Redefining Bread

The past few years of upheaval in how people grow, cook, think about, and eat food has left no corner of the supermarket untouched. Even bread, that most ancient, simple, beloved staple of diets around the world, has been the subject of both crisis and passionate revitalization. But behind every machine-sliced sandwich bread or carefully crafted artisan loaf is a simple question of language.

What do we actually mean when we say "bread"? The FDA has established a set of regulations, designed to protect consumers, that regulate how foods are labeled and identified. In many cases these rules are frightening reads as they clearly placate the food industry. At their best, these regulations restrict the labeling of so-called imitation foods, preventing producers from fooling consumers into buying and consuming products under false pretenses.

For example, according to the FDA, juice becomes a "drink," "beverage," or "cocktail" once it has been diluted to less than 100-percent juice derived from fruit or vegetables–great news for juice and the people who drink it. Juice with added ingredients must be labeled as "x-percent juice with added sweetener" or "x-percent juice with added preservatives." This allows consumers to differentiate real juice from the sugary drinks marketed as the same thing and select it as the healthier option. The same goes for cheese. Fake cheeses, made by melting and mixing already made cheeses and forcing their homogenization with emulsifying agents to form a "plastic mass," are identified properly as "process" cheese.

To read the rest of the story, please go to: Huffington Post