Bought a large tray of cut watermelon the other day, and found this weird
thing in the bottom of the plastic container. It looks like a silicone
packet, but has a slick side and a porous side. Printed on it is "Food Safe"
and "Fresh R Pax."

What is this crap, I wondered?

Found this:

http://www.maxwellchase.com/ProdFruitVeg.php

But no word of what is actuall IN these things.

On the good side, the watermelon was still plenty moist, but the bottom
pieces were not saturated and close to spoiling as fast.

The comply with all FDA rules, but who trusts the FDA?

cybercat > wrote:

> Bought a large tray of cut watermelon the other day, and found this weird
> thing in the bottom of the plastic container. It looks like a silicone
> packet, but has a slick side and a porous side. Printed on it is "Food Safe"
> and "Fresh R Pax."
>
> What is this crap, I wondered?
>
> Found this:
>
> http://www.maxwellchase.com/ProdFruitVeg.php

"Significantly extends shelf life e.g. 14 days on sliced tomatoes,
20 days on diced tomatoes"

Who the hell buys pre-sliced and pre-diced tomatoes?

The same people that buy pre-cut watermelon, I guess <ducking>. I
would buy a mixed fruit/melon tray for the convenience, but not a
tomato or watermelon tray which would take a whole 10 seconds to
cut.

-sw

"Sqwertz" > wrote >>
>> http://www.maxwellchase.com/ProdFruitVeg.php
>
> "Significantly extends shelf life e.g. 14 days on sliced tomatoes,
> 20 days on diced tomatoes"
>
> Who the hell buys pre-sliced and pre-diced tomatoes?

And who would want to keep watermelon for two weeks?

>
> The same people that buy pre-cut watermelon, I guess <ducking>.

It just looked really good and I wanted it NOW. It was $8, doesn't
that suck?

cybercat wrote:
>
> "Sqwertz" > wrote >>
> >> http://www.maxwellchase.com/ProdFruitVeg.php
> >
> > "Significantly extends shelf life e.g. 14 days on sliced tomatoes,
> > 20 days on diced tomatoes"
> >
> > Who the hell buys pre-sliced and pre-diced tomatoes?
>
> And who would want to keep watermelon for two weeks?
>
> >
> > The same people that buy pre-cut watermelon, I guess <ducking>.
>
> It just looked really good and I wanted it NOW. It was $8, doesn't
> that suck?
>
>

I don't know, too many folks seem to get wrapped up around the axle on
stuff like those inserts and other such oxygen absorbers, mold
inhibitors, nitrogen flushed packaging, etc.

While some practices are deceptive, like CO flushing meat packages to
keep them red, or some of the "enhanced" injected meats, stuff like the
inserts isn't deceptive and legitimately extends the shelf life of the
products, just as refrigeration does.

You wouldn't want your market to go back to third world refrigeration
free open air, so you shouldn't have a problem with those inserts.

Pete C. > wrote:

>You wouldn't want your market to go back to third world refrigeration
>free open air

Why do you say this?

I think a lot of stuff suffers from over-refrigeration. Bananas
are a prime example -- sometimes they will not ever ripen.

Steve

Steve Pope wrote:
>
> Pete C. > wrote:
>
> >You wouldn't want your market to go back to third world refrigeration
> >free open air
>
> Why do you say this?
>
> I think a lot of stuff suffers from over-refrigeration. Bananas
> are a prime example -- sometimes they will not ever ripen.
>
> Steve

Well you wouldn't want the meats and fish unrefrigerated, would you? As
for bananas, I always buy the least ripe I can find and still end up
making a lot of banana bread when they ripen too fast.

"Pete C." wrote:
>
> While some practices are deceptive, like CO flushing meat packages to
> keep them red, or some of the "enhanced" injected meats, stuff like the
> inserts isn't deceptive and legitimately extends the shelf life of the
> products, just as refrigeration does.

Whoa! What's wrong with CO packaging? CO is a colorless,
natural gas resulting from incomplete combustion of wood
and other natural fuels. It is not a dye. It retards
a meat discoloration reaction that freaks out a lot of
people, in which meat can literally turn purple, without
any loss of nutrition or wholesomeness. It allows
reduction or elimination of meat curing salts, which
promote the formation cancer-causing N-nitroso compounds
such as the infamous nitrosamines. There's nothing wrong
with CO treatment of meat, and it's actually healthful
when it displaces the bad nitrate and nitrite meat-curing
salts.

Mark Thorson wrote:
>
> "Pete C." wrote:
> >
> > While some practices are deceptive, like CO flushing meat packages to
> > keep them red, or some of the "enhanced" injected meats, stuff like the
> > inserts isn't deceptive and legitimately extends the shelf life of the
> > products, just as refrigeration does.
>
> Whoa! What's wrong with CO packaging? CO is a colorless,
> natural gas resulting from incomplete combustion of wood
> and other natural fuels. It is not a dye. It retards
> a meat discoloration reaction that freaks out a lot of
> people, in which meat can literally turn purple, without
> any loss of nutrition or wholesomeness. It allows
> reduction or elimination of meat curing salts, which
> promote the formation cancer-causing N-nitroso compounds
> such as the infamous nitrosamines. There's nothing wrong
> with CO treatment of meat, and it's actually healthful
> when it displaces the bad nitrate and nitrite meat-curing
> salts.

Refrigeration, oxygen absorbers, mold inhibitors and the like all serve
to retard spoilage. CO flushing does nothing at all to retard spoilage,
it only affects cosmetics. CO flushing is simply deceptive.

cybercat wrote:

> Bought a large tray of cut watermelon the other day, and found this weird
> thing in the bottom of the plastic container. It looks like a silicone
> packet, but has a slick side and a porous side. Printed on it is "Food
Safe"
> and "Fresh R Pax."
>
> What is this crap, I wondered?


U musta been konfused by the heat, cyberpussie...that was a *diaphragm* you
bought, not a watermelon, and you were looking at the insertion
directions...

HTH

HAND

;---D

--
Best
Greg

" I find Greg Morrow lowbrow, witless, and obnoxious. For him to claim that
we are some
kind of comedy team turns my stomach."
- "cybercat" to me on rec.food.cooking

On Mon, 9 Jun 2008 21:32:08 -0400, "cybercat" >
wrote:

>Bought a large tray of cut watermelon the other day,

LOL.. It's a good thing you're good at name calling because you're
shopping skills aren't very good. Do you take your panties off to
keep the flies off your watermelon?

Lou

Lou Decruss wrote

> On Mon, 9 Jun 2008 21:32:08 -0400, "cybercat" >
> wrote:
>
> >Bought a large tray of cut watermelon the other day,
>
> LOL.. It's a good thing you're good at name calling because you're
> shopping skills aren't very good. Do you take your panties off to
> keep the flies off your watermelon?


GAWD...!!!

ROFLMAO...

;-D

--
Best
Greg

" I find Greg Morrow lowbrow, witless, and obnoxious. For him to claim that
we are some
kind of comedy team turns my stomach."
- "cybercat" to me on rec.food.cooking