How and when to Shop for fresh food in Brit country…
For the most part while in Brit country you will find similar foods as in Yank country. Whether in the grocery stores, restaurants or pubs, you’ll find chicken, beef, pork, hamburgers, turkey, fish (cod, haddock, shrimp (Brit Prawns, etc.), all the same types of veggies (carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, etc.) and same types of fruits (strawberries, raspberries, grapes, blueberries, bananas, etc.).
However, when my youngest son came for a visit, he thought the meats tasted “gamey”. That’s an expression we use back in the states for meats like venison, duck, or other free-range and fresh meats. I believe the gamey taste here vs. the states has to do with the number of preservatives and additives we use in the states in our food. The food in the UK is fresher and less preserved.
I found out the hard way that I cannot shop here in England for a week or two at a time like I used to in the U.S. The fruit here is good for only 2-3 days before it begins to mold, same with veggies. Even deli meat which I would buy in the states would last for a week or more in the fridge, but here the lunch meats last about the same as the fruit, 2-3 days. And sliced cheese?–not long at all! I chalk this up to the amount of sodium and other preservatives we use in the states, which are not used here in England, or for that matter, in Europe. I now shop for meats in advance and freeze them. But for fruits, veggies, deli meat, etc., we hit the local market every 2-3 days and get the fresh items. It’s actually nice to pick out the go-withs on the day you’re planning your meal!
Read some facts I learned while researching food preservatives in the U.S. vs. England and Europe:
- The U.S. adds preservatives to foods to keep them fresh.
- The U.S. adds chemicals to foods to make them look more appealing.
- Food poisoning in the US affects 14% of the population annually. This is 10 times greater than in the UK, where 1% is affected. (Makes you wonder, is keeping the food fresh and looking more appealing worth a 13% increase of food poisoning?)
- In 2006 the American Medical Association concluded that middle-aged whites in England are significantly healthier than middle-aged whites in the United States.
“Americans have more diabetes. Americans have more heart disease. Americans have more respiratory disease and other diseases, as well,” Marmot says.”
Have a read:
https://www.npr.org/2006/05/03/5377794/study-finds-english-are-healthier-than-americans
A few products which are not even available in England and/or Europe due to the ingredients and effects of they have:
Ritz Crackers
This namesake cracker contains partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil, which is a trans-fat that is currently banned domestically and is limited in many other countries like Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, Iceland, Norway, and Denmark.
INGREDIENTS: Unbleached enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate {vitamin B1}, riboflavin {vitamin B2}, folic acid) , canola oil , palm oil, sugar, salt, leavening (calcium phosphate, baking soda) , high fructose corn syrup, soy lecithin, natural flavor.
Mountain Dew
This American soft drink is banned in Japan and parts of Europe because it until recently contained a flame retardant. Consumption and exposure to flame retardants are linked in studies to affecting Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), autism, memory loss and nerve issues.
INGREDIENTS: Ingredients Carbonated Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Concentrated Orange Juice, Citric Acid, Natural Flavor, Sodium Benzoate (Preserves Freshness), Caffeine, Sodium Citrate, Erythorbic Acid (Preserves Freshness), Gum Arabic, Calcium Disodium EDTA (to Protect Flavor), Brominated Vegetable Oil, Yellow 5.
Poptarts
Pop-Tarts are considered a popular breakfast pastry in the U.S., but in Europe, the toaster favorite is partially banned because it contains food dyes.
INGREDIENTS: Enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, vitamin B1 [thiamin mononitrate], vitamin B2 [riboflavin], folic acid), corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, dextrose, soybean and palm oil (with TBHQ for freshness), sugar, bleached wheat flour. Contains 2% or less of wheat starch, salt, dried strawberries, dried pears, dried apples, leavening (baking soda, sodium acid pyrophosphate, monocalcium phosphate), citric acid, gelatin, modified wheat starch, yellow corn flour, caramel color, xanthan gum, cornstarch, turmeric extract color, soy lecithin, red 40, yellow 6, blue 1, color added.
M & M’s
Europe is much stricter over the ingredients in food than the U.S. Some of the products are different depending on where you buy them. While M&Ms in the U.S. are made using artificial colors, they’re still sold in Europe where there’s a ban or warnings against those additives—but only because the batches across the pond are made using natural colors instead.
M&M’s in the US contain artificial colors Yellow 5 (tartrazine), Yellow 6 (sunset yellow), and Red 40 (allura red) but not in Europe.
(There was a petition in 2014 for Mars Inc. to give the U.S. the same quality ingredients in M&Ms as Europe, the company said it would stop using artificial dyes, although that still hasn’t happened)
In my mind, when I started thinking about this post, I wasn’t prepared for the direction I ended up traveling. Once I started typing, this post took a different turn than what I had originally planned. Please don’t take my thoughts as either for against any of these products. I enjoyed them and my kids and grandkids enjoy them! But…information is never a bad thing!
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