RE: How have we become so blind? The food industry is such a sham sometimes...
As someone who has a boatload of food allergies, yeah - this is totally true!
There was a study a while back where a lab tested various olive oils, and only three turned up as actually 100% olive oil like the bottle said - California Olive Ranch, Trader Joe's California Reserve, and Kirkland (Costco brand). Basically the rule was if it came from California, it was probably real, but if it came from Italy, it was almost certainly mixed with cheaper oils so they could make more profit. Which is hazardous to me because I am allergic to so many things other oils are made of - I can only really use olive and coconut.
Then recently I started seeing all the California Olive Ranch bottles touting themselves as "destination series" - oils from multiple places in the same bottle. I couldn't find one that wasn't like that. So now I don't trust it anymore, because I can't be sure. Sigh.
It's insane the sh*t I have to look out for and can never be sure of.
Lately I've been reacting to dairy products that are not grass fed. I'm not allergic to dairy at all - I rely on it as a food staple now. But I'm allergic to corn and soy - what grain-fed cows are usually fed. So now all my dairy products cost twice as much as conventional, because naturally. LOL
Holly crap, that is horrible. I'm sorry to hear this. And yeah there's a massive chapter on olive oil, so many lies come with it. I haven't seen the multiple destination bottles yet, tha ks for the heads up.
If you ha e crazy alergies like that and are now worried about milk because of it's cows... you could look into the western price foundation, depending on where you live they might have a local chapter and can help find whole foods, including safe raw milk.
I can get grass fed in the groceries near me, which is good, because I can't drive to get to farms and raw milk pick up points. In my state, the "rule" about raw milk is that you can't buy it, but if you own the cow they can't stop you from drinking it raw. So the workaround to get raw milk is that you have to put a deposit down that is your "share" in a cow, so that way you "own" it, and ergo can get milk from your co-owned cow. But you have to find a farmer you can meet up with someplace to pick up your milk at a certain time, like you're doing drug deals in the back of the farmer's van, but it's milk. It's madness.
If they delivered it, I might be able to do that, but as it is, I'd be bussing across town to try and catch them in a one-hour window and if my bus didn't show (which sometimes they don't, because RTD is unreliable), then I'd be milk-less.
Ahh, the hoops you gotta jump through for real food nowadays. I'm glad I can at least find grass fed dairy and free range eggs in the store, even if they are super expensive.
Here in Western Oregon, Bennett Family Farms is delivering milk to our doors. Hopefully this will do well and expand regionally. You might inquire of them to see if such a service may be available to you where you are.
I'm in Denver. There are a couple of companies that might deliver, but it's all generic, grain fed, non-organic, antibiotic-filled stuff. :(
Ouch... yeah that sounds super difficult. Ohio has that same set up with "shares". Well at least yes there is the grocery store eggs and milk like you said.