ceylon cinnamon on the label! Why? Who's to say? The idea that you need to buy milk from local farms, or switch to nut milk, to avoid detergents is especially funny. I think they're just writing this stuff to grab attention, not because they have any insight into food counterfeiting. Belle Cushing was one year out of Brown when Conde asked her to put this together; I assume the research was a series of Google queries. It's annoying because there really are interesting (and problematic!) counterfeiting issues. I'm terrified of supermarket olive oil. Too bad Conde has no better advice than to find a "tasting bar".
- chrischen 4y agoI once bought a whole 6-8 inch block of dry-ice frozen escolar from some online sushi website and it caused some diarrhea (though not in any really bad way like an upset stomach—it just really lubricated your bowels). Also you'd have to eat a lot of it in one sitting. I read that it was due to indigestible oils, not histamines though.
- tptacek 4y agoYeah, you need to be careful with escolar; a piece or two of nigiri is all I'd risk with it. But the reason you have to be careful with it is that, in addition to being indigestible, it's very delicious. It's something you'd want to eat a bunch of! If this article had any credibility, I'd say it's ironic that the only places I've ever had escolar served as escolar are Michelin-starred. Publications have been trying to scare people with "counterfeit white tuna" for decades.
- supernova87a 4y agoUgh, "pork bung calamari scandal"?
- more_corn 4y agoYeah, this was the one I came looking for. Inverted pork anuses look just like calamari. If you’re not getting tentacles you’re getting pig butthole.
- pull_my_finger 4y agoThe article mentions pomegranate as a "super food".. something I've long wondered if these super foods are only "super" because at the time of discovery a lot of them are grown naturally and not commercially min/maxed for yield at the expense of nutrient panel etc.
- LargoLasskhyfv 4y agoHrm. I'm into that pomegranate thing, maybe not so much for the superfood thing, but because I simply like the taste. Anyways, there is an experience eating them, which I didn't have with any other food, so far. I only can compare this with the feeling of burning heat you'll get when for instance drinking strong alcohol(Brrr!), or chewing and swallowing a few pieces of raw garlic(Brrr!). Then one can feel a hot burning sensation, spreading out from the stomach, all over the tummy. Similar happens with pomegranates. But different, not hot and burning, just a good feeling warmth. And this happens only eating them raw, not from drinking juice, no matter if organic/direct pressed, or from concentrates. Still tastes good, but doesn't have the "effect". Doesn't really matter where they come from, the strength of the effect and the taste varies, it's all very variable, depending on ripe-/freshness? Similar as it is with apples. I've had very good ones out of season coming from Chile, had excellent ones from Iran, Türkiye, and elsewhere I can't remember right now. Whenever I see them in some grocer/supermarket I buy one ore two for testing, and when they are good I'll get one to two whole boxes whith about 25 to 30 of them. They store well, but it doesent really matter, since they are gone soon anyway :-) tl;dr: Raw good, juice mostly still tasty, but not as good.
- showerst 4y agoMaybe you’re just slightly allergic to pomegranates?
- LargoLasskhyfv 4y agoYou mean the feeling of warmth spreading out is an allergic reaction? If so I wouldn't care, because it feels good. I don't know how to describe this exactly. Maybe inducing a feeling of general wellbeing?
- lnsru 4y agoThe article is talking about expensive food. There is good German television series about industrial food processing. When you end with bacon chips without any bacon inside. Or wasabi product containing 0,07% wasabi. But heck, I just bought fake 2€ sanding paper. It looks like sanding paper, but does nothing to the sanding object while the real brand paper is super efficient and durable. I mostly assume that the goods I buy now are fake.
- crabbygrabby 4y agoI bought fake sand paper on accident two years ago or so. Was completely useless, but did appear like sandpaper....
- wirthjason 4y agoI don’t get it. How do you buy fake sandpaper? Was it on Amazon and you couldn’t feel it?
- giantg2 4y agoMy favorite was when I was buying Great Value "100% Natural Flavor" chocolate syrup... which contains vanillin. False advertise much?
- midislack 4y ago
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