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Jan Scott
Good news for moms. I read last week in The Globe and Mail that Loblaws has announced plans to remove all artificial colours and flavours from their signature line of President’s Choice products.
Artificial additives in food have quickly become one of the biggest nutritional issues for Canadians in recent years. Consumption of faux-coloured and flavoured foods has been linked to everything from allergies and ADHD, to behavioural problems and, in some cases, cancer.
While members of the medical and scientific communities are still divided as to whether there are risks with ingesting these products, most consumers don’t want to wait around for the professionals to form a cohesive opinion. Instead, according to the article, they are demanding there be a shift in the food manufacturing industry, and companies are starting to respond.
Loblaws will be the first Canadian chain to embrace this movement, and by the end of this year, all artificial colours will be removed from the PC line; the artificial flavourings will follow in 2013. Now that Loblaws is positioning itself as a company that is highly interested in our health, experts are predicting this could translate as a good move for their bottom line.
However, according to a professor at Ryerson University, we need to be cautious about assuming that all naturally enhanced products are good for us. Despite the lack of dyes and chemical flavourings, they may still contain stabilizers, preservatives and excessive amounts of sodium and sugar which aren’t good for our health either.
I’m curious, are artificial additives a concern to you when it comes to feeding your family?
A Fine Mess for Dessert
I’m convinced that messy food often tastes better than it’s perfectly plated counterpart, and this seasonal recipe is no exception.
Eton Mess, an English dessert comprised of meringues, whipped cream and fresh fruit, has been making an appearance on my table quite frequently lately and it may just have something to do with the influence of a certain TV show I’m semi-obsessed with (Downton Abbey, I’m looking at you!).
But the more I’ve been making it, the more I’m realizing that it’s a perfect back-pocket recipe for any home cook, and can easily be changed by whatever fruit you have stocked in your fridge. The meringues can be from scratch, or you can use store-bought ones instead, and the rhubarb can give way to summer berries, stone fruits, and pears or cranberries.
If you’re feeling tired of any of those, mashed bananas work great too, and the kids love that flavour combination. Once you know how to make this, your what-to-make-for-dessert dilemma will forever be solved.
Find the full printable recipe here: Rhubarb Eton Mess
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