My "safe" foods list
I have been calling and emailing companies to get food production dates to avoid foods produced in California that might have been affected by radiation from the nuclear accident. I share these in case others might be doing something similar.
Pre-Fukushima foods
(expiration/best by dates)
Julian date of accident March 11 is 070 or 1070 (1 represents 2011)
The following was determined by emailing and calling companies to get the production dates. Julian dates are exact as packing dates; the rest must be counted back from expiration dates. The number in parentheses is shelf life.
Butter: Organic Valley: 16 Dec 2011 or before (280 days)
Cheese
Org Valley mild cheddar: 10 Apr 2011 or earlier (aged 30 days)
Org Valley string: 8 Aug 2011 or earlier (150 days)
Org Valley cream chz: 7 Sept 2011 or earlier (180 days)
Eggs: Julian date 070 = March 11, so before
Fish: not buying anything from the Pacific Ocean or western states, including Baja
Flour: Bob's Red Mill Organic White: Julian date 1070 or before
(but takes two months from production to packing - Julian date is packing)
Arrowhead Mills: Whole Wheat flour: 11 March 2012 (1 year)
Buckwheat Pancake Mix: 11 March 2012 (1 year)
Granola bars: Cascadian Farms: 14 Nov 2011 or before (248 days)
Ice cream: Julie's: Julian date 11070 or before
Juice: frozen Cascadian Farms: 24 March 2013 or before (744 days)
boxed Apple and Eve: Julian date 1070 or before (estimated)
Honest Ade: 11 March 2012 or before (1 year)
Meats
Organic Prairie: frozen: Julian date 11070 or before
fresh sliced meat: 25 May 2011 (75 days)
Diestal frozen turkey: Julian date 070 or before
Smart Chicken: Julian date 070 or before (but all from Nebraska anyway)
Applegate farms: fresh (hot dogs, bacon) 18 April 2011 (38-40 days)
frozen (turkey burgers) 11 Dec 2011 (9-12 months)
Trader Joe's packaged Pinot Grigio salami: 11 Dec 2011 (9-12 months)
(Trader Joes won't say where anything is from)
Milk (boxed ): 7 Sept 2011 or earlier (180 days)
Oils and condiments:
(all Hain company, which is tricky since they won't say where anything is from)
Hain Safflower Mayonaisse: 11 Dec 2011 (9 months)
Spectrum Organic Mediterranean Olive Oil: 11 March 2013
(but Trader Joe's is cheaper and comes from Italy)
Spectrum Org Brown Rice Vinegar: 11 March 2013 (2 years)
Spectrum Org Toasted Sesame Oil: 11 Sept 2012 (18 mo)
Spectrum Org Canola Oil: 11 March 2013 (2 years)
Pasta and cheese (boxed): Annie's: 10 Sept 12 or earlier (18 months)
Protein bars: Amazing Grass Greens Superfood Chocolate Peanut Butter 3/11/2013 (2 years)
Protein drink: Orgain: 11 March 2012 (1 year)
Rice milk: Rice Dream: 11 March 2012 (1 year)
Seaweed
Osahwa: 11 March 2013 (2 years)
Soups and broths:
Pacific Foods creamy soups and broths: 11 March 2012 (1 year)
Pacific Foods carton soups w/chicken and condensed: 11 March 2013 (2 yrs)
Sour cream: Organic Valley 6 May 2011 or earlier (56 days)
Vegetables (frozen): Cascadian Farms: 24 March 2013 or before (744 days)
Woodstock Farms: mixed mushrooms, shiitake, edamame, broccoli florets: 11 Sept 2012 (18 mo)
all other veg: 11 March 2013 (2 years)
Water (bottled): Arrowhead 10 Sept 2012 (18 months)
Yogurt: Wallaby 29 Apr 2011 or earlier (all flavors, 49 days)
Thank you Thank you Thank you!
As a mother of two small children and the hope of having more some day, I am so grateful for this valuable information.
I don't understand why
I don't understand why people want more children. This world is not a place I want to raise more children.
I wanted children. Very
I wanted children. Very much.
WantED. Get my drift?
Thank you nuclear power.
Yes, thank you for this
Yes, thank you for this list!
Thank you Anonymous for Safe Foods List
Wow, I think you and I live in the same household, because we buy many of the same products. Thank you soooo much for compiling this list!
arrowhead
Just to simplify things, I had called Arrowhead when this all started. The bottling date itself is stamped on every package along with the expiration date but they are not in the same place. The bottling date is under the label of each bottle or stamped at the top of each container.
Also, the Tilamook cheese that is aged for just 60 days is safe to buy (for a bit longer anyway) and most kids prefer it since it's not as sharp. You can freeze it.
Another cheese option is to
Another cheese option is to buy European cheese, pretty cheap at Trader Joe's.
Also it's easy to find organic pastas and sauces made in Italy.
how are julian dates read?
what formula to disambiguate the "julian date"?
The Julian date starts at 1
The Julian date starts at 1 for January 1 and counts the days of the year, so 070 is March 11.
See a calendar here: http://amsu.cira.colostate.edu/julian.html.
Thank you! This is great.
Thank you! This is great.
this is wonderful! thanks
this is wonderful! thanks for sharing. i looked at the organic valley website, and they seem to be one of the few companies actually acknowledging the crisis. on their website, sharp cheddar is listed as having a 300 day shelf life. i asked them about radiation level testing, and was told they can't reveal test results :( additionally, their comparisons are being made with FDA regs...and we know what that means :/
Organic Valley was one of
Organic Valley was one of the few companies to answer every request I made, quickly and in a friendly way. Organic Prairie is the same company and were equally, delightfully helpful.
Hain was difficult - they would give me shelf life but not say where anything was from (my Canola Oil says it could be made in US, Switzerland or Argentina).
Trader Joes would only tell me that at a southern California store the organic milk would be from southern California. The local store was willing to call suppliers but they came back with estimates.
I loved how proud Smart Chicken was to tell me ALL their chickens are from Nebraska.
I have learned a lot from doing this, including how fast our food gets processed (I was somewhat astonished at the speed of chicken, for example, and sour cream).
BTW, I rarely mentioned radiation concerns to any of these companies except the ones that had seaweed or Japanese products. I just talked about freshness and shelf life.
Where are you buying "Smart
Where are you buying "Smart chicken" (which store)?
Some other helpful food info...
We're drinking SACO mix n drink powdered milk from Costco packed before March 11th. I have to say the stuff tastes 99% like real milk. I was pleasantly surprised. It expires in Jan 2013, so we're stocking up on that.
Organic Valley was very helpful when I called about their milk. For this reason, I will drink it again if the levels dissapear. Other milk companies acted more annoyed when we called.
Tillamook has cheeses aged and packed pre-Fukushima. Their sharp cheddar is aged 9 months so we're stocking up on that too. The label says clearly "aged 9 months" and the company verified it by phone.
We're drinking reverse osmosis water from Costco (kirkland signature drinking water). Costco confirmed it is reverse osmosis.
Buying produce grown in greenhouses whenever possible. Hate to say it, but we're choosing the non-organic versions over the organic versions if they are grown in a greenhouse. Pick your poison.
The companies I've called expect me to say I'm calling about radiation, so don't be afraid to tell them if they ask. The only people that seemed surprised when I told them why I was calling were the folks who make organic chicken breasts for Costco. Can't remember the company name, but they were pleasant and helpful.
why would it be better to
why would it be better to choose non organic instead of organic greenhose grown vegetables?
Perhaps that wasn't clear...
Perhaps that wasn't clear... we're buying vegetables grown in a greenhouse. If they are organic, great, if not, just as well. Chances are though, most vegetables grown in a greenhouse are organic. We are not buying vegetables/fruits grown outside of a greenhouse unless they are imported from the southern hemisphere.
Forgot to mention that SACO
Forgot to mention that SACO sells their powdered milk on Amazon if you are not a member of Costco. Notice the reviews are pretty high for this milk. It's not organic, but hey... we'll take what we can get.
http://www.amazon.com/Saco-Instant-Non-Fat-quarts-8-Pound/dp/B000J41TB6/...
Thank you!
That was very generous of you to share what you've learned.
Thank you!!! I have 3 little
Thank you!!! I have 3 little boys, ages 6, 2 and 1, and I have been giving them the water I had saved for an earthquake because all of the water we could buy around here (in Southern CA) is from CA. I didn't know Arrowhead was so old. Thank you so much for sharing this information! This radiation matter is driving me nuts. I wonder everyday if I am killing my babies living here.
You should call the company
You should call the company and ask about your specific Arrowhead product. I called last week and mine were bottled AFTER march 11th.
I am so happy other people
I am so happy other people are sharing! Thank you! Also, if anyone has a costco, you can get sardines from Morocco...you can also drink water that has undergone reverse osmosis.
If anyone is looking for a
If anyone is looking for a good cow milk alternative, there is a California brand of Goat Milk they sell at most Whole Foods and health food stores; Meyenberg. They have a powdered milk AND for a few more weeks, you can get the fresh stuff (packed 63 days before the expiration date). The powdered milk has the date of manufacture stamped at the bottom. Here is the company website that shows how to use the coding:
http://meyenberg.com/index.php?page=shelf-life-coding
Also, the Greek Yogurt FAGE is based out of upstate New York...it MIGHT be okay, however, I have heard of reports of acid rain in Massachusetts...
Enjoy!
I would think goat milk
I would think goat milk would be just as contaminated as cow's milk. They are both ruminants
I read a study on Chernobyl
that said goat milk concentrated cesium more than cow's milk.
Correct
:(
Sad, but true. During a radionuclide storm (nuclear fallout event), goats, sheep and deer bioconcentrate radionuclides more efficiently than cattle.
This is due to the preferred (goat, sheep & deer) diet, which consists of broadleaf weeds (forbs). The large surface area of forb leaves, catch more radioactive dust and black rain than the grasses.
Forbs generally absorb the radionuclides from dust and rain more effectively than the grasses.
Thus dairy products from sheep, goats and raindeer are more dangerous during nuclear fallout events than cow'w milk.
:(
milk alternative
I just tried Almond Milk today I LOVE IT!! I am not a big fan of powdered milk but I have been using it for cooking but my 5 year old wants MILK! He tried the Almond Milk and he loved it too! Tried the soy milks but ...ugh! Try the Almond Milk!!
We drink Almond milk too. We
We drink Almond milk too. We also like rice milk and oat milk. The vanilla flavours are pretty good and are a good substitute for milk in cereal. I also use these milks for baking.
We have been drinking Almond
We have been drinking Almond Milk and Rice Milk. I'm still wondering what type of radiation levels could be found in these? I would think it would be less than cow milk or goat milk? Does anyone know?
making non-dairy milks
https://encrypted.google.com/search?q=make+rice+nut+and+grain+milks&hl=e...
What Japan’s Radiation
What Japan’s Radiation Means for U.S. Food
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/what-japans-radiation-means-for-u-s-foo...
keep this active...
keep this active...
KerryGold Butter
Lucky's carries KerryGold butter which purports to be imported from Ireland. I know our No Cal butter probably has very little CS 137 but the very thought of it being there at all is unappetizing to me. So I eschewed my regular Land O Lakes butter (which clearly says "Real California Milk" on the label) to get some KerryGold. I have to say it tastes a lot better. But then I read on the internet that Ireland has CS 137 in their Milk too. This is a fun game but it just seems too hard to avoid the poison. Maybe its a good time to become a Breatharian, they claim to live forever with no food. Then again "Prana" probably has Cesium in it now too.
Many food options are
Many food options are available once we discover one may not be safe. Try another brand, just like you did and once that option doesn't work try a new product. Coconut oil is a wonderful and nourishing fat. It has a two year shelf life. Garden of Life is my favorite. Many are from the phillipines so I'm not sure how contanimated it is but it probably is still old product at this point because it has such a long shelf life. Many jars of salsa are prefukishima.