I don’t know if this is a sign I’m losing my mind or what. But I could swear I’d already blogged today. Seriously.
Is there a gap somewhere in the blogiverse where good blog entries go to hide or something? I had a great blog, an important one about vinegar.
Two weeks ago a series of articles about the health benefits of injesting vinegar hit the web. Japanese scientists at the Central Research Institute in Tokyo, released the details of their study in the July 8 issue of American Chemical Society’s Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Basically, they found evidence that acetic acid can help deter the accumulation of body fat (in mice), even when the mice were fed a high-fat diet. (quoted from HERE)
WOOO HOO!!! Right?
I happen to love balsamic vinegar. I use it on salads, I dunk my bread in it, it’s awesome.
So imagine my horror when I was passing the balsamic vinegar aisle at Trader Joe’s and found this sign:
What the HELL?
I went home, looked at my bottle of Costco Balsamic Vinegar and there in tiny print at the very bottom it said it. May contain lead yada yada.
I know what you’re thinking: CK is gonna die.
I was thinking it too.
So I did what any savvy web-user would do. I googled the question “why does balsamic vinegar contain lead” and believed the first legit-sounding article I pulled up.
Dr Gourmet says the California state rule requires that any trace amounts be reported. Emphasis on TRACE. Now I don’t know who Dr. Gourmet is but it sort of makes sense. I’m kind of a wimp though and aren’t particularly interested in experiencing lead poisoning first hand so I the next time I went to the grocery store I picked up a bottle that DIDN’T have the lead warning. There are some.
Why chance it, right?
Sheesh.
Tags: balsamic vinegar, balsamic vinegar may cause birth defects, lead in balsamic vinegar, prop 65
Ughhh! Last year my husband became convinced that taking a couple of tablespoons of vinegar daily would stop whatever was ailing you. He drove us all crazy with his claims that it was doing miraculous things for his many aches and pains. Good thing he doesn’t surf the internet or I’d never live this down!
And I’m like you… I’d look for vinegar that didn’t have the lead warning label, just as a precaution!
They can have lead even if it is not printed on the label. The label is just required in California so if it is not being produced or even sold there they can leave off the label it does not mean it is any safer. The lead come up from the ground and in to the grapes and by the way they manufacture it.
Angel, you’re right but I still find it highly depressing.
Thanks for the input though!