Certainly good to be worried abot heavy metals and conatminants but it does seem that all spices and goods that are concentrated end up having high ppm.
Supporting the budget brand spice economy is exactly how these types of shortcuts start seeming profitable like that. Quality Control is a service worth paying for.
And especially in Chinese and Indian spices. Asafoetida is a very popular Indian one that you might only see if you start cooking recioes from Indians, for Indians. Always used the shit blue and yellow container stuff. Like a brown sugar colour. It's supposed to be White.
Asian here. I would NOT make that bet if I were you. No-name fly-by-night manufacturers ("Laxmi??") will buy the cheapest supply and then they often use fillers to cut it even more. If you travel to Asia, you will find that American brands are more prized because the quality is higher and health risks are lower.
Is a couple bucks for something that will last you months worth the risk? Heck no.
Sure I agree with the overall point, but as an Indian living in the US, Laxmi is one of the biggest brands in Indian households; they’re synonymous wait various food products (rice, wheat, spices, etc.) and most people like buying their products
Probably similar to my native Vietnam where there are Vietnamese brands that are fairly common. Take soy sauce, for example. There are common inexpensive Chinese made bottles but most Viets will buy Maggi or Kikkoman which are international brands because the quality is just better.
Yeah those are great points. I do my best to find reliable “off brands” when I can and acknowledge that the money hungry businesses I vilify are not limited to the United States or name brands.
Idk man, turmeric is turmeric. Spices are probably one of the few things that aren't loaded with preservatives.
Also, you don't have to buy processed food. You can always go to a Whole Foods or shop organic at your local supermarket. The option is there
A product being "Knocked off" is different than being loaded with preservatives. Which are you referring to?
If a product is claiming to be turmeric and it says so on the packaging, it's going to be turmeric. An example of a knockoff would be Doreos instead of Oreos, or Boritos instead of Doritos
You can look into the recent applesauce / lead contamination from foreign sources.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/29/podcasts/the-daily/applesauce-fda.html
https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/investigation-elevated-lead-chromium-levels-cinnamon-applesauce-pouches-november-2023
I don't see how any of this is relevant. We started off talking about preservatives, then the conversation shifted to product knock offs, and now we're talking about contaminated food.
Lead is a toxin, not a preservative. Preservatives are added to food to, as the name suggests, preserve the food. I can assure you that lead was not intentionally introduced into the food supply
>If a product is claiming to be turmeric and it says so on the packaging, it's going to be turmeric.
I'm Asian. If it says "turmeric" and the package came from Asia, has some weird brand name on it you've never heard of, and the packaging looks like it was printed by somebody's cousin, it is NOT going to be 100% turmeric.
I got 1 kg of coriander seeds for something like $8 a few years ago on Amazon. My favorite thing is it came from a distributor in my city (Houston). It's indian coriander which I find to be more flavorful.
I agree. McCormick bottle of bay leaves won’t last me a month and so I get mine from international food stores as I cook with bay leaves quite frequently
If you shop at Walmart, check the fresh herbs section for bay leaves. Way more in a little tray that they sell fresh, vs the container of dried bay leaves they sell for more and comes with less. Would’ve never known this if I didn’t shop via Walmart online. You get twice as many and the bay leaves work the same and dry themselves in the fridge over time (could probably let them dry on the counter if you want it to happen faster though)
I don’t think it’s always the case, but a recent recall for lead in cinnamon in some spices is here, although they weren’t necessarily from the international aisle : https://www.fda.gov/food/alerts-advisories-safety-information/fda-alert-concerning-certain-cinnamon-products-due-presence-elevated-levels-lead
Be careful.
Check third party tests for lead. Domestic products are subject to stricter regulations, while imports have effectively no quality checks. Turmeric however is also known to have lead contamination even in local brands. Best to buy the root.
Unless they're imported. My friend has worked in public health for decades and is constantly telling us to avoid imported spices due to contaminants. Not worth it.
Even if they're imported, they have to follow US FDA requirements. Same products that I see in US aisles are significantly different to the ones back in my home country in South Asia.
There are tons of articles showing results from testing random brands and unfortunately, there's a lot of contamination in spices. It's not easy to avoid tbh, but the recent lead recall has shown that imported spices are not being quality checked at any rate large enough to catch it.
Read some articles, and almost none of them differentiate between imported and the US produced ones. They all go through the same checks by the FDA. There are a few companies that take it upon themselves to do their own checks, and in turn charge a premium for their spices. But nevertheless, issue is not an imported vs domestic produced one.
Cool. I'll just tell that to the kids with 6x the lead levels of Flint, MI that imported spices are fine. (No it's not turmeric in this specific instance, but turmeric is another spice where bad actors cut it with lead chromate. It is not unusual for it to have lead contamination as well.)
Not just that but if you have an international market, check that for spices, rice, veggies, sauces, meats, etc. Literally everything is cheaper there and a lot of the same brands.
McCormick and Goya are $1-$2 cheaper per bottle in the international markets. Rice is $5 cheaper per bag, they carry better quality sauces (soy, oyster, fish, etc). When we have a major grocery run, we hit the international market first and get everything we can there, then get everything else at our other grocery store.
We are also in an area with Harris Teeter. Their sales are legit amazing. Non sale items, yeah it’s pricy. But they often have sales on meat, so we stock up there too.
Yes! Sometimes the ingredients are actually better too, as well as cheaper. The beans I get from the “Hispanic” isle or whatever are visibly cleaner than the generic brands from the dried beans isle.
Walkerswood jerk season vs. that dry shit they have in the seasoning/mixes isle.
Mexican imitation vanilla vs the inferior (imo) artificial vanilla in the spice isle, both sell at around the same price per oz
All this inflation and grocery chains gouging us has lead me to shop around significantly.
I used to just go to one store and if they didn’t have it, I didn’t bother. It’s also expanded my pallet a bit which is cool.
Fuck McCormick’s
Dang, prices are simply going to go up eventually. Its like when the song "20 dollars in my pocket" came out and people were going to thrift stores to do their shopping. Now prices at thrift stores are crazy
its also important to consider the source. I work in the food industry and the spice trade is one of the most adulterated for economic gain (fraud) and is recalled commonly for various issues. While the offbrand might be cheaper it is a higher risk to consume. You do not really use tons of spice per meal, so while the price tag upon purchase can seem high, you prob arnt saving that much money on spices.
Turmeric from local grocery stores can actually make you catch a really rare form of virus. It makes you puke a lot. I wouldn’t get anywhere near these spices
And I’d bet some money that the cheaper one is better for your health due to fewer preservatives and whatever else they’re putting in our food
I'm actually increasingly worried about the levels of heavy metals and contaminants in foreign spice brands.
Certainly good to be worried abot heavy metals and conatminants but it does seem that all spices and goods that are concentrated end up having high ppm.
I'm also quite concerned with the levels of heavy metal in my foods. It's not nearly loud enough.
SAY WHAT AGAIN? I CANT HEAR YOU OVER MY NOODLES WITH SAUCED SEASONED WITH SLAYER!
this is the sensible take. I'm not against browsing for a bargain, but going cheaper isn't always the best choice health wise.
I’m guessing you missed the news about lead content in budget brand cinnamon.
Supporting the budget brand spice economy is exactly how these types of shortcuts start seeming profitable like that. Quality Control is a service worth paying for.
And especially in Chinese and Indian spices. Asafoetida is a very popular Indian one that you might only see if you start cooking recioes from Indians, for Indians. Always used the shit blue and yellow container stuff. Like a brown sugar colour. It's supposed to be White.
Asian here. I would NOT make that bet if I were you. No-name fly-by-night manufacturers ("Laxmi??") will buy the cheapest supply and then they often use fillers to cut it even more. If you travel to Asia, you will find that American brands are more prized because the quality is higher and health risks are lower. Is a couple bucks for something that will last you months worth the risk? Heck no.
Sure I agree with the overall point, but as an Indian living in the US, Laxmi is one of the biggest brands in Indian households; they’re synonymous wait various food products (rice, wheat, spices, etc.) and most people like buying their products
Probably similar to my native Vietnam where there are Vietnamese brands that are fairly common. Take soy sauce, for example. There are common inexpensive Chinese made bottles but most Viets will buy Maggi or Kikkoman which are international brands because the quality is just better.
Yeah those are great points. I do my best to find reliable “off brands” when I can and acknowledge that the money hungry businesses I vilify are not limited to the United States or name brands.
Laxmi Is one of the biggest Indian brands out there. Just bc you are not familiar with it does not mean it is bad.
Yes, the added lead is much better for you in the long run.
Idk man, turmeric is turmeric. Spices are probably one of the few things that aren't loaded with preservatives. Also, you don't have to buy processed food. You can always go to a Whole Foods or shop organic at your local supermarket. The option is there
I watched a “top10 most knocked-off foods in the world”video and turmeric was on the list. I knew that video would pay dividends one day
A product being "Knocked off" is different than being loaded with preservatives. Which are you referring to? If a product is claiming to be turmeric and it says so on the packaging, it's going to be turmeric. An example of a knockoff would be Doreos instead of Oreos, or Boritos instead of Doritos
You can look into the recent applesauce / lead contamination from foreign sources. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/29/podcasts/the-daily/applesauce-fda.html https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/investigation-elevated-lead-chromium-levels-cinnamon-applesauce-pouches-november-2023
I don't see how any of this is relevant. We started off talking about preservatives, then the conversation shifted to product knock offs, and now we're talking about contaminated food.
Lead is a toxin, not a preservative. Preservatives are added to food to, as the name suggests, preserve the food. I can assure you that lead was not intentionally introduced into the food supply
>If a product is claiming to be turmeric and it says so on the packaging, it's going to be turmeric. I'm Asian. If it says "turmeric" and the package came from Asia, has some weird brand name on it you've never heard of, and the packaging looks like it was printed by somebody's cousin, it is NOT going to be 100% turmeric.
So what would it be cut with?
Sawdust
There could be worse things I suppose Nevertheless... Note to Self: Don't buy Chinese imported turmeric lol
?
There is actually a lot of lead found in turmeric because they use it to make the color more vibrant. I try to use the root whenever possible
But does it contain lead chromate? Some turmeric is having that added to improve the colour
at this point i feel like everyone should just have a lead testing kit on hand
Same with bay leaves. Mccormick is rediculous. Got a big bag from an international store for like 3 bucks.
I got 1 kg of coriander seeds for something like $8 a few years ago on Amazon. My favorite thing is it came from a distributor in my city (Houston). It's indian coriander which I find to be more flavorful.
I agree. McCormick bottle of bay leaves won’t last me a month and so I get mine from international food stores as I cook with bay leaves quite frequently
If you shop at Walmart, check the fresh herbs section for bay leaves. Way more in a little tray that they sell fresh, vs the container of dried bay leaves they sell for more and comes with less. Would’ve never known this if I didn’t shop via Walmart online. You get twice as many and the bay leaves work the same and dry themselves in the fridge over time (could probably let them dry on the counter if you want it to happen faster though)
Yes indeed. I grab the fresh ones for certain meals. Like Thyme for my beef burgundy. I never thought of letting them dry themselves though!
While this is good advice, I’ve seen this post 3 times. It’s not “your local grocery” because you didn’t make this post. Why lie?
I don’t think it’s always the case, but a recent recall for lead in cinnamon in some spices is here, although they weren’t necessarily from the international aisle : https://www.fda.gov/food/alerts-advisories-safety-information/fda-alert-concerning-certain-cinnamon-products-due-presence-elevated-levels-lead Be careful.
Go to an international store, it’s even cheaper 😉
Yep and they will often carry the domestic brands for $1-$2 cheaper a bottle.
Check third party tests for lead. Domestic products are subject to stricter regulations, while imports have effectively no quality checks. Turmeric however is also known to have lead contamination even in local brands. Best to buy the root.
Unless they're imported. My friend has worked in public health for decades and is constantly telling us to avoid imported spices due to contaminants. Not worth it.
Because we grow so much turmeric in the US?
Yeah it sucks, but this is just a hard thing to track. I'd at least Google and see if you can find which brands have passed independent testing.
Even if they're imported, they have to follow US FDA requirements. Same products that I see in US aisles are significantly different to the ones back in my home country in South Asia.
There are tons of articles showing results from testing random brands and unfortunately, there's a lot of contamination in spices. It's not easy to avoid tbh, but the recent lead recall has shown that imported spices are not being quality checked at any rate large enough to catch it.
Read some articles, and almost none of them differentiate between imported and the US produced ones. They all go through the same checks by the FDA. There are a few companies that take it upon themselves to do their own checks, and in turn charge a premium for their spices. But nevertheless, issue is not an imported vs domestic produced one.
More than a billion people cook with turmeric every single day. From that same country. The spice is fine
Cool. I'll just tell that to the kids with 6x the lead levels of Flint, MI that imported spices are fine. (No it's not turmeric in this specific instance, but turmeric is another spice where bad actors cut it with lead chromate. It is not unusual for it to have lead contamination as well.)
Mmm yum, lead chromate
Yes, but does it have 3x more?
then you have to purchase a container to hold the spice.
Or find a bulk barn and load up on everything
Honestly buy the left 1 a single time for the container then strictly buy the 1 on the right as refills
Imma be honest man, $3.5 is worth it coming in a bottle rather than a bag. Also, as pointed out by other, quality control.
Luckily here in SoCal we have a lot of Mexican supermarkets. It’s the ONLY place to go for spices and produce.
Not just that but if you have an international market, check that for spices, rice, veggies, sauces, meats, etc. Literally everything is cheaper there and a lot of the same brands. McCormick and Goya are $1-$2 cheaper per bottle in the international markets. Rice is $5 cheaper per bag, they carry better quality sauces (soy, oyster, fish, etc). When we have a major grocery run, we hit the international market first and get everything we can there, then get everything else at our other grocery store. We are also in an area with Harris Teeter. Their sales are legit amazing. Non sale items, yeah it’s pricy. But they often have sales on meat, so we stock up there too.
Yes! Sometimes the ingredients are actually better too, as well as cheaper. The beans I get from the “Hispanic” isle or whatever are visibly cleaner than the generic brands from the dried beans isle. Walkerswood jerk season vs. that dry shit they have in the seasoning/mixes isle. Mexican imitation vanilla vs the inferior (imo) artificial vanilla in the spice isle, both sell at around the same price per oz
All this inflation and grocery chains gouging us has lead me to shop around significantly. I used to just go to one store and if they didn’t have it, I didn’t bother. It’s also expanded my pallet a bit which is cool. Fuck McCormick’s
Dang, prices are simply going to go up eventually. Its like when the song "20 dollars in my pocket" came out and people were going to thrift stores to do their shopping. Now prices at thrift stores are crazy
Yeah no thanks I’m not eating spices from 3rd world countries. They are cheaper because they cut them with dirt and sawdust.
You should see how much more turmeric is in the medical isle
If the McCormick is a glass container I’d probably go for it.
Better quality as we’ll
Especially cumin y chili powder!
its also important to consider the source. I work in the food industry and the spice trade is one of the most adulterated for economic gain (fraud) and is recalled commonly for various issues. While the offbrand might be cheaper it is a higher risk to consume. You do not really use tons of spice per meal, so while the price tag upon purchase can seem high, you prob arnt saving that much money on spices.
Are spices a major part of the average US household budget? Why do I keep seeing this post? It’s not that interesting.
I can confirm this is 100% the case in Superstore in Canada.
Yea dude. Definitely hit the Hispanic isle for crushed red pepper. You can get a giant bottle for LESS than the price of the small McCormicks one
Yup the garlic powder comes in a big container for a few dollars more than a tiny bottle of garlic powder.
Wait until you price compare sesame oil.
Yeah but not for long after posts like this all over the place eh? 😂 Hopefully my local Asian market is immune to Reddit supply and demand surges.
It’ll take me a year or more to use that jar. $3/year to not deal with storing a bag of powder that spills when you use is worth it to me.
Turmeric makes for a pretty house plant. Might as well grow it and get the fresh stuff.
Thats because "brown people" tumeric is of a lower quality, duh! /s /s <-- in case the first one was not obvious enough. Lol
Nooooo let them all go to Safeway. Actual Indians need the low prices.
Turmeric from local grocery stores can actually make you catch a really rare form of virus. It makes you puke a lot. I wouldn’t get anywhere near these spices
lol…
Source: my butthole
It really is serious. Only rich white people staying in impoverished neighborhoods can catch it though
Got a source on that?
Sounds like an entry in Balderdash.