McDonald's McRib was slated to temporarily reappear (again) in late October 2012. But this week, the world's largest fast-food corporation curiously, and quietly, delayed the return of its popular gooey, tasty pork sandwich for two months, until the indulgent Christmas season. When Americans are busily distracted from fake food matters... The question occurs to me... in this year of heightened food-awareness and pink-slime outrage, could McDonald's fear the public taking fresh appraisal of their ribless McRib? Of asking, "What exactly IS this heavily slathered, pork-like 'patty" on a fluffy white bun?"
Do you have the right to know what's in your food, and how it's been processed or grown? Do you have a right to info to make religious and ethical decisions about your meals? Decisions about your health? More than 100 countries agreed in 2011 to label foods that contain genetically modified organisms. In 2012, 50 countries have mandated labeling of GMO foods. The United States is not one of those countries. Observes one U.S. lawmaker:
"Unlike people in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Ireland, Australia, South Korea, Japan, Brazil, China, Russia, New Zealand and other countries where labels are required, Americans don't know if the food they eat has been genetically altered."
In November, Californians will vote to decide on a law that "requires labeling on raw or processed food offered for sale to consumers if made from plants or animals with genetic material changed in specified ways." If Proposition 37 passes, California will become the first state to require manufacturer labeling of foods containing GMO ingredients. As California goes, so usually goes the nation...
To mark International Bacon Day, September 18th, Wendy's exuded via email this week:
"Celebrate International Bacon Day with the spokescheeseburger for bacon, Wendy's Baconator. And to make things extra festive, Wendy's is kicking things off with our new collection of bacon-themed desktop, mobile and tablet wallpapers. Download one now!
"... check out the all-new Baconator fan page on Facebook. Who better to recognize bacon greatness than the Wendy's Baconator with its six strips of Applewood Smoked Bacon?"
Never one to miss a sacred, food-related holiday, I thought I'd learn more about what one enthusiast dubbed "the tastiest sandwich known to man." After all, the vibrant, healthy actors in Wendy's commercials make savoring the Baconator seem like a hoot-and-a-half to snack on (up to midnight!):
Ingredients of Wendy International's profitable pride and U.S. fast-food joy, the Baconator Double, are:
Two quarter pound beef patties (seasoned with salt)
Six slices of bacon (cured with water, salt, sugar, sodium phosphates, sodium erythorbate, sodium nitrite)
A "premium buttered, toasted" white bread bun
Two slices of American cheese (includes sodium citrate, salt, sodium phosphate, artificial color)
Catsup (includes high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, salt)
The white-bread bun boasts a long, long list of chemical mystery ingredients. Optionals include the healthier stuff: tomato, lettuce, red onion, and crinkle-cut pickles (preserved in salt, vinegar, lactic acid, sodium benzoate, natural flavors, polysorbate 80).
Nutritional count for Wendy's Baconator Double is:
It's well-known that I love scrumptious food. And I love a celebration... any fun, life-affirming celebration. But I'd also like to live a long, healthy life.
Too many Baconators, and the only healthy result would be the fat corporate coffers of Wendy's International, Inc., parent company of Wendy's and Arby's, a modern industrial corporation that sold $3.4 billion of fast food in 2010.
I think I'll mark International Bacon Day with a delicious strip or two of bacon on a salad, instead.
