Have you been disappointed with the way your homemade wine has turned out? I know quite a number of people who have not been pleased with their results. Sometimes it’s off flavors. Or worst of all, wine turning into vinegar. Here are some common mistakes that home winemakers often commit which could result in something your not all that proud of:
Mistake #1 – Not Sanitizing Equipment
This is quite possibly the biggest and most often made mistake of home winemakers. Just because a batch of wine turned out fine previously, and …

The food industry-led “Smart Choices” program has ended, as it should.
The effort launched in August as an attempt by companies to avoid additional federally mandated nutritional standards.
Participating manufacturers included a green label on package fronts to easily denote healthy food choices for consumers.
Cereals such as Froot Loops, with sugar listed as the No. 1 ingredient, received the green check. Cocoa Puffs, Cocoa Krispies and other sugar-laden cereals also received the label, alongside foods such as Country Crock spread, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, and many others.
Participating companies included Kellogg’s, Kraft Foods, …

Monsanto, the company which spent an astounding eight million dollars last year on lobbying, is planning to flood the food market with poor quality omega 3 oils from its genetically modified (GM) soy beans.
Monsanto, which is trying to control the world’s farming market and infect nature with its genetically modified seeds, plans to sell its omega 3 frankenfood to processed food companies. The food companies will then claim that their frozen dinners and microwave meals are healthy because they contain omega 3 oils.
Yet you can bet your bottom dollar that …

FDA: Procter & Gamble Unlawfully Marketing Two Vicks Cold and Flu Medicines
Containing Vitamin C
SILVER SPRING, Md., Oct. 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The U.S. Food and Drug
Administration today sent a warning letter to Procter & Gamble notifying the
company that its Vicks DayQuil Plus Vitamin C and Vicks Nyquil Plus Vitamin C
are illegally marketed combinations of drug ingredients and a dietary
ingredient.
(Logo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090824/FDALOGO )
Both of the over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, which contain vitamin C in
addition to several drug ingredients, are marketed as treatments for cold and
flu symptoms. The FDA took the action against the Cincinnati-based …

Ohio State University food science researcher V.M. “Bala” Balasubramaniam isn’t feeling pressure to perform. He’s using pressure.
The associate professor of food science and technology studies how high-pressure food processing can be used and refined to preserve low-acid foods, allowing them to stay fresh for extensive periods while inactivating the bacteria and other pathogens that would otherwise make them unsafe.
Balasubramaniam, who also has appointments with the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center and Ohio State University Extension, and his research associate Jeremy Somerville just published an article on their work, “Pressure-Assisted …

Food Safety Minister Kate Wilkinson needs to ensure a comprehensive review of the labelling of genetically engineered (GE) food ingredients and GE food safety in New Zealand, now that 40 different GE food applications have been approved for use in New Zealand, including foods derived from 61 GE plant lines, according to the Soil & Health Association of New Zealand.
ShareSoil & Health says the latest approvals have gone through despite an increase in evidence of the health risks from GE food. GE plant lines approved include canola, corn, potato, cotton, …

Bharatbook.com included a new report on “The Food Ingredients Industry – Business Ratio” into its market report catalogue for reselling. 
This Report covers companies active in the food ingredients industry. The report analyses accounts filed in the three years up to 7 January 2007. Accounts with year ends falling in the 12 months up to 7 January 2007 are assigned to the third analysis period, with earlier accounts assigned to previous periods.The companies included in the Report are:
Food Ingredients Processors Aarhuskarlshamn UK Ltd Edible Oils Ltd Newly Weds Foods Ltd Abitec …

A wide-ranging review of New Zealand’s labelling laws for packaged food is likely to be run entirely by Australians.
The year-long review has a broad brief and food-safety campaigners hope it will look at contentious matters such as the disclosure on labels of genetically modified ingredients and a “traffic-light” system to show if a food is healthy or unhealthy.
Current rules covering packaged foods require at least a nutrition panel, a list of ingredients and the disclosure of various allergens.
But consumer research indicates these are poorly understood and many people rarely read …

Preservatives have been used by our ancient ancestors for centuries. Salt has long been used to preserve fish and meats. Spices and herbs preserve the flavor of foods and fruit is often preserved with sugar. Pickling cucumbers in vinegar solution is another use of preservatives. You may be surprised at the number of foods you commonly eat that contain preservatives. Your body can react to preservatives in different ways. Preservatives often cause sensitive people to experience symptoms like difficulty breathing, sneezing, skin rashes, itching or stomachaches. Some people prefer to …

Cut apples into smaller pieces, which will help in juice extraction. Crush, press, and add juice to primary fermenter with all ingredients except wine yeast. Cover primary.
After 24 hours, strain the juice from the pulp, and discard straining bag. Add yeast.
Fining and stablilizing: If you are NOT going to sparkle your cider, you should add ½ teaspoon of Potassium Sorbate per gallon to stabilize the yeast. After this is done, you’ll be able to sweeten your cider to your liking.
Any further racking should be done with the addition of 1 …