What on Earth????? Grape Flavored Apples?

[susiestar]

I was at Walmart getting veggies for husband to take to a potluck at work tomorrow and the lines were long. The lady in front of me bought pre=peeled and sliced apples. That isn't new or anything. But these were grape flavored.

I cannot figure out why you would want to add grape flavor to apples. Is this a common thing? These were in indiv packages for lunchboxes I guess. I just cannot figure out why anyone would think of it.

Am I strange to think maybe our kids should eat grapes and apples instead of making the apples taste like grapes? I haven't seen these before here, but I don't generally look at the pre-sliced apples and other fruits. I go for the baby carrots and if husband has a party and I am busy the pre cut up broccoli/cauliflower, but usually we buy the whole thing and cut it up. Esp as I don't like the tops of the broccoli and only like hte stem. It's a texture thing.

When did apples need to be sweetened, much less changed to grapes? Some of this stuff just boggles my mind. Makes me wonder what else is in those apples too.

 

[Hound dog]

Susie..........do some research on "baby carrots" you'll not eat them again. They're not baby carrots..........

WTH would you want one fruit to taste like another?? Why not just by grapes?

Of course I'm still trying to figure out why on earth people pay more to have them peeled. lol Peeling is easy..........and it's the best part of the apple, nutrition wise!

 

[InsaneCdn]

Novelty... but it's been around for a while. "Plain" apples are just too "boring". (NOT)

 

[witzend]

Yuck!

Here's the real scoop on baby carrots. They're getting a bum wrap for some reason right now, I'm not sure why. Probably to get your kids to stop eating them. They are indeed bathed in chlorine, but there's nothing nefarious in that. The water you use from your tap has more chlorine in it than a baby carrot.

http://www.snopes.com/food/tainted/carrots.asp

 

[susiestar]

Thanks, Witz. There is a LOT of food hysteria out there and it takes some research and a bit of common sense to figure out what is real. Marketing people on all sides of food issues are busy busy people and many do a great job. The food pyramid is an excellent example. I knew several people who were involved in the creation of the current food pyramid and the placement of foods in the pyramid has at least as much to do with marketing and politics and economics as it does to nutrition.

 

[InsaneCdn]

Witz... the real problem with "baby" carrots is that they are not baby carrots. They are big carrots, whittled down to size. Given that most of the nutrition is near the skin... what is left really doesn't have much food value.

 

[Hound dog]

What IC said..........is what I meant.

If I'm paying for "baby" carrots, then by darn I'd better be eating baby carrots. But the ones in the stores aren't. Baby carrots are really sweet, never bitter. Explains why those carrots in the store aren't that great. If it's a whittled down full size carrot..........then by darn might as well save me some money and just buy a bag of full size carrots and cut them into sticks.

My grands eat them. No problem with how they clean them.........I'd rather them be bathed in chlorine than NOT bathed in it.........if you get my drift.

 

[witzend]

Witz... the real problem with "baby" carrots is that they are not baby carrots. They are big carrots, whittled down to size. Given that most of the nutrition is near the skin... what is left really doesn't have much food value.

And yet, they're healthier for you than french fries or candy, and cost about the same. They're going to make them whether you buy them or not, so why not do something with crooked carrots that makes kids want to eat them?

It's important for consumers to read and understand labels. "Baby Carrots" are "Baby Carrots". "Baby-Cut Carrots" are odd shaped carrots cut into two inch long slices and rounded at the edges. If kids eat them, what is the problem?

 

[donna723]

What amazes me is that people are so willing to pay twice as much for apples just to have someone else peel and slice them for them! Have we grown that lazy? Nobody is that busy! And do we really need grape-flavored apples? There is a difference between "convenience foods" and just plain silly! For example ... our grocery store sells baking potatoes either loose by the pound or in a bag. But now they also sell individual potatoes that have already been washed and wrapped in aluminum foil - just pop them in the oven! They are approximately twice the price of the loose baking potatoes in the bin! And yes, people buy a lot of them! These people are perfectly willing to pay twice as much just to avoid having to prep them themselves! Really! I mean, how long does it take to wash a potato and wrap it in foil? And these are probably the same people who complain about their grocery bills being so high!

 

[InsaneCdn]

Witz... "If kids eat them, what's the problem?"... well, around here, for a lot of families, it's the ONLY carrot they ever see... and pretty much the only raw veggie (most of the others don't come pre-prepared enough...). And THAT, I have a problem with. I will confess to using them on occasion... as in, we're on a road trip, we've eaten to the bottom of the cooler already, and the driver has decided we're going "straight through"... and we stop at a grocery store and grab stuff we can eat without much prep... and these fall into that category. At least we're getting healthy fiber, and a good "crunch" that helps keep the driver awake. But we don't fool ourselves into believing that these are a substitute for "real" carrots. Highly pre-prepared foods should not ever be part of our regular diet - and yes, French fries also fall into the "highly pre-prepared foods" category for most people (most of us don't have the time or patience to make from scratch).

 

[MyFriendKita]

Baby carrots are "real" carrots; read the entire snopes entry. And the reality is, busy people are going to use a lot of "highly pre-prepared foods," as you put it. If my kid ate only one vegetable, I would be ecstatic if it were baby carrots.

 

[witzend]

Witz... "If kids eat them, what's the problem?"... well, around here, for a lot of families, it's the ONLY carrot they ever see... and pretty much the only raw veggie (most of the others don't come pre-prepared enough...). And THAT, I have a problem with. I will confess to using them on occasion... as in, we're on a road trip, we've eaten to the bottom of the cooler already, and the driver has decided we're going "straight through"... and we stop at a grocery store and grab stuff we can eat without much prep... and these fall into that category. At least we're getting healthy fiber, and a good "crunch" that helps keep the driver awake. But we don't fool ourselves into believing that these are a substitute for "real" carrots. Highly pre-prepared foods should not ever be part of our regular diet - and yes, French fries also fall into the "highly pre-prepared foods" category for most people (most of us don't have the time or patience to make from scratch).

If these are the only vegetable these families ever see, why would you want to take them away from them? Are they as good as carrots bought whole and prepared by you at home? No. Are those as good as organic carrots bought whole and prepared by you at home? No. Are those as good as organic carrots grown in your garden and not peeled and eaten whole? No. So, where do you draw the line for poor and/or busy people who'd prefer to give their children something other than candy or french fries to snack on?

They are REAL carrots, cut to a two inch length, and rounded at the edges. They are purchased by people who prefer to purchase prepared foods for their families. It is a carrot. I don't get why you're so upset that someone chooses to buy prepared vegetables for their children. Do you have the same problem with frozen peas or beans? Do you have the same problem with canned tomato sauce?

It's disturbing to me that you didn't even bother to read the article that describes exactly what these carrots are - which is not in any way "highly prepared". They're cut, rounded, washed, and packed. It's not how I choose to eat, but for a lot of families this is the ONLY vegetable - a real carrot peeled and cut for them - that their children are ever going to see. What do you have against that? Have you ever met a teenager who doesn't know how to peel an orange? I have. Do you know why? Because no one ever bought them ANYTHING other than MacDonalds.

You're entitled to your opinion and to shop for your family how you prefer to shop, but to call cut carrots that would otherwise be tossed out as garbage "not real food" is beyond the pale. Why would you not want other families who may not be as fortunate as you or I to have access to carrots? How does this affect you in Canada? Certainly you have different food regulations there.

 

[witzend]

Baby carrots are "real" carrots; read the entire snopes entry. And the reality is, busy people are going to use a lot of "highly pre-prepared foods," as you put it. If my kid ate only one vegetable, I would be ecstatic if it were baby carrots.

Agreed. I tend to think of "highly prepared foods" as things like canned soup or Hamburger Helper. Crooked carrots that are cut, washed, and packaged don't even come close to highly prepared. Buyer beware - if someone objects to "baby-cut carrots", they should be sure that they are buying "baby carrots" rather than spread spam that claim that all baby carrots are soaked in bleach until they are eroded to a better size.

Anyone remember the Alar scare? I do. I was in Oregon, and it nearly killed the apple industry. It's irresponsible to spread health scare rumors about foods.

As for pre-cut, pre-peeled apples, carrots, etc., I don't buy them. I prefer fresh. Most of which have been washed in bleach water and coated with a wax preservative.