What's In Your Food?

Andy Rooney Takes A Gander At Food Ingredients

(CBS)  This segment was first broadcast on Oct. 7, 2007.

The following is a weekly 60 Minutes commentary by CBS News correspondent Andy Rooney.

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I don't think many people read the labels listing the ingredients on packages of food they are going to eat. They don't want to ruin our appetite.

I find that sometimes what isn't in something is more surprising than what is in it. For example, there's something called "Strawberry Cream." Can you guess what two ingredients there aren't any of in Strawberry Cream? Why strawberries and cream, of course. Not a single strawberry listed, and the only cream is cream cheese. They've got "high fructose corn syrup" in there. "Modified starches" ... "partially hydrogenated soybean oil" but don't look for a strawberry.

It's surprising how many things have "partially hydrogenated" stuff in them. As far as I know we don't have a single bottle of "partially hydrogenated" anything in our kitchen.

There's a little box of Lemon Jello. It's not real lemon. It says it's "Naturally Fat Free." I guess its "Naturally Lemon Free," too, but it doesn't mention that. The picture on the box is a real lemon but it says "Artificial Flavor." I suppose artificial lemon is cheaper than real lemon but I don't know why that should be.

There is a box of stuff called "Key Lime Bars." Limes are green of course and there's a lot of green on the box but no sign of a lime in it anywhere. It recommends adding two drops of green food coloring, if you like green food.

There's a box of "Sweet Potato Pancake Mix Artificially Flavored." Do artificially flavored sweet potatoes appeal to you?

There is called "Hamburger Helper." It's guaranteed by Betty Crocker. I don't know why they don't leave poor Betty alone. We all know there is no such person -- never was such a person -- as "Betty Crocker." "Betty Crocker" is a crock.

There's a can of College Inn Chicken Broth. It contains less than one percent of the following ingredients: salt, dextrose, chicken fat, monosodium glutamate, hydrolyzed wheat gluten protein, natural flavor, water, autolyzed yeast extract.

You may have noticed I have a cold. I'm trying to get over it by taking partially hydrogenated, artificially-flavored cough syrup!

[threee711]

I am a big Andy fan, but I really wished he had done his homework on "partially hydrogenated". This is the process that produces trans fats. The process does nothing for society, and only benefits food producers. It''s in everything and should be banned.
Earl E Ellis
Pinehurst NC

[balloonartis]

Andy -- More fun than the odd long words in the labels, is the simple Beer label. Look at that -- If one is to believe the US Gov''t, there is NO ALCOLHOL in beer. At least not according to the label. Wine and Liquire list alcohol, but not beer.

[smolloy2]

This would be a subject that is probably too controversial for 60 minutes to do as a full headline show, but myself and many people like me see the "murder", for a lack of a better word, all around us. All our cancers and diseases are not a simple fact of life! Look up on the web about Partially Hydrogenated Oil, then walk through the grocery store and see all the products that have this included(almost everything!) Our government/FDA is quietly killing our citizens all for profit and the everyday US citizen is completely unaware and uneducated. My wife likes to say "If you can''t read it, don''t eat it". I have an email from the FDA that was regarding a question that I had about this certain chemical listed in my daughter''s food (sulfur dioxide). Their response/answer was disturbing/embrassing of the FDA.

I implore 60 Minutes to bring this to light for the American public as a full headline story.

[crclink1]

Great show, Andy. You are right on! The only way to solve the U.S. health care problem is for a LOT of people to read labels and put most of the so-called foods back on the shelf. If they can''t sell them they will quit making the junk additives which make you sick. I eat natural foods, I''m 85, don''t take any prescription drugs, in no pain, and enjoy life. I do my own garden work and enjoy creating art objects in my spare time. I don''t have health insurance but I don''t need any.

[laa39]

Hahaha... Great commentary: ) I just love irony. Please tell me that you are going to come out with another book.

[zebulum1]

well i must be one of the damed lucky ones never get sick eat what ever i want at 40yrs old i have the body and hart of a 18 yr old dont have a micro wave i like rose pedels fresh off the flower just plain and i can eat 2 number 2os at good old micky d,s and any thing eals i want but i dont sleep all day and i like to swing at the park at the play ground i should im the ceo there i like orange pilings and a big hunck of extra rare red meat coffee is good o ya lots of soda pop and candy all kinds chocholet gummy sowers hard candy plus i can eat a whole bag of chips at onces im 5,9 and way in at 137 well you all be good and ill watch what you eat cus i might want some im a growen boy you know got ta keep up my streinght and get well soon andy you oll buzzerd eat some candy chees burgers soda pop and well find some home maid chickin soupe at a good delly as allways alexander usa alaska ps. all you brainy acks on food get a clue!

[eggy1620]

If you think this is bad, you need to check out www.dhmo.org. Very scary.

[usbrit-2009]

Threee711 - Hydrogenation is actually the chemical process that turns carbon-carbon double bonds into single bonds (saturated bonds). Only a double can be trans (or it''s opposite, cis), so "partially hydrogenated" lowers the trans content but raises the level of saturated fats.

[mishalas]

After watching the show, I was in my local 7-Eleven getting my afternoon snack (Hostess Fruit Pie), and I noticed it said "Naturally and Artificially Flavored", and after reading the ingredients noticed that it really had blackberries in it. So at least some products do contain real or natural flavors...

[gaye5]

sevenveils, I too have read this,, and it has happened many times in history...
Earth''s magnetic field is the result of activity deep inside the core, which contains very hot molten metal. Earth''s magnetic axis lies at an angle of 12 degrees from its axis (the one Earth rotates around). This magnetic field is very useful to navigators, who have used compasses on the high seas for a very long time. It is believed that from time to time, Earth''s magnetic field reverses. There is evidence to support that in the last 3.6 million years, Earth''s magnetic field has reversed nine times. Why this reversal occurs is unknown, but the planet''s magnetic field NOW is over 6% weaker than the magnetic field of the late 1890''s. This means that we may be undergoing another reversal. Ooooh...
perhaps it is natures way of re balancing areas that man destroys..

[juwboy]

USBrit:

I`m almost 10 months too late, but...

Vegetable oils contain cis double bonds.

Partial catalytic hydrogenation of vegetable oils produces a mixture of three classes of fat:

1. Unchanged, cis-unsaturated oil.

2. Saturated fats.

3. Trans-unsaturated fats formed by the isomerization of the cis-unsaturated oil.