LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
CAMP Fitness: What's in a Name? |
by Rick Moore |
Dave and I just got back from the movie theater and my nerves are still a little jangled from seeing The Sum of All Fears. Mighty good, and mighty scary, and mighty loud. It was very hard for me to watch Baltimore being nuked since I'm a native Baltimorean. It didn't quite affect Dave as much since he's from western New York. Did I say it was scary? Well, go see for yourself. And speaking of scary, I'd just read about a new food item coming to America. It's been sold in Europe for more than a decade and it will be arriving soon to the frozen food section of your supermarket. And this stuff is also being sold in your local natural foods store. What is it? Do you really want to know? Be forewarned. This mystery meat substitute is called "Quorn," a trademark. Sort of misleading because it sounds like the word "corn," except it isn't corn. Gosh, what will these food manufacturers think of next? Well, it's a fungus, and despite what the package says, it is not "mushroom in origin." Actually, it's found in nature but it was only discovered in the 1960s, hanging around in British soil. So from the land of scones and afternoon tea, we now have a delightful little fungus. This lovely food is grown and fermented-yes, I said that right-in vats. Other ingredients are mixed into this goo, such as wheat flour, oil, and spices. And egg whites are added, too. That should really help this stuff along, because it already sounds pretty vile. This concoction is mixed up and quick-frozen. One question I have: Who was the first person who came across this soil sample and said, "Gee, this stuff ought to be grown in vats, it'd taste terrific!" I thought scientists weren't supposed to eat their experiments. Anyway, back in the 60s, overpopulation and food shortages were big buzzwords, so there was a push to find a high-quality, low-cost food to help feed the masses. Now, Dave disagrees with me on this one. He says it's a great idea and that the Europeans love this stuff. We went online and found all kinds of Quorn recipes. Well, judging from what some of them eat...chocolate covered ants, snails, need I go on? Dave and I downloaded the "Quorn video," which showed all sorts of appetizing food and people raving about how great it tastes. The video ended with the question, "What is Quorn?" The only problem is, they didn't answer the question. The video ends there. I thought it would be cool to see the big fermentation vats, and maybe lower a camera in there to see what color the fungus really is. The new Quorn will be available in chicken nuggets that are breaded, chicken tenders, and beef-style grounds. The grounds are bits of Quorn that are to be added to a recipe. According to the manufacturer, Marlow Foods Limited, a division of AstraZeneca, the Quorn tenders and beef grounds are nutritionally the same as many soy-based meat products. If you really want all the details, you can go to www.quorn.com. Now, the Quorn meat-like items do have some advantages over real meat items. They have no cholesterol, more fiber, but less protein and more sodium. And expect your new Quorn meat-like products to be a little drier tasting (like grandma's thanksgiving turkey.) Vegetarians should be jumping for joy over this one, because they have an alternative to soy. We can all expect to see this new food in our freezers by September. No offense-but I am a carnivore, tried and true. I like my chicken to be real chicken, and I like my beef to be real beef. I don't like imitations. But there seems to be a little problem before Quorn's launch. The Center for Science in the Public Interest has a complaint filed with the FDA. This group, which deals with health issues, says that Quorn's labeling is deceptive and possibly misleading. It is a "mycoprotein," but the box labels are saying it is "mushroom in origin." CSPI wants the food to be labeled as what it is, a fungus. All mushrooms are fungi, but not all fungi are mushrooms. Many fungi are very different from the mushrooms you find in the supermarket. They also want the FDA to review the product and check for allergic reactions from this fungus among us. They are concerned that, since this food and its proteins have never been in the U.S. food supply before, it could cause bad reactions. The company counters by saying they have received very few reports of adverse reactions in Europe. Marlow Foods says allergic reactions tend to be similar to those caused by mushrooms (even though it is not a mushroom in any way) so that consumers have something to compare it to. But this has the mushroom growers upset, since people who don't like Quorn or have a reaction to it might unfairly blame mushrooms. I guess if Quorn proves to be a hit, McDonald's will offer their Chicken McNuggets in regular and Quorn versions. I tend to like my food real, thank you. I would imagine this product will be sold next to the tofu burgers, veggie hot dogs, and grain-based sausages. Oh, by the way, have any of you seen the movie Soylent Green? Scary! Rick Moore is a personal trainer certified by the American Fitness Professionals & Associates. Visit his club, Rick's Fitness & Health, in Milton, Delaware or www.ricksfitness.net, or call 302-684-3669. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 12, No. 07, June 14, 2002 |