Say Cheese!

 

I have a 10-year-old son.  That's a double whammy:  He's old enough to have his own thoughts & ideas but, like most men with a strong opinion, doesn't get concepts like "time & place" and "enough is enough."  For whammy reasons, I really try NOT to food shop with him.  However, there are occasions that we go together and nobody leaves the store quite the same. Nobody.

So, there we are in Kroger.  "No!  You can't have Frosted Flakes!" "No! You can't have a box of Red 40 gummy blobs even if they are shaped liked Patrick and Sponge Bob!" "No! You CANNOT HAVE GO GURTS!!!!!!"  Our path of destruction eventually leads to the deli, where I order a pound of White American cheese (with tissue paper in between because I really don't like when it sticks together).  His turn for an objection.  HE likes Yellow American better!  (OF COURSE YOU DO!)  So, we start arguing about how it tastes the same and Yellow American is just dyed White American.  I personally can't tell a difference so I challenge him to a taste test right there in the deli.  He actually chose White American three times.  Convinced I was deceiving him, we had a third party administer the last tast test.  Ahhhh...sweet victory!

Nevertheless, my precocious child challenged me to prove to him that Yellow American is actually dyed. How do I know they don't just bleach Yellow American to make it white? Do they dye cheddar, too?"  Ummmm...I dunno.  So, I did some research and turns out I was a little right and a little wrong.  I imagined some scientist dunking a big ol block of cheese into a bath of FD&C Yellow #5.  Turns out that there scientist is dunking that big ol block of cheese into a bath of Annatto (okay, maybe there's no bath).  Annatto (aka the Poor Man's Saffron) is a natural food coloring that comes from grinding up the seeds of a tropical achiote tree.  Strangely, the fruit itself is inedible.  Further, the stuff is found in all sorts of other foods, including vanilla ice cream, butter, and cheddar cheese!

Just because it's not Yellow #5 doesn't mean it's not bad for you.  It IS a food additive and there have been reports of severe allergies, migraines, IBS symptoms, etc. linked to it.  So, if you suffer from any of these symptoms, and you haven't been able to figure out why, maybe Annetto is your answer.