fruit and veg question

esperanza

Someone recently told me to be careful when buying my fresh fruit and veg at supermarkets, as when they are scanned at the checkout, this can be dangerous!!!!

Was a little shocked, but maybe it's true. Anyone know if these rays are dangerous?

Do you prefer to buy your fresh fruit and veg from a market or a supermarket?
While prices are generally much cheaper in markets in Ireland ... it seems that most people prefer to buy their fruit and veg in supermarkets. What do you think?

embraer170

Scanner story sounds like utter trash.

I'd love to shop at a market (fresher produce, cheaper) but I don't have one nearby and don't really have time to go looking.

bonkey

esperanza wrote:

Anyone know if these rays are dangerous?

Sure they are. Thats why all checkout personnel wear lead-lined gloves to protect themselves

Seriously...as far as I know, they're straight-forward low-intensity lasers. Nothing dangerous there.

jc

Alanna

There are many good reasons to avoid buying your fruit and veg at the supermarket but that isn't one of them.

esperanza

I misunderstood what my friend said to me the other day. What she was doubting in fact was the origin of the fruit and veg in supermarkets. Customers should especially beware of fruit or veg that is being sold when out of season and when they come from far-flung parts of the world, e.g. grapes from Chile, or a watermelon from Costa Rica.

Doesn't it ever shock you when this fruit and veg. arrives perfectly in tact?
Well, I've just seen a programme about the irradiation of fruit and veg, which can cause a loss of vitamins and sterilises food, improves preservation etc.

Apparently, the EU want all fruit and veg to be labled with a description of the exact treatment of the product. It seems like a good idea.

Doesn't it seem strange to buy tomatoes from Spain for example, when Ireland can also grow them.

From now on, I'm buying my fruit and veg from a local market which sells produce from their garden. I don't care about the prices. To think that we are consuming fruit and veg to fight against cancer and that these might actually cause it in the first place. There is, of course, no proof as yet, as these ionisation procedures have only been in use for not more than 20 years, so it is difficult to prove the long-term effects.

So, to sum up, don't buy fruit and veg from far-flung parts of the world that looks in-tact. Anyone got any opinions on this?

esperanza

Check out the following link:

www.foodcomm.org.uk/Irradiation%20images/leaflet.pdf

Tom Dunne

esperanza wrote:

Anyone got any opinions on this?

Yes - I'd like to see a more balanced arguement before I make up my mind. Your friend's views seem to be from the "I'm putting tin-foil on my head so the government can't read my mind" camp. You have quoted a leaflet from a group who are obviously anti-irradiation. Let's see one from a group who are pro-irradiation and then we can decide.

esperanza

This is based on an article published by the FDA in the United States.

http://uw-food-irradiation.engr.wisc.edu/materials/irradbro.pdf

Funnily enough documents on pro-irradiation argument seem to originate from the United States, and anti-irradiation from the European Union.

Kernel32

In a previous life I worked in a wholesale fruit and veg warehouse that supplied many of the large supermarkets such as superquinn and quinnsworth(this was about 9 years back). Most of the fruit came from Holland which is both a major distribution point for fruit and veg and also a large grower of them with huge green house farms. Bananas were particularly interesting. They would arrive green as can be and would get ripened in special rooms. These rooms were sealed and a special gas was pumped in. When the gas was on you were not allowed in the rooms because it was dangerous.

The warehouse had two major parts. The larger side was for supplying the big guys like Superquinn, the small side was for the smaller shops, like Centra's and for the people who sold at markets or who supplied the tiny shops with a few apples etc. Generally the best stuff was for the big guys. The lower grade fruit and veg was for the smaller side. Along with the rejects that would come back from the big super markets. So what you see at the markets is cheaper because its lower grade and also has the supermarket rejects but it really all came from the same source. At least this was how it worked when I was in the business.

Alun

These rooms were sealed and a special gas was pumped in. When the gas was on you were not allowed in the rooms because it was dangerous.

Doesn't mean a thing ... put yourself in a room full of CO2 and you'll be dead in minutes. CO2 isn't poisonous in and of itself though.

Tom Dunne

esperanza wrote:

This is based on an article published by the FDA in the United States.

http://uw-food-irradiation.engr.wisc.edu/materials/irradbro.pdf

Funnily enough documents on pro-irradiation argument seem to originate from the United States, and anti-irradiation from the European Union.

That's better.

I really don't see the problem - yes fruit may lose some flavour/vitamin content, but it it lasts longer. According to the US leaflet, it reduces the need for pesticides - that can't be a bad thing. I think the European arguments are a bit hollow.

spudington16

tom dunne wrote:

Yes - I'd like to see a more balanced arguement before I make up my mind. Your friend's views seem to be from the "I'm putting tin-foil on my head so the government can't read my mind" camp. You have quoted a leaflet from a group who are obviously anti-irradiation. Let's see one from a group who are pro-irradiation and then we can decide.

I'm in full agreement with Tom Dunne - both sides of the argument would ahve to be aired before a conclusion could be reached. Your friend seems paranoid, by the way.

Alanna

It is my opinion that the real problems that occur when buying fruit and vegetables out of season is the pollution that is caused in transit.
At the moment there is a vast array of home grown fruit and vegetables available that haven't crossed the globe to get to your supermarket shelf.
If you make an effort to choose these products, the farming industry will be supported and the food will contain more nutritional benefits as these are known to diminish from the time they are picked.
You know it makes sense.

Dellgirl

Is the fruit that goes into the like of well know smaller supermarkets for food on the run (or when youve nothing for dinner and havent time to do a shop after work) inferior because they are getting the supermarkets rejects? Is this why the fruit is mostly hard a rock pears or watery tomatoes and shrivelled oranges?

pickarooney

Your friend doesn't work for An Bord Bia or the EU by any chance?
"Don't be buying them foreign bananas, get good Irish ones instead, you can't go wrong!"

Tomatoes taste like shït when grown in grey cloudy climates, as do pretty much any fruit/veg with a bright colour.

judesherry

[QUOTE=Tomatoes taste like shït when grown in grey cloudy climates,



have you actually ever tasted irish tomatoes. i live near rush which has alot of tomato growers and i have to say they are beautiflly tomatoes. plus they grow alot of strawberrys out there and their pretty tasty too.

the benefits of buying local produces out number the the benefits of shipping in fruit and veg from half way across the world which has being traveling for god knows how long.you get much fresher fruit and your help local communities. I can go into more detail of why its better if you really want.

segadreamcast

judesherry wrote:

[QUOTE=Tomatoes taste like shït when grown in grey cloudy climates,



have you actually ever tasted irish tomatoes. i live near rush which has alot of tomato growers and i have to say they are beautiflly tomatoes. plus they grow alot of strawberrys out there and their pretty tasty too.

the benefits of buying local produces out number the the benefits of shipping in fruit and veg from half way across the world which has being traveling for god knows how long.you get much fresher fruit and your help local communities. I can go into more detail of why its better if you really want.

"god knows how long" - no, I'd imagine we do too, considering most fruit tends to show signs of age rather quickly.

Have to agree with pickarooney - some of the posts in here stink of some overzealous behaviour alright - anti-supermarket rants first, now anti-foreign-product rants. Lovely.

P.S. You are right though - Ireland do have some damn nice strawberries. Our tomatoes aren't up to much though, in my opinion!

county

totally crap story but always wash your produce.think of all those chemicals spayed on them

Borzoi

Kernel32 wrote:

They would arrive green as can be and would get ripened in special rooms. These rooms were sealed and a special gas was pumped in. When the gas was on you were not allowed in the rooms because it was dangerous.
.

The gas used is ethelyene - it, along with temperature, are used to control when the bananas ripen. FWIW Ireland is the worlds largest exporter of Bananas, despite not growing any here, but we ripen and export huge amounts for European consumption.

OP: If you want the best fresh wholsome veg only buy what is in season in your own country. It will limit your choice but it will be the freshest

pickarooney

I think it was Europe's largest exporter and Iceland passed Ireland out a couple of years ago, but can't remember where I read it.

pickarooney

judesherry wrote:

[QUOTE=Tomatoes taste like shït when grown in grey cloudy climates,



have you actually ever tasted irish tomatoes. i live near rush which has alot of tomato growers and i have to say they are beautiflly tomatoes. plus they grow alot of strawberrys out there and their pretty tasty too.

the benefits of buying local produces out number the the benefits of shipping in fruit and veg from half way across the world which has being traveling for god knows how long.you get much fresher fruit and your help local communities. I can go into more detail of why its better if you really want.

OT, but are you a brother of Karen by any chance?

esperanza

NoelRock wrote:

judesherry wrote:

"god knows how long" - no, I'd imagine we do too, considering most fruit tends to show signs of age rather quickly.

Have to agree with pickarooney - some of the posts in here stink of some overzealous behaviour alright - anti-supermarket rants first, now anti-foreign-product rants. Lovely.

P.S. You are right though - Ireland do have some damn nice strawberries. Our tomatoes aren't up to much though, in my opinion!

Disagree with pickarooney and noel rock: anti-supermarket rants and anti-foreign product rants.

Anyone will tell you that produce bought from local markets is superior in quality ... except those who support capitalism!

Alanna

We are not being anti-supermarket and anti-foreign food, just pro Irish

arrietty

I'm not paranoid about irradiation, ethylene, or pesticides.

I buy my fruit and veg from Tesco. (I'm poor.)

BUT. Although I'm not worried about what chemicals could do to me (much), I'm worried about what they do to the environment. That's the only reason I would support organic if I could afford to. Organic farming practices are a whole lot nicer to the environment. And as far as I'm concerned this especially applies to things grown in second/third world countries, where they don't have the same chemical regulations we have here. Workers there are very frequently exposed to some really scary stuff, without proper protection. That's when chemicals are something to get worried about. I reckon we in the first world have very little to be concerned about - it's the people and environment of poorer countries who get the worst deal.
Not that it's the kind of thing that makes front page headlines - nothing like a food scare to sell newspapers.

Just my $0.02.

Kernel32

My wife and I recently purchased a share in a local organic farm along with another couple. What it means is that every Friday we get to collect a variety of locally grown organic vegtables from June until October. You pay up front, I believe it was around $400 between us. It works out well for the farmer because he gets to fund the growing of the vegtables. I'm not sure if anyone is doing that in Ireland but its becoming more popular here and I think its a great idea.