I was grocery shopping today and decided that I wanted to risk having cheese in the house. 
When I got to the cheese aisle, I immediately headed towards my favorite cheese as of late. Cabot’s 75% Reduced Fat Sharp Cheddar Cheese. I’m all about the sharp cheddar, so when I found this and discovered that it actually tastes good, you know I fell in love. Now, if they came out with a 75% Reduced Fat Reduced Sodium kind then screw love, I’d be in lust.
Every time I’ve bought this particular brand of cheese, it’s always been white – one of the things I like about it. No added coloring. So imagine my surprise when I got there today and it was bright orange. I was like um, okaaaaay. But then I noticed the kind I usually buy just a short way down the aisle. Here they are: No difference whatsoever as far as packaging other than the color of the actual cheese:
Then I decided to check out the ingredients. The only difference, again, is “annatto (for color)”:
Now tell me, which one was more expensive? Which one would logically makes sense to be more expensive? I mean, one of them has an extra ingredient right?
But no. The one without the added color was more expensive. The orange colored one was $5.25 and the white uncolored one was $5.49. (Both outrageously expensive in my opinion.) I paid the extra $0.24 to keep the extra coloring out of my cheese.
I’m just deeply disturbed by what this says about our food industry. I just don’t get it.
Thanks for sharing your vigilance. Do. Not. Even. Get. Me. Started.
There more I learn about the food industry, the more I think it is one of the greatest threats to America. I’ll spare you the soap box, but oy. I’m reading Kessler’s “The End of Overeating” and it’s just sad how pretty much the only thing that matters is selling us more and more calories.
Whoa, that feels negative. Didn’t mean to rant. But it is frustrating.
You deserve a gold star for noticing this…and your 24 cents back!
Alan´s last [type] ..Wayne Knight’s Pounds Off Profile- Hello- Weight Loss
Alan – I could not agree with you more! WHYYYYY do we pay EXTRA for less processing, less additives, MORE healthy foods? It’s crazy to think the more things they add to it the cheaper it is. I know it goes back to the law of supply and demand as well as a few other things. but still. it’s the principle. gRRRRrr. don’t get me started either! I find it insane that my beloved Fage yogurt is $6.29 and I get about 5 servings, maybe 6 if I really stretch it while the mass produced yoplaits, dannons, etc. are usually never more than 50 cents a container but dangggg they taste awful! All i taste is chemicals. YUCK.