The recent allegation that Walmart has been selling grated cheese mixed with wood shavings under the guise of it being “100% Real” surely raises questions about the advertising integrity of food manufacturers. Incidents like this give off the reputation of “man vs food” regarding these big companies.
For vegans, who are by definition conscious of the ingredients that reach their plates and their palates, accusations such as this one encourages skepticism that goes beyond the non-vegan product in question. Can food manufacturers be trusted to provide an honest portrayal of the contents of the food that they produce?
For those who aren’t aware, Walmart’s Great Value food brand has been selling “100% Real” grated Parmesan cheese on its shelves for who knows how long. Marc Moschetta, a Great Value’s consumer is now suing Walmart for mislabeling their products after it was discovered that this “100% Real” cheese contains nearly 10% wood pulp.
To be clear, the wood pulp in question here is called cellulose. It’s a plant fiber and can be found in virtually any plant. Food manufacturers grind up wood and then remove the cellulose from the wood, creating a pulp-like byproduct. To the manufacturers, this method is cheaper and makes more sense than extracting cellulose from vegetables because to extract it from vegetables would be a waste of food. The wood pulp itself is not bad for the body, the disingenuous labeling is what’s really grating Walmart’s customers, causing trust in the brand to melt.
Obviously to a vegan, the ingredients manufacturers use in their cheese products are not something with which to be concerned, but this idea of less-than-honest advertising can be broadened to include the vegan marketplace. While the reasons for transitioning to a vegan lifestyle vary from person to person, it’s not outrageous to claim that most vegans are seeking a nonviolent and equally healthy diet. However, vegan or not, everyone snacks on occasion and the list of vegan junk food is extensive. Being able to trust the manufacturing giants who populate the grocery aisle shelves is an issue that affects every consumer and it is becoming clear that these manufacturers are manipulative in nature.
How to Learn About Man vs Food
While Walmart Great Value brand’s exposure is one small example, the conscious and often moral-less decisions that food manufacturers make for greater profits at the expense of an unhealthy and addictive public are vast. A great book that all processed food consumers should read is Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us by Michael Moss. Moss’ book details the manufacturing and advertising operations of processed food companies such as Kraft, Frito Lay, Pepsi-Co. and many others. His research is a bold reminder that as consumers we have less knowledge than we think, and forget we are facing man vs food. It prompts the vegan reader to be cautious of not only the key ingredients of a product but also the subtle, sometimes forgotten aspects of food composition.
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