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Himalayan Goji Juice: We become the Preservatives PoliceBack in our natural foods store, our FreeLife distributors had told us to disregard the label on the bottle of Himalayan Goji Juice. They said that the preservatives used are not really sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate. They told us that FreeLife uses 100% whole peruvian balsam tree and mountain ash tree berries. They explained that these 100% natural ingredients contained natural levels of the preservatives sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate. Our distributors complained that FreeLife wanted to put "whole mountain ash and whole peruvian balsam" on the label, but the FDA would not permit them. They said that FreeLife is trying very hard to get the FDA to change their mind. (Supposedly FreeLife is also seeking permission to put "raw" on the label; distributors have been told for a long time that top brass is "working on it.") Our distributors told us that all of this was very hush-hush and a "very delicate" situation with the FDA. Now, please understand that our FreeLife distributors are genuine, good people. They are health-conscious members of our community. We sense that they believe what has been told to them, and that they are faithfully passing on information that has been communicated to them from higher up the distribution chain. With compassion, we secretly rolled our eyes. These claims are ridiculous. We decided to become the Preservatives Police. First of all, to all FreeLife distributors who think otherwise: FreeLife is not putting mountain ash or peruvian balsam in Himalayan Goji Juice. We consulted an FDA official who told us that if this were so, FreeLife would have been required to label the juice accordingly. FreeLife is actually using chemically derived preservatives (as we shall discover later, below). We googled FreeLife websites and found out that our distributors are not the only ones saying that actual peruvian balsam and mountain ash are used in the juice (example). (Most FreeLife sites simply say the juice contains "naturally occurring" or "naturally derived" sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate.) Searching for clues, we found a section of a sales training audio where a distributor asks about the "raw" state of peruvian balsam and mountain ash, which they think are used in Himalayan Goji Juice.
The state of the peruvian balsam and mountain ash Listen to this clip where Gwen asks about the "state of the peruvian balsam and mountain ash" that is delivered to the factory. She clearly wants to know more about the raw state of these substances. Dr. Mindell and Peter Reilly do not address Gwen's real question. So she repeats her question about the "raw" condition of the peruvian balsam and mountain ash. Let's see if they answer the second time:
Listen:
Commentary: We think Gwen asked a clear question with a clear intention. We wonder why Mindell and Reilly do not simply correct her and say, "No, we do not use raw peruvian balsam and mountain ash in our juice."?
Himalayan Goji Juice states on its label that natural flavors are used. In our view, most all "natural flavorings" are not in the least natural. They are almost always flavor esters which are chemically created in a laboratory. Yet the FDA permits the legal use of the words natural flavoring for these concoctions. This is a subject that takes us into another entire realm. For now, please trust us when we tell you that the "natural flavorings" added to Himalayan Goji Juice (and almost all other products from Kraft through McDonald's) are almost always far from our definitions of natural. We call them artificial chemicals. Please beware whenever you hear the word natural. There is no strict FDA definition of the word natural. This word is widely applied to many quite artificial food products. Natural has become the most used and abused buzzword in the whole food industry. In the old days, maybe it meant something - well, at least a little something. These days, it seems the people who use it the most are often the very worst offenders for promoting what we would call unnatural products. The truth is: sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate (the preservatives used in Himalayan Goji Juice) are highly refined derivative chemicals, which are no more "naturally occurring" than saccharin, gasoline, or crack cocaine.
We feel that FreeLife's use of the words "naturally derived" serve only to confuse the facts that these preservatives are man-made, and therefore artificial chemicals. (Of course, this is a complaint we have with most food companies, not at all just FreeLife.) The fact that these preservatives are "derived" from trees is not relevant and certainly does not make these products "natural" or healthy. Methanol (wood alcohol), for example, is also a chemical derived from trees. Its ingestion can lead to blindness and death. There are three methods for the commercial preparation of sodium benzoate (science.jrank.org). Here's what the FDA has to say about sodium benzoate (our emphasis added):
Potassium sorbate is a potassium salt version of sorbic acid. Sorbic acid was first isolated from the oil of the unripened rowan berry (mountain ash tree berry). Potassium sorbate can be produced by a refining process of the berries. So, while this preservative is derived from a natural substance, please remember that potassium sorbate is a highly refined product - not a substance that occurs in nature. That would be like saying that morphine is a natural substance because it is derived from poppy flowers.
The preservatives used in Himalayan Goji Juice are listed as safe by the FDA. However, recent FDA scientific findings indicate that
According the the FreeLife Himalayan Juice label, there are 15 mg. of ascorbic acid in each serving. What happens when ascorbic acid interacts with the sodium benzoate? Has FreeLife Himalayan Juice been tested for benzene? Professor Peter Piper of the University of Sheffield claims that sodium benzoate by itself can damage and inactivate vital parts of DNA in a cell's mitochondria:
No organization can guarantee chemical safety. No scientist or doctor possesses the intellectual knowledge base or the resources to give a final answer to humanity as to whether any laboratory-made substance is safe for consumption. At best, scientists can only tell us that, with their current limited intelligence and understanding, they are unable to link a particular substance to a harmful result. Everyone knows that the FDA reverses their decisions from time to time. Drugs, food additives, and chemical fertilizers that were once "proven" safe are many years later proven again as dangerous and subsequently banned. This pattern seems to be the rule rather than the exception. Assuming that man will never possess the almighty intelligence of Nature, we would not be surprised if, sooner or later, all man-made ingested substances could be linked to health-damaging effects. We would rather eat organically grown fresh foods from Nature and stay away from chemical preservatives altogether. Himalayan Goji Juice with no preservatives? Yes, it's coming. Our insider sources have confirmed to us that preservatives will soon be taken out of Himalayan Goji Juice. We are told that FreeLife will make a formal announcement sometime in early 2008. According to factory reps we spoke with at Aseptic Solutions, aseptically sterilized juice actually does not require preservatives. That's why we were puzzled when we found this quote on the official FreeLife website in the FAQs:
First of all, "the only way to totally avoid preservatives would be to hot-fill the product" is not correct. Another way to totally avoid preservatives is by aseptic flash sterilization, which FreeLife is already doing. So why the preservatives in the first place? We asked this to factory reps at Aseptic Solutions. Both reps independently explained that preservatives are completely unnecessary in any aseptically processed juice. They said preservatives can serve to help maintain the product once it has been opened. But what surprised us is their next answer. Both reps told us that some juice manufacturers actually like the preservatives for the taste alone. They called it "the burn" - the feeling or slight burning sensation you get in the throat when consuming a preserved juice. Frankly, we remember that sort of sensation when drinking apple juice preserved with potassium sorbate or sodium benzoate. Our reps explained that sometimes when a manufacturer takes out the preservatives, the juice doesn't taste the same and the customers complain that something is missing. FreeLife has its own reasons why it has chosen to use preservatives, and only they know them. Anyway, it looks like preservatives are now going to be a thing of the past. So how is it that FreeLife can suddenly decide to discard the preservatives? Well, as the factory reps told us, they just aren't needed.
A Lesson from the Himalayas ...
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