All too often we hear about people getting ill (sometimes seriously) from one food or another. Sometimes it is from surprising sources such as the 2018 recall of Kellogg’s Honey Smack cereal over concern of Salmonella infections. Now, there may be good reasons for not eating this cereal, such as 16 grams of sugar per ¾ cup serving, but I suspect that most of us do not expect to get a food-borne illness from it. How to keep ourselves safe from these illnesses is the subject of this Cooking Tip.

Often, the foods that make people ill are those we should be trying to eat more because of their health benefits such as fresh fruit & veggies. So, what can you do to prevent these illnesses from hitting you or your family?

It is good to be aware of food recalls or concerns. Our news outlets are pretty good about informing us. Another thing you can do is to sign up for food recalls from the USDA. Here is a link to do that. Be aware, though, that you will get notifications almost every day. Not all of them have to do with possible pathogens. Some of them are due to undeclared allergens or other sources of concern. The large majority of the notifications will not affect you at all.

Just as important, though, is to make sure that the fruits/veggies that you buy are clean before consuming them. The USDA recommends washing your produce under cold running tap water to remove any dirt & reduce bacteria. If there is a firm surface, such as on apples or potatoes, the surface can be scrubbed with a brush. Do not use detergent or soap as these are not approved for use on foods. You could ingest residues from soap or detergent absorbed on the produce. Note that the recommendation is just for plain water. You don’t need any special type of produce spray. If you really want to do more than just plain water, make a mixture of 1 part distilled white vinegar to 3 parts water. This is really not necessary, though.

This same advice applies to fruits/veggies that you are going to peel. You do not want to transfer pathogens from the exterior to the interior of the item with your peeler. So, wash before you peel.

There is a bit of debate over washing pre-washed, bagged greens. Although some recommend washing these items, many others say you are more likely to introduce contamination from your kitchen by doing so. Also, any pathogens left on pre-washed greens are probably so tightly adhered that washing them again in your kitchen is not going to do anything. This is the opinion of the USDA.

It is usually best to wait to wash produce right before consuming it. This is especially true of fragile items such as berries. Following this, proper storage is also important.

Finally, should you be buying organic? As we have seen with some recent recalls, organic produce is not immune from contamination. You may have other reasons for wanting to buy/consume organic produce, but it has been shown that modern methods of cleaning conventional produce result in a product just as clean as organic. For more information on organic produce, see this Tip.

The risk of not eating fresh produce and therefore lacking very important and much needed nutrients is higher than the risk of food-borne illness. Using common sense and the above guidelines should help encourage you to eat fresh and not be scared off by stories of contamination.

In the last Cooking Tip, I discussed what GMO Foods are as well as the health and safety claims made about them. There are critics, though, and in this Cooking Tip, I will discuss those. I strongly encourage you to read both Tips so you can make your own decision about whether or not to eat these foods.

One of the main organizations concerned with GMO foods in our diets is the Non-GMO Project. They are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that says it is “committed to building and preserving the non-GMO food supply for all.” Their mission is to offer a “rigorous product verification and trustworthy education that empowers people to care for themselves, the planet, and future generations.”

Their concern is that this biotechnology creates combinations of plant, animal, bacteria and virus genes that do not occur in nature or through traditional crossbreeding methods. They feel that we do not have enough “credible, independent and long term studies” to back up the claims of the FDA and others that GMO foods are safe and healthy.

They point to a statement by the Center for Food Safety entitled, Are GMOs safe? No consensus in the science, scientists say in peer-reviewed statement. They also encourage consumers to read the 2014 publication GMO Myths and Truths. There is also an updated and condensed version in book form.

They feel that the governmental Food Disclosure Standard discussed in my last Tip is lacking because of the exemptions to the labeling standard. Other concerns are the negative consequences on farmers and the environment. You can read more about these here.

In answer to the question of whether GMOs are safe, the Non-GMO Project states, “In the absence of credible, independent, long-term feeding studies, the safety of GMOs is unknown.”

The Project has what they term the “High Risk List,” a list of crops and inputs (defined as “any material or substance that is used in the production of a wholesale or retail consumer good that they feel have a high chance of being genetically modified.”) The following list are those considered high risk as well as being able to be tested for the presence of GMOs.

• Alfalfa
• Canola
• Corn (except popcorn)
• Cotton
• Papaya
• Soy
• Sugar beet
• Zucchini and yellow summer squash

They have other high-risk crops that they consider “non-testable” as they are not necessarily detectable by current tests.

• Canola
• Potato
• Soy
• Apple
• Eggplant
• Pineapple

Food derived from animals are also considered high-risk due to the prevalence of GMOs in animal feed. These include the following.

• Meat
• Dairy
• Eggs
• Wool
• Hides
• Honey
• Seafood
• Livestock and poultry feed
• Bee forage and feed
• Fish and other aquatic animal feed
• Any other materials or substances originating from animals

The Project raises the question of what they say is a double standard when looking at studies that claim no health or safety concerns from eating GMO foods and those that raise questions. The former studies are usually industry-sponsored while the latter are considered independent. Researchers raising questions are considered to be “GMO deniers” and are met with a “kill the messenger” response.

They have their own non-GMO symbol, which is given to products that go through their verification process. They also have a section on their website where you can search for verified products.

Although the Non-GMO Project doesn’t outline any specific health risk concerns, these are the ones to which most critics point.

• Toxicity – the concern is that genetically engineered foods are unstable, with a theoretical possibility of creating toxins.
• Allergic reactions – it is felt that this process can transfer allergens from foods that people know they are allergic to other foods that they think are safe. This was actually found when a gene from a Brazil nut was engineered into soybeans, causing an allergic reaction in those with a nut allergy. This product was abandoned and no further reports of allergic reactions have been made. Also noted is the possibility of creating proteins with the possibility of new allergic responses.
• Antibiotic resistance – critics warn that this bioengineering could create disease-causing bacteria that might be resistant to antibiotics. Some GMOs are engineered for antibiotic resistance and in theory, those genes could be transferred to humans who might develop the same resistance.
• Immunosuppression – this condition was supposedly found in an animal study looking at the effects on rats of the consumption of genetically engineered potatoes.
• Cancer – concern is about a genetically engineered growth hormone that is meant to increase milk production in dairy cows. This hormone had been banned by some regulatory bodies in Canada and Europe due to a possible link to some cancers.
• Loss of nutrition – this is a hypothetical concern about a negative impact on nutrient levels in bioengineered foods.

As I said at the beginning, I encourage you to read both this Tip and the prior Tip that outlines the opinion that GMO foods are safe and healthy. Only by educating yourself will you be able to decide what is best for you and your family. I will admit that if you decide to go GMO-free, it may be more difficult than you think given the increasing use of this technology and its presence in our food supply.

Do you have an opinion over the debate of GMO foods in our diets? Are those opinions based on research or media reports? In the next two Cooking Tips, I want to explore this subject so we can all make an informed decision. This Tip will explain what GMO means, why the process is done and the viewpoint that GMOs foods are safe and healthy to eat. In the next Tip, I will outline some of concerns about this trend.

GMO stands for “Genetically Modified Organism” and is defined by the FDA as “a plant, animal or microorganism that has had its genetic material (DNA) changed using technology that generally involves the specific modification of DNA, including the transfer of specific DNA from one organism to another.” This is also referred to as “genetic engineering.”

Another term you will see more and more is “bioengineered.” This is because in December, 2018, the “National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard” was published. This was pursuant to a 2016 law that “directed [the] USDA to establish this national mandatory standard for disclosing foods that are or may be bioengineered.”

The standard defines bioengineered foods as “those that contain detectable genetic material that has been modified through certain lab techniques and cannot be created through conventional breeding or found in nature.” Although implementation of this standard began in 2020, it wasn’t until January 1, 2022 that it became mandatory to have these items disclosed by food manufacturers, importers, and certain retailers. Exemptions include “food produced by very small food manufacturers, and food served in restaurants, food trucks, trains, airplanes, delicatessens and in similar establishments.” These “will not be required to bear bioengineered food labels, even if the product has bioengineered ingredients.”

The above standard requires this label to be on the bioengineered food.

If, instead the label says “Derived from Bioengineering,” the standard clarifies that these are not bioengineered foods. They state “such labeled foods do not contain detectable modified genetic material.

If a food product carries the “USDA Certified Organic” label, you can be sure there is nothing in in it that has been bioengineered as GMOs are prohibited in organic products.

The reasoning behind creating GMO crops is said to be to higher crop yields, less crop loss, longer storage life, better appearance and/or better nutrition.

GMO foods have been available to consumers since the 1990s. GMO crops grown in the US include the following although there are also non-GMO versions of these crops.

• Alfalfa
• Apples – Artic Golden Delicious, Artic Granny Smith and Artic Fuji
• Canola – canola oil is sold as an oil but also is found in many packaged foods.
• Corn – most of the corn grown in the US is GMO, about 92%.
• Cotton – besides being an important component of the textile industry, it is also used to make cottonseed oil, which is used in some packaged foods and for frying in some restaurants. Approximately 96% is GMO.
• Papaya
• Pink Pineapple
• Potatoes – only a few varieties are GMO.
• Soybeans – most of the soy (~94%) grown in the US is GMO.
• Summer Squash – one of the first GMO crops on the market but is not widely grown.
• Sugar Beets – more than half of the granulated sugar on our shelves is made from GMO sugar beets.

The majority of the GMO crops are meant for animal food but they can also end up in foods such as cereals, chips and vegetable oils. Although most fresh fruit and veggies are non-GMO, you may run across some GMO varieties as seen in the above list. The USDA keeps a list of bioengineered foods which can be accessed here.

According to the FDA, GMO foods are just as safe and healthy as non-GMO foods. They also say that they can be even healthier. An example they give is GMO soybeans used to make oil that replaces oils that contain trans-fats.

More than 95% of animals used for meat and dairy in the US eat GMO crops. The FDA states that the nutritional value, safety and quality of these products are equal to those from animals that only eat non-GMO foods. They explain that the engineered DNA that is in the food does not transfer into the DNA of the animal eating it.

They also claim that in some cases, GMO plants contain “plant-incorporated protectants” that make them more disease resistant and thus, reduce the need for many pesticides.

The FDA points to a 2016 Consensus Study Report entitled Genetically Engineered Crops: Experiences and Prospects and published by the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine to back up the following claims.

• GMOs are safe to eat.
• GMO foods are no more likely to cause allergic reactions than non-GMO foods.
• GMO foods are not related to celiac disease.
• There is no link between GMO foods and cancer.

Despite assurances by the FDA and industry experts, a 2016 publication by Ohio State University found that “There is a significant gap in the opinions of scientists compared to the general public about the safety of consuming GM foods: 37% of consumers feel that GM foods are safe, while 88% of scientists say that GM foods are safe.” Why is this? I think it is partially that consumers do not really understand genetically modified foods. It could also be a general mistrust in new technology as well as not trusting the studies. Stay tuned for the next Tip for more explanation of why this might be and what contrarian opinions say.

I never knew different honeys could taste so unique until about 10 years ago. Prior to that, I had only tasted a generic supermarket honey. At a roadside stand, I had an opportunity to taste over 20 different honeys and each had a very different flavor. When my husband began beekeeping, it was so interesting to taste the honey from year to year and how they differed. Why was this? Today you will also see unusual honeys such as “hot honey”. What is that? Those are the topics that I will discuss in this Cooking Tip. I have written a prior Tip on how to cook with honey and so will not discuss that in this Tip.

Most store-bought honeys are purposely blended to taste the same so the customer knows what to expect each and every time they buy it. Although sweet, it will not have the flavor nuances of natural honey. The latter can be so complex and varied that honey tasters use a Honey Tasting Wheel to help define the flavors. Here is an example of one.

There are really two ways that honey is flavored – natural and infused. In its natural state, honey’s flavor is totally dependent on the flowers on which the bees feast. Bees will forage up to 2-3 miles from their hive. What is in flower in that area is what will influence the flavor and color of the honey. My husband purposely plants abundant wildflowers that are native to Colorado. In season, you can see and hear the bees as they visit these flowers, eat the nectar and gather the pollen. He, therefore, labels his honey as “wildflower” honey. Even though the bees traveled outside of our property and will have visited other flowers, if it is labeled wildflower, the beekeeper believes that the honey was substantially produced from wildflowers.

Common varietals of natural honey include:

• Acacia
• Alfalfa
• Clover
• Orange Blossom
• Wildflower

Other varietals include many more than the following but here are a few,

• Avocado
• Blueberry
• Buckwheat
• Chestnut
• Eucalyptus
• Fireweed
• Sage
• Tupelo

Infused honey is a product where additional flavors have been added to the honey by allowing the particular ingredient to sit in the honey, a process called infusion.

Here is a list of just some of the ingredients used for infusing flavor into honey.

• Chili peppers
• Citrus
• Dried fruit
• Elderflower
• Herbs
• Honeysuckle
• Lavender
• Rose
• Spices – ginger, cinnamon, cardamon, cloves, etc.

Some people will heat the honey, which speeds up the infusion process. Heat is helpful when trying to extract flavors from dense items such as bark and roots. However, most experts say the heat can destroy some of the honey’s beneficial components. If not using heat, the process can take longer, up to a week or two or more but you do preserve all the healthy compounds.

At times, the name of the honey can be confusing. For example, lavender honey might be made naturally because the bees feast on lavender blooms or it might be made by infusing the honey with lavender. If the label says “infused” or “lavender flavored”, you will know it is the latter. If it just says “lavender honey”, you may not know for sure unless you are buying the honey from someone you can ask.

The FDA has published a guidance document that says “If a food consists of honey and a flavor ingredient, such as natural raspberry flavor”, the name should “accurately describe the food with its characterizing flavor, such as “raspberry-flavored honey”. Also, “the labeling must include the common or usual name of each ingredient …. For a food consisting of honey and natural raspberry flavor, the ingredient statement would show “honey” and “natural flavor,” in descending order of predominance.” You would hope that would be true for honeys you see on shelves, but it is not guaranteed. That does not mean that an infused honey is necessarily bad. It is just that you want to know what you are purchasing.

Do you like honey? Have you tried any of the myriad of different varietals? If not, I encourage you to seek out a farmer’s market, a roadside stand, a local beekeeper or a store that specializes in honey.

When you think of Fennel, do you think of the white bulb you can buy in the produce section or do you think of the little seeds that some of us have in our pantries? They are both from the same plant but have different uses. That is the subject of this Cooking Tip.

Native to the Mediterranean region, the fennel plant has a white bulb at the base and feathery fronds at the top. It produces seeds that are dried into a spice. Even the plant’s pollen can be gathered and used as a finishing spice.

Even though all of this is from the same plant, there are different types of fennel. Florence fennel is the one you will see in the store with its large bulb and sold as a vegetable. There is another variety, sweet or common fennel, that is a perennial plant grown for its fronds and seeds. It does not have a bulb. The above-mentioned pollen is normally harvested from the wild variety of this type of fennel. It grows many places but is especially abundant in California.

All parts of the fennel plant are edible. The white bulb of the Florence variety can be eaten raw or cooked. It is often used in ways similar to onions or celery. It can be very fibrous so it is best to slice thinly cross-wise or finely chop. The fronds can be used as a fresh herb and sprinkled on your dish.

The taste is licorice- or anise-like. Because of this, it is often confused with the anise plant. However, these are two different plants. They may look similar but anise does not have a bulb. Another difference is that the only edible part of the anise plant is its seeds, while the entire fennel plant is edible. In flavor, fennel has a less intense licorice flavor.

Grocery stores may mistakenly label fennel bulbs as anise bulbs. I have even seen it labeled as “Anise Fennel”. However, if it is a large white bulb, it is fennel, not anise.

When shopping for fennel, choose bulbs that are firm and white with no bruising or browning. The bulbs should be large in proportion to the stems and fronds that are attached. If put into a paper or plastic bag and stored in the crisper drawer, it should keep for up to two weeks. If you have cut the fennel, wrap it in plastic before putting in the refrigerator to minimize browning.

The seeds of the fennel plant can be bought in most grocery stores. It is a warm spice that can be used in both sweet & savory dishes. It is especially popular in Italian, Indian and Middle Eastern cooking. One place you will commonly find it is in Italian sausage. It is also often used in spice blends and dry rubs. Many infuse it in hot water as a type of tea. It can be used whole or ground. If whole, crack the seeds slightly before using to release the oils. As with the fresh fennel, it has a sweet and subtle licorice-like taste.

Fennel pollen is very expensive, just below saffron and vanilla. As mentioned earlier, it is harvested from wild-growing fennel. Its appearance is of golden-colored granules. Its flavor is said to be complex. One source describes its flavor as “licorice and citrus and a honeyed, marshmallow-like sweetness”. Due to the flavor profile and the cost, it is best to use as a finishing spice as a garnish over veggies, meat, pasta or added to a dip for bread.

Do you use fennel? I use it occasionally. One of my favorite uses is in this Peach & Fennel Slaw from Food & Wine, perfect for the upcoming summer months. I hope you enjoy it.