Experts warn that kale is just as good as kale, and that dried fruit may contain preservatives. They also advise customers not to rush into buying Christmas products and to read the labels carefully.
During the weekend, Poles do a lot of shopping, including: for Christmas dinners. On many tables, dumplings with cabbage and mushrooms, fish and dried fruit compote are served only once a year in many homes.
Specialists of the Olsztyn regional inspection of the quality of trade of agricultural and food products suggest that you do not put anything you find in your basket, but read the labels carefully, because even seemingly simple products, for example, dried fruit compote, can contain harmful substances. preservatives.
What are some good products to buy on Christmas Eve?
Some dried fruits contain substances that are allergenic and cause allergic reactions. Such a substance is sulfur dioxide (SO2), which is indicated on labels as E220.
“Sulfur hydroxide is used to preserve the bright color of dried fruits such as apricots, pineapples and raisins. It should be noted that the non-sulphured versions of these fruits become much darker, which is not a disadvantage of these dried fruits, and due to the absence of sulfites, which is used to correct show the colors used.
Sulfur dioxide can have a negative effect on the human body and is an allergen. In addition, dried fruit can contain sugar and saturated fat.
When choosing fruits for Christmas compote, you should also remember that some of them can be smoked. Using smoked plums or pears gives the compote a special smoky note, but not everyone likes it.
When choosing ready-made dry mixes for compote, it is necessary to check whether any fruit is preferred. “Ingredients are placed in the list of ingredients in the order from the largest to the smallest. If none of the ingredients of the dry compote mixture has a significant weight advantage, and if they are used in proportions that may differ – then the list of ingredients will contain such information : dried fruits in different proportions: apples, dried plums with stones, pears, chokeberries”, experts advise consumers.
Dried fruit marked as BIO or ECO differs from conventional products in that in their production fruits grown without pesticides, plant protection agents or artificial fertilizers are used.
Cabbage – cabbage, cucumber, cucumber
When buying cabbage for dumplings, you should know that manufacturers use the words “cabbage” and “sour” interchangeably. “According to the principles of art applied in the processing of food products, it should not be added to cabbage, that is, a product obtained as a result of lactic fermentation,” experts note. If the label indicates that acids have been added to the cabbage, it should say “pickled cabbage”.
We have to buy mushrooms in stores to fill dumplings, because each package approved for sale is approved by the classification of mushrooms. This means that there are definitely edible mushrooms in the bags of dried mushrooms. More important – one type, for example, boletes or bay.
If someone buys ready-made dumplings that are frozen or just need to be reheated, they should check that the packaging is not damaged or tight. Another element is the composition of the dish: the shorter the list of ingredients, the healthier the dumplings. “Make sure that the product does not contain preservatives or other electronic additives and whether it contains wild mushrooms, for example, boletus edulis, or just mushrooms,” the experts emphasized. They also suggest that you pay attention to the ratio of ingredients when reading the label, because it turns out that the amount of mushrooms is symbolic.
When choosing ready-made dumplings, you should pay attention to their expiration date.
What fish should I buy?
On the other hand, when buying fresh fish, we should check that they have prominent and shiny eyes, smooth and well-attached scales and a flat and not swollen belly. If the shells are colored, wet and shiny, the fish is fresh. When choosing fish, in addition to your eyes and smell, you should use your nose – the fish should only have the smell of their fish. All the other smells we experience when we smell fish should make us put it aside.
Experts recommend that when buying fresh fish, you should distinguish it from frozen and thawed fish. The word “fresh” is not written on the packaging of such fish, and it should be noted on the label that it is frozen fish.
If we buy fish in packages, it is necessary to read on the label where and how the fish was caught. “Choosing products with the blue MSC label is a guarantee that our tables include wild fish from a sustainable source or the green ASC label found in farmed fish, but only products from responsible farms,” experts note. .
When buying frozen fish, which are often covered with ice glaze, you should pay attention to the “net weight without glaze”, because sometimes it is more than the last fish, and whether there are any nutritional additives in this type of fish. In the case of frozen fish, they can be phosphates identified by the symbols E 338 to E 452. “Their task, among other things, is to keep water in the product”, experts note and advise to choose frozen fish without preservatives.
When buying ready-made products, for example, Greek fish, herring with additives or carp in jelly, it is necessary to check how much fish and how many additives are in the package. This information must be included in the package.
Main image source: Shutterstock
