Happenings on the Ranch

I am an avid ice cream eater.  Always have been.  And for a very long time the only commercially available ice cream I chose to eat was Breyers simply because there was nothing “extra” in their recipe.  Just cream, eggs, sugar and whatever else was there for the particular flavor.  Not artifical flavors, but real strawberries or chocolate.

It had been a while since I actually read the label on my Breyers container.  I noticed when they changed the size of the package.  It was no longer a full 1/2 gallon, but 1.5 quarts while the price remained the same.  Okay, I could live with that.  Other companies were doing the same, anyway.  I continued to buy the product because it didn’t have a bunch of fillers or over-processed ingredients.  I noticed the texture wasn’t quite the same as I was used to, but I thought that was because I generally make my own ice cream at home and was accustomed to that texture.

The package looked the same as it always had.  The “All Natural” print was still there in the same place it had always been.  For some reason the other day during my shopping trip I actually turned the package around.  Maybe it was because I had been looking at the cheaper ice creams to see what their ingredients were.  Maybe because I was looking at all the ingredient lists on my items that day and did it out of habit.  Whatever the reason, I looked.

Imagine my surprise when the list seemed unusually long.  Imagine my even greater surprise when I saw several additional ingredients on my Natural Vanilla ice cream that included, of all things, corn syrup!  Corn syrup?  In my Breyers?  Say it ain’t so.  In addition to the cream being replaced by skim milk, there were a few other “natural” ingredients on that list that weren’t there before.  Tara gum, natural flavoring (instead of vanilla!).  I put the carton back in the freezer case in disgust.

I don’t understand it.  Their product was just fine the way it was.  And I never minded paying more for that carton because I knew – and was able to actually pronounce – the ingredients.  Are they in financial difficulty?  Do they need to add these fillers and cheaper ingredients in order to increase their profit margin?  Whatever the reason, I can’t stand it.  And I won’t buy it.  But how long ago did they change?  And just what are these ingredients?

Turns out that shortly after Unilever took over the Breyers brand, they began adding tara gum to the list of ingredients.  This supposedly was in response to consumer comments about the difference in texture between Breyers and other brands.  According to Unilever PR representative Golin Harris, “When consumers expressed concern over the texture of our products, we responded. By adding a natural gum to Breyers All Natural Vanilla ice cream, we’ve helped to protect the product’s texture while staying true to our all-natural commitment. We use tara gum from natural plant sources to help Breyers ice cream stay creamier and more enjoyable for longer periods of time.”  Natural?  Guar gum is “natural” too, but Breyers commercials used to make fun of companies that used that ingredient.  So I did a little research on what tara gum is.

According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, tara gum is a stabilizer and thickener derived from the peruvian carob or tara plant that has been deemed safe for use as a food additive.  Other “natural” uses for the peruvian carob?  Manufacture of furniture leather and killing fleas.  Great.  So I’ll be nicely preserved and flea free.  Rabbit droppings and rat tails are “natural” too but I don’t want them in my ice cream, either.

Okay, thickener to make the texture more consistent.  I get it.  But where is the cream and vanilla?  Why skim milk and natural flavors instead?  Due to this change Breyers can no longer even be labeled as ice cream!  It now has to be labeled as a “frozen dairy dessert.”

I took a look at the list of other brands Unilever has conquered over the years.  I had always known their company for making soaps (Lever 2000 and Lifebuoy), cleaning products (Surf detergent) and toiletry items (Suave, Sure, Q-Tips, etc.).  But they own many more food brands than I could have thought.  Some of the brands on their list?  Ben & Jerry’s, Cup-A-Soup, Good Humor, Hellmann’s/Best Foods, Lipton, Skippy, Wish-Bone and more.  I know Hellmann’s Mayonnaise used to just be eggs, vinegar and lemon juice.  Now?  Add soybean oil, natural flavors and calcium disodium.  Skippy “Natural” peanut butter has palm oil in it.  I’m thinking peanut butter should really only have, um, peanuts in it?  Maybe some salt.  I don’t think any recipes for homemade peanut butter say, “Add 1/4 cup palm oil and blend thoroughly.”

I like to make my own ice cream and other foods (butter, cheese, breads, etc.) as often as I can.  But sometimes I don’t have fresh cow’s or goat’s milk available.  Or I just don’t have time to make everything from scratch.   I like to be able to buy items  and have the ingredient list as close to what I make at home as possible.  I’m finding it increasingly harder to go to a ‘regular’ grocery store in our area and be able to buy items that aren’t filled with crap.  I may very well have to start making the 45 minute drive (one way) over to Whole Foods to do my shopping so I can find a variety of items that are truly all natural.

Apparantly, I missed the reading the Breyer’s label for a long time.  Shame on me for not looking.  But really, Breyers, shame on you.

I was so excited Friday because just about all of our seeds and planting materials.  Visions of spring, seedlings, plants and sun began dancing in my head.  I was prepared to begin setting up my planting area in the basement and get some tomato, pepper and eggplant seedlings started.

Of course, I woke up today to nothing but icy, slushy weather.  Doing the outside chores turned into a slip sliding mess reminiscent of an Olympic competition.  Once I got through the slush my boots would sink deep in the mud and want to be suctioned off my feet.  After that I just wasn’t in the mood to do any planting.  Hopefully the sun will come out this week and put me back in the mood!

Many of us recognize the brand SunChips® as a healthy snack that has made a concerted effort to promote not only good health, but good stewardship of the land.  SunChips has long touted their chip not only as a healthy, whole grain snack but one that is environmentally conscious.  When Planet Green and Discovery Network presented their series about the rebuilding of Greensburg, KS, SunChips donated $1 million to help build a solar-powered “Business Incubator” designed to help small businesses get back up and running there.  SunChips also advertises that their production facility in Modesto, CA is operated partially on solar power.  Granted, their Modesto plant is one of eight plants that make SunChips but, as the company states, it’s a step in the right direction.

Now the company is taking another step forward.  Beginning Earth Day 2010, SunChips will use fully compostable packaging.  One-third of their current bags are already made from renewable, plant-based materials.  The new bags are designed to fully compost within 14 weeks when placed in a hot, active compost bin or pile.  A pretty fitting way to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day.

This just goes to show that large corporations can make a difference, whether they admit it or not.  So many of them make excuses for their practices by saying it can’t be done or is too costly to do in an environmentally friendly way.  These companies should take a page from SunChips’ book and rethink the way they do business.  Our society is too “throw away” as it is.  Individuals are thinking more and more about conserving and recycling.  Why should corporations be any different?

Until next time.  ~Karin