Food Safety in Being Gluten Free

Sometimes I am glad that I can't eat certain foods. Sure, it'd be simpler to order a pizza on the phone or buy a bunch of frozen dinners, but I'm glad I can't.

I'm especially glad I can't buy frozen dinners after reading an article in the New York Times titled "Food Companies are Placing the Onus for Safety on Consumers" by Michael Moss. In this publication Moss states that food companies are passing the buck on the safety of their food products onto consumers. The companies don't know where the myriad of ingredients in their meals are coming from, and they can't insure the suppliers of the ingredients inspected the food for contamination. So now customers must be sure to follow even more complex cooking directions to protect themselves from potentially being made ill by their dinner.

Microwaving doesn't cut it anymore either, and companies are suggesting consumers use their ovens as the temperature in the oven can exceed that of their microwaves. However, I know that baking frozen dinners in a conventional oven takes just as long as it does to make a meal from scratch. Consumers are also expected to place a food thermometer into their food products to test for a correct internal temperature that should kill off any dangers lurking within the food product.

In a world where a man will call up his grocery store complaining that his frozen pizza has no toppings on it, only to flip it over and discover the missing part of his meal, I don't believe all consumers are capable of handling their own food products to these safety standards.

We all are adults and should be able to take care of ourselves, but that is a pipe dream. Some people still need babysitters in the form of corporations and government.

I can't say I never ate frozen dinners, but that was quite a few years ago now since the time in which I constantly ate them. They are a rare treat for me these days. I call them a treat because I can't always make a gluten-free lasagna, and so it's nice to have a little bit of a food I like already prepared for me. I never keep frozen meals, that weren't made by me, in the house.

I'm glad I have to make all of my own food. I'm glad I can trust what I'm doing. And, I'm glad I'm smart enough to turn a pizza over.