Real food fake food
by Larry Olmsted · first published 2016
63% recommend38% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Covers food fraud and mislabeling, such as fake olive oil, wood pulp in parmesan, and substituted fish, and how it affects what consumers buy. Readers say it changed how they think about food quality.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
"You've seen the headlines: Parmesan cheese made from wood pulp. Lobster rolls containing no lobster at all. Extra-virgin olive oil that isn't. So many fake foods are in our supermarkets, our restaurants, and our kitchen cabinets that it's hard to know what we're eating anymore. In Real Food/Fake Food, award-winning journalist Larry Olmsted convinces us why real food matters and empowers consumers to make smarter choices. Olmsted brings readers into the unregulated food industry, revealing the shocking deception that extends from high-end foods like olive oil, wine, and Kobe beef to everyday s
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…that it might as well be several times less healthy than the original. Same thing for "grana padano". If you don't know anything about wood pulp in the parmesan, or fake olive oil, I suggest you read "real food, fake food" [0]. It opened my eyes. I guess the reason why the Italian consortium sent this (otherwise stupid) cease-and-desist to this poor Australian guy, is because they're desperately trying to defend the real…
on “Cease and desist for video on how to make “Grana Padano Style Cheese” [video]” ↗This is all covered in Real Food/ Fake Food by Larry Olmsted. You should actually read it instead of making retarded statements like "hurr durr you can't sell wine as cola"
on “Tesla claims California false-advertising law violates First Amendment” ↗Real Food/Fake Food by Larry Olmsted taught me to care about the quality and source of the food I eat. Just caring about that has helped me lose 94lbs, and changed my life forever. Thank you Larry.
on “Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?” ↗…sawdust. It is incredible (in the strict sense: hard to believe) to discover that many foods are "fake", or contain things that are not supposed to be there. I suggest a few readings: 0) the book "Real Food / Fake Food" [0]. This is just amazing. Highly recommend it. 1) the book "extra virginity" [1] 2) article about "truffle fraud" [2] 3) article about "fish fraud" [3] The list could be almost infinite, of course.…
on “A Brief History of Peanut Butter (2021)” ↗…food is then used by someone else making a lower-quality food that's cheaper to produce, which does mislead consumers. This is exactly the sort of thing trademarks are for. A great book on all this is Real Food, Fake Food.
on “Parmesan Makers Add Microchips to Cheese Wheels to Foil Counterfeiters” ↗“Real Food, Fake Food” was absolutely critical in getting me into a mindset of caring about the quality of my food. That mindset shift has led to 100+lbs of weight loss.
on “Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?” ↗The fake fish situation is well documented in the book Real Food/Fake Food http://www.realfoodfakefood.com/real-food-fake-food-book-by-...
on “Food fraud and counterfeit cotton: detectives untangling the global supply chain” ↗From my memory of reading Real Food, Fake Food, they don't care about the term "parmesan"--that term has been rendered generic, much like "champagne" in the US. But "Parmigiano Reggiano" is a protected term with a PDO ("protected designation of origin").…
on “Parmigiano Reggiano makers embedding tiny trackers in rind to fight cheese fraud” ↗NPR interviewed the author of Real Food, Fake Food. Basically everything is fake, olive oil, fish, Parmesan cheese http://www.realfoodfakefood.com/real-food-fake-food-book-by-...
on “Amazon buys PillPack, an online pharmacy, for just under $1B” ↗That book is also on Kobo, for those of us who don't want to give more money to Amazon: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/real-food-fake-food
on “Cease and desist for video on how to make “Grana Padano Style Cheese” [video]” ↗