You Get What You Pay For…and If You’re Lucky, a Little Less!

So nobody wants less than they paid for, especially when you had to pay more to get that “less.” Say what? I know, that was a little confusing, but it’s what went through my head when curiosity had me looking at the back of a can of garbanzo beans. Hear me out. When it comes to shopping, I’m kind of hit or miss when it comes to buying organic products. I would love to tell you, yep, only organic for my family! But then reality hits, usually in the form of the price tag, and I grab the non-organic product and tell myself it doesn’t make a difference. After all, there’s no real difference in organic and non-organic products, right? Well in the case of these garbanzo beans, the non-organic bean came with a few extra ingredients in the form of calcium chloride (firming agent) and disodium EDTA added to promote color retention. EDTA…what in the world is that?? I had to look it up. EDTA stands for Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid—no wonder they went with EDTA—who can pronounce that?! From what I could find out, EDTA is a chemical that is added to certain foods and beverages to help them keep their color and flavor. It appears in foods and cosmetic products to prevent air from spoiling them by introducing unwanted oxygen into the products’ molecular structures. I couldn’t find that there was anything harmful about the chemical, other than the complicated pronunciation, which may cause injury when said aloud!

So what about calcium chloride? According to Livestrong.com, calcium chloride can cause a burning pain in the stomach, nausea and vomiting if ingested. To avoid ingestion, it is recommended you do not eat, drink or smoke while working with calcium chloride. If you accidentally ingest calcium chloride, drink plenty of water and contact a physician immediately. Um, hello, why is it in my food then if I’m not supposed to eat it? You don’t even want to know what it can do to your skin or lungs—or your pets! I did some more research and as it turns out, when ingested in small amounts, it shouldn’t be dangerous and is generally recognized as being safe by the FDA. Ah, big sigh of relief knowing that, right? What I actually thought was, “I wonder if little amounts consumed over a long period of time is bad for you?” I don’t have an answer and it’s unlikely the food industry will say anything to the contrary, but it does make you think twice.

So back to that can of garbanzo beans. I looked at the organic variety of the same generic, store brand bean and the ingredients were simply garbanzo beans, water and sea salt. For just a few cents more, I got less. And in this case, I was OK with that, though I did wonder why the non-organic variety required the extra additives. Does it mean I’ll only buy organic from here on out? Probably not. But in the case of these garbanzo beans, I’ll likely spend the extra money and get the organic. I’m by no means recommending you buy only organic products, but I would tell you to be informed about your food. Look at the ingredients and the nutrition facts on the back of the food and make an informed decision. When it comes to your food, sometimes less is more.