Land Of Lakes and Reducing

So, Land O’ Lakes got back to me about shelf stability. I find the answer not so satisfactory nor surprising:

Thank you for your recent e-mail to LAND O LAKES®. We appreciate your interest in our products.

Shelf-Stable is a term used to describe a particular kind of food packaging. The cartons are sterile and after pasteurization are hermetically sealed much like canned foods. There is no difference in the product formulation between shelf-stable and refrigerated products- it’s the packaging process that differs.

This remarkable packaging system allows products once considered perishable to be distributed and stored without refrigeration for periods up to one year – even delicate foods such as milk, soy beverages and juices.

Thanks again for contacting the Consumer Affairs Department.

Sincerely,
Gerardo Huerta
Consumer Response Representative

Ref: N926465
The thing about this is that it suggests other ecological issues, namely that packaging is a huge part of corporations, of people attempting to move food long distances and avoid the “inconvenience” of planning ahead or eating real food. We already have a huge problem with excessive packaging, used for a variety of reasons including marketing, security, preservation, and convenience.

I guess it’s true that mayo and salad dressing are shelf stable, which should maybe make us take pause as well. Do they vacuum seal stuff? What exactly do they do? What the hell is hermetically sealed? Hermetically means that it’s air tight. How do they do that?

If I’m trying to buy less and less stuff that is processed and packaged, then I need to consider this. We’ve nearly eliminated corn syrup from our life. We make most of our food. I need to make salad dressing. Mine is way better than the expensive bottled shit, excepting Annie’s Goddess dressing. I’ve made something similar to Annie’s and need to keep trying to get it closer. Anyway, my point is that I think American’s are far too used to the convenience of everything being at their fingertips, immediate, when they want it. Why should I have to go to a dairy for my millk, two farmer’s markets for my produce and other dairy or meat, and the grocery store for staples? Because it’s not natural to eat strawberries that are made to be shipped from California. They taste like a different species than the local ones. We need to slow down and be willing to invest a little time and energy into the stuff we put in our bodies and feed our children. It needs to be a priority. We shouldn’t be working ridiculous hours. We should be glad to invest some time and money into these things. I refer you to The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan who makes a compelling argument for this.

I need to spend more time feeding us (body and soul) and less time on the interwebs, less time on facebook. So, I’m working on that.