Food Fraud 1A) in the 18th and 19th centuries, food adulteration was common, and usually done for profit. Expensive ingredients were commonly diluted with filler material to lower cost, but there were no controls on these fillers and many were unsafe. Some additives were added to extend the shelf life of food, but in several cases these additives were harmful to consumers -- common preservatives included borax, formaldehyde and sulfuric acid.

1B) The poison squad was a team that tried foods with common additives. They were to find out what the effects of those additives on the human body are.

1C) The video highlights what food scientists are doing now to adulterate food in ways to make it more addictive, if not more appealing. The scientists look for ways to add low-cost ingredients that in theory are more appealing to the human palate so that people will eat more. This is done as a means of generating additional revenue, regardless of the cost to human health. The flavor industry is basically unethical. The truly great flavors in this world come from nature -- salt, animal fats, bitter greens, sweet grains, chiles and the aromatic oils of spices. What the flavor industry does is nowhere near as impressive to anyone who has experienced the real thing. Sorry, but butter on my popcorn tastes good; diacetyl on my popcorn does not.

2A) The first digestive disorder is celiac disease, which interests me because of how it is widely discussed for something that affects few people. This is an immune disorder that "cannot tolerate gluten because the disorder damages the inner linings of the sufferer's small intestine," which inhibits the absorption...

I chose my second disease, diarrhea, because everybody has to deal with this at some point. There are many different causes for this, which means it is a symptom and not a disease, but it is valuable to learn about the different underlying causes, for when it strikes, the sufferer will want to know how to deal with it. The third disease is GERD, which I have to deal with. There are many causes of this as well, and it is important to know what the cause of this is -- a proper diagnosis is necessary to deal with ailments that have many potential causes.
3A) The three questions you should ask are What is the serving size? How many servings are in the container? And How many calories are in a single serving? The General Guide to calories is a means by which a single serving of food can be evaluated. Servings with 40 calories are low, 100 calories moderate and a serving with 400 calories is considered to be high. The Quick Guide to %DV allows the consumer to understand how much of a recommended daily value of something is contained in a single serving. A calorie is a unit of measure for energy in food. Dietary fiber is "non digestible carbohydrates found in foods." Healthy weight is a body weight that is appropriate for your height and benefits your health. A nutrient is a substance in food that contributes to growth and health. Saturated fat is a type of fat that may increase cholesterol levels and increase your risk of heart disease. I wanted to learn these terms because they are fairly common but I was unsure of their exact meaning.

4A) The nutrition labels on foods are changing. This is being done to update the labels to more…