Been hearing and reading reports about how the foods we buy don't actually have the contents we think we're buying. We pay for higher quality and are being given lower quality, so the sellers can make more profits. What do you think about this? Is there anything that can be done to correct the situation? Should we all be posting complaints to places like change.com or whatever? What say you?

Jabber, I guess I'm naive, because I thought we had laws against this sort of stuff. But I haven't seen the articles you speak of, so I don't have anything more to go on than your alert... If what you say is true, it's outrageous.

I know packaged items are getting smaller for the same price, but since we don't normally buy packaged stuff, it's not a big deal for us. We buy fresh produce, and we buy many other items in bulk, like rice, pasta, beans, etc. The prices per pound have gone up, so I'm thinking that's why the packaging is smaller.

Ah, that sort of thing!! Yes, I have noticed in recent weeks that my orange juice doesn't seem to be available in the store in gallons anymore. Instead, the containers are more like 2.5 quarts - and for roughly the same price the gallons used to be.

But I seem to recall that consumers were warned several months ago that due to the freeze in the orange groves last winter, and the drought in the Midwest last summer that devastated the corn crops -- and thus was slated to bump up the price of feed for livestock as well as any other products which rely on corn for their processing -- that food prices would be forced to go up. Simple economics, of course.

So I guess instead of raising the prices, manufacturers have chosen to keep the prices the same and reduce the amount of product received for the money...

At least that's my guess as to what is going on... anyone have hard facts?

The report on TV over the weekend mostly focused on seafood.
They said a large percentage of USA seafood is imported. And there isn't a close regulation on it. Tuna and some higher end fish are replaced with lesser quality items, but labeled a higher grade. That bums me out because I like Albacore.

This morning they were talking Bud being sued for waterin down its beer. Same idea as what I'm talking about, just different products.

Food..we have a scandal here where horse meat has entered the meat chain..by cheating abatoirs...more worrying is that some horses have drugs not suitable for humans in the sample.
The horse dna is being found from Europe/Ireland and England.

I shop at a local butcher so have no worries.Its mainly burger/meat balls and pies that have been found to be at fault..Some has has been found in school and hospital food.

I know some people choose to eat horse meat in France but this has been labeled as beef .There is evidence of pork also...a worry for religious groups who don't eat pig..Seems that scruples and conscience does not matter in some manufacturers mind.

Here's the report. "Food Fraud: 8 Hoaxes To Look Out For at the
Grocery Store; and this is the statement that turned my head.
"It's easy to sell a piece of fish as one species when in reality it's another species." USA currently inports 85% of seafood, 39% of fruits and nuts, 18% of vegetables.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/20/food-fraud-hoax-grocery-store_n_1439995.html


scroll down the page to get to the "fishy" story; pun intended

This is very concerning. I thought most countries have strict laws against this sort of stuff...

Well it makes you wonder what the FDA is doing these days!