Sources of New Foods : Grains, Chestnuts

by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

(Page 2 of 2)

Grains

In the past several years, there have been a number of new food uses in the United States for grains. Soy foods, especially tofu (curdled soy milk), have been around for centuries in Asia, and arrived here with the first Chinese immigrants during California's gold rush days, according to William Shurtleff, author and owner of a soy foods business in Lafayette, Calif. Tofu, he adds, has been produced in San Francisco for more than 100 years.

According to Shurtleff, the demand for tofu and other soy foods rose with the increasing influx of Asian immigrants. As they and their children scattered all over the country, Asian grocery stores have sprung up to serve them.

"When other grocers saw how big this demand was, they started stocking soy foods themselves," Shurtleff continues. While tofu was catching on with consumers, a new soybean product, textured vegetable protein, was being developed.

"It first came into its own in 1973 with a huge burst of popularity when the price of meat skyrocketed. Soy products were used as meat extenders," says Shurtleff.

During this time, Shurtleff continues, tofu and other soybean products were also gaining popularity as a result of increasing consumer health concerns. An increasing number of Americans became vegetarians. Soy-based substitutes for all dairy products were developed and marketed.

Shurtleff says there have been few regulatory problems with soy foods because the products have been around so long in the United States and elsewhere. He adds that no one has ever challenged soy foods from a health standpoint for adults who are eating a balanced diet.

But cases of severe malnutrition have been reported in infants fed only soy milk. (See "Feeding Baby: Nature and Nurture" in the September 1990 FDA Consumer.) Don Plumb, consumer safety officer in FDA's Office of Food Labeling, points out the agency has authority to take action if the food labeling is false or misleading. This includes, he says, the absence of appropriate information on the label about consequences that may result from the use of the food.

According to Plumb, FDA adopted a three-part import alert guidance in 1987 on the labeling of soy-based drinks:

Soy drinks not registered as infant formulas that imply they may be substituted for mother's milk are to be "detained." Although such products may be seized, reexported to the shipper, or destroyed, Plumb says most companies notified of a labeling violation take advantage of their option to relabel the product.

Soy drinks represented to be a substitute for milk other than mother's milk are to be referred to FDA for label review before release.

Soy drinks not claiming or implying to be an infant formula or milk substitute may be released with the comment that the product is not to be used as infant formula or as a sole source of nutrition.

Chestnuts

Unlike soybeans, canola and cotton, chestnuts are not a major American crop. Before 1904 they were found in all the states east of the Mississippi River, but an airborne fungus all but obliterated the trees by the 1950s. Using such practices as grafting cuttings from a few remaining American chestnuts and crossing them with Japanese and Chinese varieties, scientists such as Bill MacDonald, Ph.D., professor of plant pathology, University of West Virginia, are breeding back much of the American chestnut.

"Chestnuts are coming back. With only 3 percent fat, chestnuts are good in our diets," says Michael Kelly, owner of Chestnut Hill Nursery in Austin, Texas. He explains that most interest in chestnuts these days is as a gourmet food, although many supermarkets stock them during the winter holiday season.

Most of these chestnuts are imported from Europe, Kelly continues, adding that chestnut flour and hogs feeding on chestnuts are still very much part of the European tradition. "It's hard to say exactly where chestnuts are right now in the gourmet or any other food market," Kelly continues. "We see chestnut trees as a form of sustainable agriculture. They can be used in reforestation. In addition to a human food, chestnuts are also a food for wildlife."

FDA tested chestnuts a few years ago for residues of methyl bromide, a volatile and potentially harmful fumigant used on the trees, according to Ronald Roy, now chief of the domestic programs branch of FDA's division of field programs planning and evaluation. Roy supervised the 1990 tests while on the staff of FDA's former Office of Physical Sciences.

He points out that chestnuts were only one of a wide variety of fruits and nuts tested. "There were no problems with chestnuts [tested], and we had no reason to believe there would be. A new method of identifying methyl bromide residue, a soil and post-harvest fumigant permitted to be used on many fruits, grains, vegetables, and nuts, had been introduced recently. We wanted to develop a data base to see what levels, if any, of methyl bromide were present in these foods."

Edible cottonseed, canola, soy foods, and chestnuts all reflect a consuming public more concerned about the health aspects of nutrition and better informed than ever.

Speaking for the chestnut growers, Kelly cited environmental benefits while listing another: "Chestnut trees are part of our folklore."

Finally, there's the pleasure that comes from eating the new foods. When Shurtleff says his son and many of his contemporaries think a "regular" hot dog is made with soy food and quite likely wouldn't like or even eat meat hot dogs, he's giving us a glimpse of how the American diet is constantly enriched.

About the Author

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FDA is A United States government body that oversees medical devices, including contact lenses, intraocular lenses, excimer lasers and eyedrops. In the US, these products must be approved by the FDA before they can be marketed.